Drone regulations in Sri Lanka

Flying drones in Sri Lanka

In this post, we have summarized the drone laws in Sri Lanka for you.

If you want to use your drone in Sri Lanka, you will have to go through a lot of red tape and obtain permits before entering the country. However, the process has now been simplified for foreigners.

During your preparations, you may come across two different permits:

  1. Security clearance from the Ministry of Defense: This clearance is now no longer required for foreigners.
  2. Registration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL): This registration can now be done conveniently via an online form.

The individual steps are described in detail below.

Department of Defense security clearance

As long as you do not have Sri Lankan citizenship, you can skip this section. This is because foreigners no longer require security clearance from the Ministry of Defense.

However, if you have roots in the country, you will need a “Security Clearance” from the Office of the Chief of Defense Staff (OCDS). To do so, send all flight locations with date and details of the drone used by email to [email protected] or by fax (preferred means of communication) to +94 11 2 674507. You can download a template here.

CAASL will only issue permits for the relevant flight locations upon confirmation from the Ministry of Defense. Depending on the number of locations you request from the Defense Office, the processing time may take several days.

You may also need clearance from other agencies if you want to take off in protected areas. You will need to certify that they have no objection to your drone flights. For example, for archaeological sites (e.g. Sigiriya, Anuradhapura etc.) the Department of Archeology would be responsible, for national parks the Department of Wild Life and for forests the Forest Department.

SLCAA: Register and obtain permission

In Sri Lanka, you must register your camera drone and apply for a permit from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAASL) before launching a drone. You can easily enter the necessary information in an online form and submit it. Proof of insurance and documents from other authorities can be uploaded to the form. If you would like to submit more than two documents, you must bundle the documents into one or two files (e.g. as a single PDF file).

According to the official information, you will receive a link within ten working days with which you can pay your registration fee. Once payment has been received, you will then receive your documents with which you can fly. However, recent experience shows that you should expect a processing time of three weeks.

In the approval process, you must specify all the locations, including flight times, where you want to operate your drone. However, as a tourist, you usually have to get an idea of the situation on site first and don’t know the exact places and times where you want to fly, so this can be difficult. However, several drone pilots have unanimously told us that the simple specification of a city and a time window of e.g. 6:30 am to 5:30 pm is accepted. This allows you to fill out the application based on your own itinerary.

There is now a fee of around 50 US$ for CAASL approval, although it seems that the fee depends on how many destinations you apply for.

Overview: Drone rules in Sri Lanka

Recreational use of drones allowed? Yes, after registration or approval
Commercial use of drones permitted? Yes, after registration or approval
Maximum Altitude:150 in uncontrolled airspace.
Is drone insurance mandatory? Yes, for private and commercial drone flights. Learn more about drone insurance here.
Does the drone need a badge?Yes.
Drone labels can be ordered here
Is a registration necessary? Yes.
Keep distance to airports
Respect the privacy of other people
Contact information

Office of the Chief of Defence Staff:
Tel.: +94 11 2674503; +94 11 2674506
Fax: +94 11 2 674507 (Fax wird bevorzugt)
Email: [email protected]

Civil Aviation Authority:
Tel: +94 112 358 819
Email: [email protected]

Additional regulations for drone pilots in Sri Lanka

Once you have the “papers” in your pocket, you will of course have to follow a few rules during your time in Sri Lanka, which we will now describe.

Sri Lanka divides drones into four categories based on weight:

  • A: 25 kilograms and above
  • B: more than 1 kilogram and under 25 kilograms
  • C: more than 200 grams and less than 1 kilogram
  • D: up to 200 grams

Drones in categories A,B and C have an age limit of 18 years. For them, you also need a sticker on which the registration number, passport number and contact information are clearly legible. Owners of these drones must also provide proof of liability insurance for the drone.

Drones weighing less than 200 grams (Category D) that are used for private purposes on private property or specially designated locations and are not equipped with a camera do not require a permit up to a flight altitude of 45 meters (150 feet). Note, however, that registration and permission are mandatory once the drone has a camera, no matter how much it weighs.

According to an enacted directive, for any drone flight with a camera (regardless of weight), in addition to the permits mentioned above, you’ll need the approval of the local police department that has jurisdiction over the area you’re flying over. However, CAASL does not indicate this fact and I am not sure if/how this provision is implemented in practice.

In Sri Lanka, your drone may only be operated within visual range. Drone flights at night require a separate permit from the CAASL. Nighttime by definition starts 20 minutes after sunset and ends 20 minutes before sunrise.

Commercial pilots require an additional permit from the CAASL.

Other flight bans apply:

  • In airspaces C, D and E
  • Urban areas
  • Crowds of people
  • Airfields (minimum distance of 8 kilometers)
  • Roads and railways
  • National parks (permission may be granted)
  • Archaeological sites (permission may be granted)
  • Residential properties without the consent of the tenants/owners

Special rules for drone flying in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, drones are subject to a fairly low maximum flight altitude of 45 meters (150 feet) and a maximum speed of 87 knots (about 160 km/h). Even flights inside buildings must be approved by the CAASL.

In addition, piloting drones is prohibited if you are on a moving object (car, boat, etc.) or on an elevation (e.g. roof terrace). Do not fly over roads, rails, power lines or near radio towers. It is forbidden to control the drone under the influence of intoxicants. Obtain permission from the property owner when flying over private property.

Pay attention to signs marking “No Drone Zones.” They are often strictly enforced. Our readers have shared some of their experiences in the comments.

Drone photo of World’s End in Horton Plains National Park. Today, drone flights there require a permit.

Note: When we were in Sri Lanka for the first time, these regulations did not yet exist. Therefore, we did not have to go through this bureaucratic hurdle.

We have researched the listed drone regulations for Sri Lanka to the best of our knowledge. We can not guarantee the correctness of the information. If you want to be on the safe side, please contact the competent aviation authority. Alternatively, you can also ask the embassy in your country for further information about the regulations. Please leave us a comment when you receive news or gain experiences with your drone in Sri Lanka!

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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

1 2
  • Arset | 25.07.2020

    Was it confiscated at the airport? I’m thinking of traveling with my drone as well

  • Michael | 13.01.2023

    Unfortunately, it is a tedious process compared to most other countries until you have read through all the rules.

    The request for a permit also took me more than two weeks (!) to get a permit.

    It is urgent to check on the page “https://www.caa.lk/en/drones#restricted-areas” whether you are allowed to launch the drone in the respective area.

  • Adrian | 27.06.2023

    Hi,

    Do you get the NO OBJECTION LETTER from Department of Archaeology or Wildlife?
    Wich information did you gave to them? Date, Operation hours and location (with name)? or something more?
    It’s so many days to get ths letter, I had already registered my 3 drones and want to get the flying permit.

    Thanks,

    Adrian

  • Torben | 08.02.2024

    I´m going to Sri Lanka in about a month.
    I have a few questions regarding the operating zones in the application for permit.
    How large can each zone be?
    Can I apply for several days in the same zone and just list time of sunrise and sunset?
    We will be be driving a Tuktuk around the Island so I want to make the application as open as possible…

    The 45m hight limit in Sri Lanka is that from take off point?

  • Torben | 08.02.2024

    Has anyone got a working link to a map of restricted areas of Sri Lanka?

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