Can you fly your drone in Estonia?

Two separate things are easily confused here. Registration as a drone operator is required as soon as your drone weighs 250 g or more, or has a camera or sensor able to capture personal data — so it covers many sub-250 g drones too, unless they qualify for the toy exemption. The remote pilot's certificate of competency (Remote Pilot Certificate) is something else: you need it once your drone weighs 250 g or more, or carries a C1 or higher class mark. A camera drone under 250 g therefore needs registration, but no exam. You get the certificate by passing an online theory test with Transpordiamet, and it is then valid across the whole EASA area, not just here.

Yes — EU drone rules apply to visitors too. If you are already registered as a drone operator in another EASA country, that registration and your A1/A3 certificate (also A2) are valid in Estonia as well. Coming from outside the EASA area, you register once — in the first EASA country where you plan to fly, here with Transpordiamet.

The short version: In the open category, the maximum height is 120 m, measured as the distance to the closest point on the ground — not simply straight down, so near a slope the adjacent ground may also count. In addition, lower height limits may apply in some areas; these can be found on the drone map. Within a 50 m radius of an artificial structure taller than 105 m, you may fly up to 15 m above the structure at the request of the entity responsible for the structure. On top of that: You must register as a drone operator if your drone weighs 250 g or more (or can transfer more than 80 J of kinetic energy in a collision) — this also applies to toys. Below 250 g, registration is still required if the drone has a sensor capable of collecting personal data, unless it qualifies as a toy under the EU Toy Safety Directive. Pilot training/certificate requirements are separate and depend on the drone's class and subcategory. Also: In Estonia, the minimum age for remote pilots is 16 years — exceptions apply to C0-class drones in subcategory A1, to privately built drones weighing less than 250 g, and when flying under the direct supervision of a pilot who meets the requirements. These are central aviation rules — location-specific airspace, land, nature, privacy and photography requirements can also apply in Estonia, so always check the official sources.

The no-go areas are the restricted zones — typically around airports, prisons, military sites and protected nature areas. In Estonia you can see every zone on the interactive map on this page, and in the DroneKoll app wherever you are standing.

Drone flying in Estonia is regulated by Transpordiamet. The airspace itself is managed by EANS (Lennuliiklusteeninduse AS). You will find both organisations' official pages under Sources below — those are the links worth bookmarking.