Travelling with a Drone

This is a new venture for me, as while I have flown some drones, I have never actually owned one. Which is something I'm going to change soon.

Before making such a large investment, I need to figure out how things in the drone world work in various countries, and think about why I would buy one if I cannot use it. And no, I am not talking about commercial drone photography; I'm just taking aerial shots for fun.

When it comes to the commercial drone flying stuff, while I have experience in commercial photography, I am not planning anything other than taking shots for fun. Going the commercial path changes everything; permits are needed for just about everything. In other words, all I share here is non-commercial only.

From my initial research and talking to friends, I understand that there are many restrictions on using drones, and there are a few things common between countries.

Over the past year or so, I have visited China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, and plan to add the UAE to the list next year. As I live in Sydney, I start by checking the restrictions at home.

Sydney, Australia top

Here, drone use is regulated by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Checking out their website, there are many, many rules, way more than expected. Not a good start. The full list of rules can be found on this page

One of the rules that jumps out is the Flying in populous areas, as the definition is very wide, and basically includes everything I would want to fly over, things like beaches, parks, city etc.

What makes this even more annoying is when I checked the No Fly zone map it does not cover much, just a few military areas, and some islands in Sydney Harbour.

Another one, in the populous areas, rules it talks about parks, which is interesting, as the no-fly zone map, when you drill down into the data, shows you can fly in the national park, you just need a permit, which is linked to from that page.

It also shows no restrictions over the sydney city, harbour and even the Opera House, all of which I would expect to be restricted. If that's not bad enough, according to the map, you can fly freely over Sydney International Airport, now that's just plain wrong, there has to be something broken with that No Fly zone map

Something tells me that some of my confusion is down to some rules being federal and others being state, in other words, bureaucracy strikes again.

And yes, I also see that the strict rules are there to deal with the idiot factor, where some people will do whatever they like with a new toy. I have had personal experience with these people, where some idiot flew a drone low over the street outside my home, and another one who buzzed too close to mt roof.

Hmmm, Sydney has way more restrictions than expected, with confusion between state and federal rules, and even worse, it seems there are council-level restrictions for some places.

Before moving on, there is the weight question, and no, not the operators, but the drones, in the category <250g, there are fewer restrictions for non-commercial flying, things like no license or registration needed.

With all my research, this seems to be about the only common thing I have found when looking at some other countries.

From what I understand so far, it's borderline too hard to fly in sydney. I may try it anyway, and make sure to follow the federal, state and council rules, and any other rules specific to the location I want to fly. For example, in the Sydney Harbour National Park, I would get the permit as required.

Singapore top

Singapore, being known as a very regulated place, I was expecting the restrictions to be way worse than back home in Sydney, but nope. At the same time, there are many restrictions; they are fairly straightforward and well-documented.

Unmanned Aircraft are managed by Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore whose website covers the rules in a way to leave little room for confusion. CASA, please take note.

Put simply if your drone is <250g then no registration or permit is required to fly, just make sure to keep away from the no fly zones, keep your altitude under the 200 feet limits, and read all the rules which do apply for the location you want to fly in.

To make things easier, the no-fly zones map is available online at the onemap site and via a dedicated app

Now, just check out the no-fly areas; you will see, as expected for such a small place, they cover the majority of the island. So, be careful and understand your location before you fly.

After some more digging, I found that drone flying in National Parks is allowed, just not in all parks, where some are off-limits, and others require a permit. Check out their website which has a list of exceptions, and links to permits if needed.

And yes, I had a look at what they need for a permit, and it's very straightforward, way better than the ones back home in Sydney.

While researching this page, I came across many other sites which list "drone friendly locations" which initially looked promising, but after checking quite a few are out of date and flying is a flat no. Some examples are Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa Island and the Botanic Gardens.

TLDNR: The source of truth for no-fly zones is CAAS, not some unknown website from a Google search.

As for me, now, while the restrictions are different for Singapore, they are, as expected, very well documented and clear to follow, so I will not let this put me off flying on a future visit.

Hong Kong top

Being part of China, I was expecting the restrictions to be severe, heading toward the "don't even think about it" side of things, but nope, it's restricted yes, but not, in my understanding excessive.

Just like Sydney and Singapore, a government agency CAD regulates the use of drones, although the information they give is very easy to misunderstand, er well, I got very confused with all the jargon.

After talking with a friend in HK, he put me on to this site which covers the rules in detail. While on the subject, that site https://drone-laws.com/ looks like a good source of information, just be aware that while it looks good, the information may be out of date, so I recommend you check the official sources for confirmation.

As for the specifics, just like Australia and Singapore, there are categories of drones based on the weight of the drone, with fewer restrictions for the <250g category.

From my readings of the rules, it seems like Singapore, where in the <250g category, you do not need to register the drone or need an operator's license. Just keep out of the no-fly zones, watch out for signs banning drones, keep under the altitude limit and exercise common sense.

Talking of no-fly zones, checking what they are covering, it makes real sense, don't fly over anything government, things like military areas, police stations, etc., and keep away from the airport.

Yes, I will be flying a drone in HK on my next trip, just making sure to follow the regulations. Of special interest to me is Ngong Ping, which should be good as I have seen multiple drones flying, just well away from the Big Buddha. And yes, even after seeing several flying, I will check the rules on the day.

Malaysia top

For Malaysia, drone usage is managed by the Ministry of Transport, and from my readings of the paperwork, the restrictions are extensive, although very dependent on the location; for example, right in the middle of Kuala Lumpur is basically a nightmare, with the airspace very restricted.

It seems it's less restricted on Penang Island, which, other than an area around the airport, seems to be easier to deal with, with the only reference I have been able to find showing altitude limits. However, I would check with local authorities and any signage before even thinking of flying. And you will still need the correct paperwork.

First, the big one, even as a tourist, you need to apply for Authorisation to Fly (ATF), which is documented here

I got very confused with the rules and regulations, so I reached out to them for clarification, and to their credit, they got back to me very quickly, with more information.

Less confused, but still somewhat lost, as it seems that flights that include aerial photography require another permit, but this time from JUPEM - (Application for Authorisation of Imaging/Data Capture).

Be aware that non-Malaysian citizens must have a guarantor from Malaysian citizens to apply.

Hmmmm, I have a strong feeling that the aerial photography permit is for commercial use, and not for tourists, which would make more sense, although the information I have is very unclear on this.

Another interesting discovery, after some googling, I found several sites that talk about rules for Malaysia that contradict the government sites I have been looking at. Again, I would recommend you use the official sites as the source of truth, and others as a reference.

As for me, would I try and fly in Malaysia, that's a big nope, the paperwork and general regulations are too complex, restrictions are a nightmare. In general "Too Hard"

Dubai (UAE) top

In 2026, I was planning to visit Dubai, so I figured I would check the rules so I could fly a drone to capture some of the stunning architecture from the air.

Not that I got very far, as it seems "Hobbyist non-commercial use is temporarily suspended."

Will this stop me from visiting Dubai? Not a chance. All it means is no drone flights.

While the lack of drone use would not stop me from visiting, the current Iran war is a no-brainer and has forced me to put the trip on hold until sanity is restored.