Drone Laws in Vanuatu

Verfasst von Francis Markert | Last update on 24.03.2026 | 10 Kommentare

In this article, you will find the current laws for drone flights in Vanuatu.

Regardless of the purpose of use, all drones must be registered with the responsible aviation authority (Civil Aviation Authority Vanuatu / CAAV) before entering Vanuatu. To do so, send an email with your request to [email protected]. The registration costs 5,500 VT (approx. 45 USD) per person plus 5,500 VT (approx. 45 USD) per drone. This means the total cost for registration is at least 90 USD. The registration is valid indefinitely, so the fee is only charged once.

After registration, you will receive access to the list of no-fly zones.

Upon entry into Vanuatu, customs actively check whether drones are registered. If you have not registered your drone in advance, it will be confiscated.

Overview: Drone rules in Vanuatu

Further information

The entire airspace over Vanuatu is classified as controlled airspace. Therefore, drone flights must be approved in advance. You must apply for your flight authorization directly with the CAAV.

Drones may only be operated during daylight hours in Vanuatu and must remain clearly visible to the naked eye at all times. If necessary, a second person can assist you by maintaining visual line of sight with the drone.

Drone liability insurance is not strictly required by the aviation authority. However, you may need to provide proof of insurance if you want to obtain a flight permit from the Vanuatu Cultural Council. You must apply there if you wish to fly at cultural sites or during cultural events. We generally recommend having drone insurance: https://drone-traveller.com/drone-insurance/

The maximum permitted total weight of a drone in Vanuatu is 25 kilograms.

The minimum distance from airports is set at four kilometers.

Drone flights over villages, schools, churches, and gatherings of people, as well as within military areas, are prohibited. It is also not permitted to fly your drone near Million Dollar Point (Santo) and the SS President Coolidge wreck (Santo).

Regulations for commercial drone flights

Registration is sufficient for recreational use. For commercial use with cultural relevance, an additional film permit from the Vanuatu Cultural Council is required.

All foreign media productions, including video recordings, still photography, audio recordings, and research in Vanuatu, fall under the authority of the National Film and Sound Unit of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre, which must be informed about all planned media production activities in the country.

This applies to all drone footage of:

• People, cultural sites, events, ethnographic content
• Mount Yasur volcano (Tanna Island)
• Villages, schools, religious sites
• Traditional ceremonies

The application can be completed online in the following steps:

1. Create a free Secure Login account
2. Submit a fully completed application for a media production permit
3. Pay the application fee of $179.00 via PayPal

After approval by the Cultural Council, you will receive the details of your permit, including the permit fee and any special conditions that may apply to your production.

Upon your arrival in Vanuatu, you must visit the cultural center to pay for your permit BEFORE you begin production.

Archiving deposit

According to the rules and regulations of the Cultural Council, it is a condition of the permit that you agree to provide the cultural center with a copy of the finished production for inclusion in the national film and audio archive. In addition to the permit fee, an archiving deposit of 50,000 Vt (approx. 415 USD) must be paid.

This archiving deposit is fully refundable. 50% will be refunded upon receipt of a copy of all camera footage before the production team leaves Vanuatu, and the remaining 50% after the final production copy has been received by the National Film and Audio Archive.

The drone regulations for Vanuatu listed here have been researched to the best of our knowledge. However, we cannot guarantee their accuracy. If you want to be on the safe side, please contact the Vanuatu aviation authority. Please leave us a comment if you learn of any updates and/or have your own experiences flying a drone in Vanuatu!