Can you fly your drone in Malta?

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 Transport Malta — Civil Aviation Directorate (TM-CAD), 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 Malta as well. Coming from outside the EASA area, you register once — in the first EASA country where you plan to fly, here with Transport Malta — Civil Aviation Directorate (TM-CAD). Malta requires third-party insurance for drones of any weight, and visiting pilots must also register on Transport Malta's IDRONECT portal — 10 euro for three months if you already hold an EASA operator number, 25 euro otherwise. The whole country is controlled airspace, so every drone flight needs TM-CAD authorisation.

The short version: In the open category, the maximum height is 120 m, measured as the distance to the closest point of the ground surface — not simply straight down, so near a slope the ground beside you may also count. Within 50 m of a tall artificial obstacle (over 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. On top of that: Register as a UAS operator at tmcad.idronect.com (€25/year; visitors with an EASA operator number: €10 for 3 months). Also: The operator registration number or its QR code must be printed and affixed to the drone — the police may check, and failure to display it results in a penalty. These are central aviation rules — location-specific airspace, land, nature, privacy and photography requirements can also apply in Malta, so always check the official sources.

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

Drone flying in Malta is regulated by Transport Malta — Civil Aviation Directorate (TM-CAD). The airspace itself is managed by Malta Air Traffic Services (MATS). You will find both organisations' official pages under Sources below — those are the links worth bookmarking.