Can you fly your drone in Croatia?

KEY RULES (EASA OPEN CATEGORY)

1. 01Every drone flight in Croatia must be approved in advance via AMC (establishment of an ad hoc airspace structure) — for all drones regardless of mass. You must first register a user account on the AMC Portal (wait for it to be processed). Up to 120 m outside a CTR and up to 50 m inside a CTR (outside the zones around aerodromes and temporary no-fly zones), approval is granted automatically on the day of the flight in the AMC Portal Mobile app; in other cases through the regular procedure (request 7 days in advance).
2. 02In the open category, the maximum height is 120 m, measured as the distance to the closest point of the earth's surface — not simply straight down, so near a slope the ground beside you may also count. Within 50 m of a tall artificial obstacle (taller than 105 m), the maximum height may be increased up to 15 m above the height of the obstacle at the request of the entity responsible for the obstacle.
3. 03You must register as a drone operator if your drone weighs 250 g or more (or could transfer more than 80 J of kinetic energy on impact) — this applies even to toys. Below 250 g, registration is still mandatory if the drone has a sensor capable of capturing personal data, unless it is considered a toy under the EU Toy Safety Directive. Pilot training/certificate requirements are separate and depend on the drone's class and subcategory.
4. 04The minimum age for flying alone in the open category is 16 — the A1/A3 online training and exam are valid for 5 years and recognised throughout the EU. Younger pilots may only fly under the direct supervision of a certified pilot.
5. 05Third-party liability insurance (at least 750,000 SDR, Regulation (EC) 785/2004) is mandatory when you carry out aerial work with a drone — according to the CCAA this also includes photography and filming for private purposes. For purely recreational flying without aerial work (drone up to 20 kg) it is not mandatory.
6. 06Protected natural areas (national parks, nature parks, etc.): drone flights only with prior approval from the public institution that manages the area. In Plitvice Lakes NP and Krka NP, drone filming is prohibited, except in exceptional cases with the Institution's approval.
7. 07In the open category, you must keep the drone in direct line of sight with the naked eye (glasses/contact lenses are fine; binoculars or a screen don't count) — or with the help of an observer, with clear and effective communication between you at all times, so that together you can watch the airspace and avoid collisions. Follow-me mode is a separate exception, permitted up to 50 m from the pilot.
8. 08Do not fly over assemblies of people. Rules for uninvolved persons depend on subcategory, class mark and operating conditions; check the official matrix.
9. 09In Croatia, the zones around aerodromes are set nationally (NN 20/2023, Art. 4): within 1,500 m of the fence of a controlled aerodrome and 500 m laterally of the approach axis up to 3,500 m from the threshold, flight is conditionally prohibited (approval only exceptionally, through the regular procedure). In the rest of the control zone (CTR), approval up to 50 m above ground is granted automatically in the AMC Portal Mobile app, and above 50 m only through the regular procedure. Near an uncontrolled aerodrome (1,500 m from its edges, 500 m laterally of the approach axis up to 2,500 m from the threshold), prior consent from the aerodrome operator is required. Before flying near an airport, airfield or heliport, check the official drone zone map.
10. 10Night flight is permitted under the EASA open-category baseline when the required green flashing light is used, unless a current geographic zone or national rule imposes a stricter condition.
11. 11Do not fly near fires or emergency response sites – a drone in the operating area of firefighting aircraft endangers firefighting. Temporary no-fly zones (e.g. matches, events) are published on the AMC Portal.

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