Can you fly your drone in Ireland?

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 Pilot Competency Cert 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 Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), 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 Ireland as well. Coming from outside the EASA area, you register once — in the first EASA country where you plan to fly, here with Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).

The short version: In 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 can count too. Within 50 m of a tall artificial obstacle (over 105 m), the entity responsible for it can request permission for flying up to 15 m above the obstacle's height. On top of that: You must register as a drone operator if your drone weighs 250 g or more (or could transfer more than 80 J of impact energy) — this applies even to toys. Below 250 g, registration is still required if the drone has a sensor able to capture 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 Ireland, you must be at least 16 to register as a drone operator; a parent or guardian may register on behalf of someone younger, who may then fly only under that adult's direct supervision. The A1/A3 online training and exam are required to fly independently in the open category. These are central aviation rules — location-specific airspace, land, nature, privacy and photography requirements can also apply in Ireland, so always check the official sources.

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

Drone flying in Ireland is regulated by Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), which handles both the rules and the airspace. Their official pages are linked under Sources below — that is where changes appear first.