Can you fly your drone in Hungary?

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 Drone Pilot Certification competency 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 HungaroControl, 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 Hungary as well. Coming from outside the EASA area, you register once — in the first EASA country where you plan to fly, here with HungaroControl. Hungary is much stricter than the EU baseline: flying over any built-up area, Budapest included, needs a temporary designated airspace requested from the military aviation authority about 30 days ahead, and liability insurance is mandatory for non-toy drones.

The short version: A maximum of 120 m above the ground (EASA Open Category). On top of that: Registration is required for drones weighing 120 g or more (a stricter requirement than EASA’s 250 g threshold). Also: The A1/A3 online training course is mandatory — minimum age 16. These are central aviation rules — location-specific airspace, land, nature, privacy and photography requirements can also apply in Hungary, so always check the official sources.

What you need to avoid are the restricted zones — typically around airports, prisons, military areas and protected nature. You'll find the official map for Hungary under Sources below, and the DroneKoll app shows current NOTAMs (temporary airspace restrictions) for Hungary.

Drone flying in Hungary is regulated by HungaroControl, which handles both the rules and the airspace. Their official pages are linked under Sources below — that is where changes appear first.