7 things you need to keep in mind when buying a drone insurance

If you want to fly with your drone, you will need to have a drone insurance in many countries. Already on your first flight, you must be secured. In this article, I’ll tell you what points to look out for in drone insurance.

To make a very long story short: We recommend only one provider when choosing a drone insurer: Coverdrone! If you’re based in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, or within the EU, then Coverdrone’s offerings are a good place to look! Depending on your needs, you can take out drone insurance for a few days, a week, 1, 3, 6 or 12 months. After expiry, it is possible to extend the insurance cover.
Coverdrone insures your flight manoeuvres worldwide. There are only a few exceptions, which can be viewed on the website.

If you’re looking for drone insurance, get a personalised quote right away!

Purchase your drone insurance now

In general, two types of drone insurance are offered: the drone liability insurance and the drone hull insurance.

The drone liability insurance is strictly speaking an aviation liability insurance. If you cause damage to another person due to an operator error or a technical defect, this insurance will cover the costs.

Example: On your first flights, you confuse the joysticks. Instead of letting your drone ascend, you maneuver the copter straight into the window of Neighbor’s Shed. The glass and parts of the furniture must be renewed. The drone liability insurance will pay for this damage.

The aviation liability insurance pays the cost of the neighbors’ damage. If your drone breaks during the incident, you have to pay the price of repair or a new purchase. In this case, you can also complete a drone hull insurance, which then comes up for your expenses.

In many countries, you are required by the aviation laws to buy drone liability insurance. When completing the policy, you must pay attention to a few aspects to choose the appropriate insurance cover for you.

  1. Intended use
    Do you just want to fly a drone for private purposes or do you pursue commercial use with the drone flights? For both cases, different tariffs apply. It is best if both scenarios are covered in your drone insurance.
  2. Coverage
    Up to what amount of damage does the insurer pay? Of course, the motto here is: the higher the coverage, the better. Especially with personal injury, an accident can quickly lead to millions of dollars. Also interesting: Is there a deductible?
  3. Number of drone users
    Do you want to control the drone alone or do you still share the hobby/job with another person? The controlling person must be indicated on the insurance certificate. So if several people want to fly, then you should consider this when completing the drone insurance.
  4. Number of copters
    The same applies if you own several drones and want to fly with them. The multicopters must be reported (often with serial number). In the same breath, it should be understood that the weight of the copter meets the requirements of the insurer.
  5. Flight Areas and maneuvers
    The conditions of drone insurers regulate where and how you can fly. Are autonomous flights allowed (e.g. Follow Me function, Return to home)? Can you participate as an FPV racer in competitions? Are flights permitted inside buildings?
  6. Scope of Drone Insurance
    This section is primarily exciting if you want to travel with your drone: In which countries does the aviation liability insurance apply?
  7. Price
    Of course, the rate of the drone insurance plays a role.

These are the seven most important things to consider when completing your drone insurance.

Purchase your drone insurance now

Please leave us a comment if you have any questions regarding your drone insurance!

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About the author

Since January 2015, we travel around the world. In our backpack we carry a camera drone which we use to capture the best places from a bird’s perspective. First we travelled with a DJI Phantom 2. But now we use several drones like the DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ or the DJI Mini 3 Pro. On our blog we share the best tips for you about travelling with a drone. If you have questions about this article or new information, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment!

Discussions

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  • Marc D | 30.11.2017

    Your thoughts on drone manufacturer’s insurance plans like for example the DJI Refresh insurance?
    Thanks, good drone tips overall

    • pieter elzinga | 19.02.2018

      hi bud its Pieter Elzinga here from australia ,iv been reading a few of your blogs,i want to take my drone to thailand end of may,how do i go about it,where do i get drone insurance,thanks for your help

      • Fernando | 30.08.2018

        Hi Pieter,
        I live in Australia, and I am planning to travel to Thailand in the coming weeks. I was hoping to take my DJI Spark and found this post while searching for info on Thai’s rules. I was wondering if you could share some tips on your experience.
        Thanks mate
        Fernando

    • Francis Markert | 28.03.2018

      Hi Marc,
      It depends on your personal preferences. If you want to be on the safe side and don’t mind to spend a few more bugs, you can purchase such plans. But we never used those plans.

      • vish | 04.10.2018

        hey – i’m looking to insure my dji mavic air, do you have any recommendations?

  • Jake | 11.12.2017

    I believe company’s like State Farm have a policy called a personal articles policy, I am doing a little research on this now. Do you have any experience or insights on how good this coverage is for a drone?

    • Francis Markert | 28.03.2018

      Sorry, I don’t know them so far.

  • Irshad | 25.03.2018

    Hi Francis,

    Thanks for the articles on Drone operation in Sri Lanka. I would like to know where you got the drone insurance from? I fly from the UK to Sri Lanka.
    How long did the CAA registration/ approval process take?

    Thanks

    • Francis Markert | 28.03.2018

      Hi Irshad,
      At the moment, we are protected by German drone insurance with worldwide coverage. The duration of the registration process varies. You should start one or two months in advance.
      Best regards, Francis

  • David | 16.04.2018

    Hey Francis, Great post – thank you! I wanted to know if there were any company in particular you recommend?

    • Francis Markert | 17.04.2018

      Hi David,
      Thank you! For most citizens, it is hard to find a good drone insurer. I am looking for reliable companies at the moment. I will update the article with recommendations as soon as I have completed my research.
      Best regards, Francis

      • Eddy | 14.05.2018

        Any luck with the research for drone insurance company recommendation? Thx.

  • mahedi | 15.05.2018

    hey francis, hope u r well, i want to buy a insurance for my drone…do u know any international insurance company who can help me for travel anyother country with this insurance.
    thanks in advance

    • Francis Markert | 29.06.2018

      Hello Mahedi,
      in which country do you live?

      • Ryan | 22.07.2018

        Hello Francis, Im from Bangladesh. I have the same question. Do you know which company provides the Insurance for Local/International for my drone ?

  • Sylvia Longmire | 16.05.2018

    Here in the United States, it’s extremely difficult to get a liability insurance policy unless you have a commercial drone pilots license. That requires a lot of study and an additional expense just to take the test. But I’m really motivated to take it because you need that liability policy to fly a drone in Switzerland – that’s where I’m heading in September.

  • Greg Hung | 26.05.2018

    Do you know any company to provide insurance in Japan

  • Adesh Dooraree | 28.05.2018

    hello, I have spoken with Amazon, and their accidental damage and protection insurance does cover drones, it is worldwide. Would this be a viable option?

    • Francis Markert | 29.06.2018

      Hi Adesh,
      Ian explained it very well. The Amazon Accidental Damage Protection is not what I consider as a drone insurance. It is a kind of hull insurance.

  • Ian | 08.06.2018

    I think people are confusing the insurance that covers damage to their drone, such accidental damage and protection that you get from Amazon or the retail store, with insurance that covers damage done to other properties and persons.

    They are two different things.

    Amazon will not cover damages you people or their property if you hit it with you drone. They will only cover the damage done to your drone.

  • Farhad Uddin | 03.07.2018

    I live in Bangladesh.One of my Relative lives in US & I said him to buy ar drone for me.After buy,Does he’ll be faced any problem at Airport both In US And Bangladesh?

  • Chris | 09.08.2018

    Hi… i am landing in Phuket this month on 21st and plan on carrying my DJI spark to do a little footage at a far away beach resort at Khao Lak…. I know i am very late as i just read this thread about registering… but can i just take it in my luggage and get away with it without registering ? do the customs scan baggage for drones and pull you aside ??

  • Adriano | 12.08.2018

    Hi Francis,
    Thanks in advance for the tips above.
    Could you please inform any insurance company which we could be searching for the “drone liability insurance”, as I could not find any over in Europe only US when googling. If I am right, in turn to apply for the registration in Thailand we must have the insurance in first place, correct? But personally, it is being the hard bit of the process. Please share the link of the insurance you used. I was thinking if I could the have the drone insured then I could apply for the permission to fly once I’m in Thailand.

  • Michi | 18.09.2018

    What German Drone Insurance do you have? I’d appreciate a link or company name. Danke!

    • Francis Markert | 26.10.2018

      Hi Michi,
      At the moment, I only know one company which allows buying a drone insurance in the English language. Here you can check their offers.

      If you live in Germany, you should check this page: https://my-road.de/drohnen-versicherung/

      • Batu | 01.02.2019

        Hello Francis,

        Do you use the same insurance from Germany (Getsafe) for your drone? I also wanted to make liability insurance from GetSafe company. There is a pop-up button under ”Excess” with 0 €- 150€ – till 1000€. Do you what is it?
        Thank you

      • Batu | 01.02.2019

        Hello Francis,

        Do you use the same insurance from Germany (Getsafe) for your drone? I also wanted to make liability insurance from GetSafe company. There is a pop-up button under ”Excess” with 0 €- 150€ – till 1000€. Do you know what is it?
        Thank you

  • Eddy H | 08.10.2018

    Hey Francis,
    I was hoping to pick your brain alittle. so the thing is, me and my girlfriend has booked a flight for Germany, Switzerland and Italy. And we initially wanted to buy a drone, but in the end decided to rent one instead. so as for the insurance, do you have any idea how we should go abouts applying for one, given that we do not have a receipt of purchase?

    • Francis Markert | 26.10.2018

      Hi Eddy,
      according to German laws, the owner of the drone must have a drone insurance. Maybe you can ask the company from where you rent the drone.

  • Ralph Beatty | 02.11.2018

    Francis,

    I am heading to Thailand in a couple weeks and I wanted to see who i should get insurance from. Is there a specific company?

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