🇫🇮 Country guide · updated 2026-09
Drone laws in Finland
Finland is more permissive than most of Europe in the place it matters to a landscape photographer: national parks and other protected areas are generally open to drones, provided you respect the restrictions that apply to the specific area and stay away from wildlife.
At a glance
- Registration
- €40 per year (€95 for 3 years, €125 for 5 years)
- Registration portal
- Traficom drone e-services
- Maximum height
- 120 m above ground level in the Open category.
- Insurance
- Not required by national law
Finland is more permissive than most of Europe in the place it matters to a landscape photographer: national parks and other protected areas are generally open to drones, provided you respect the restrictions that apply to the specific area and stay away from wildlife. Metsähallitus says so in as many words. Two things run the other way. There is no national airport distance to memorise — the fixed separations were abolished at the end of 2020 and each aerodrome now has its own zone with its own conditions, so you have to look each one up. And the south-east has become genuinely unpredictable: through 2026 the Defence Forces have set temporary restricted areas over the coast near Kotka and Hamina at a few hours' notice, half a dozen times in a single month, in response to drones straying in from across the border.
Country-specific decision path
Before you choose a launch point in Finland
- Confirm your operator paperwork Registration required — €40 per year (€95 for 3 years, €125 for 5 years). In the EU. One EU/EEA operator registration covers this country. Open Traficom drone e-services
- Check the exact route on the official map Fintraffic Sky is the national starting point; read every condition covering the complete route, not only the launch pin. Open Fintraffic Sky
- Apply the local layer An EU or EEA registration is valid in Finland. Review the Finland zone and nature checks
Registration in Finland
Finland applies Regulations 2019/947 and 2019/945, with the national layer in the Aviation Act and in Traficom's UAS airspace zone regulation, which is revised annually — the 2026 version came into force in April. That revision added a prohibited zone for the Polish embassy area, replaced the Oulu prison zone, and created new restrictive zones for rescue stations, ports, railway yards and industrial sites. It is worth noting one thing Traficom declined to do: it refused to create zones around power stations, judging that publishing precise coordinates of critical infrastructure would create more risk than it removed.
The tiered fee is right, and it is worth knowing it is new: €40, €95 and €125 for one, three and five years took effect on 1 January 2026, up from €30, €75 and €100. Finland's own English-language drone site still showed the old figures when we checked, so prefer Traficom's pages. One genuinely unusual detail: the minimum age for a remote pilot in Finland is 12, not the EU default of 16 — Finland has used the derogation. Note also that the portal has been described as requiring a Finnish personal identity code; that claim sits on the same stale page as the old fees, so ask Traficom before assuming it either way.
What it costs: €40 per year (€95 for 3 years, €125 for 5 years) — Choose 1, 3 or 5 years.
In the EU. One EU/EEA operator registration covers this country.
How to register
- Visit droneinfo.fi for registration information
- Access Traficom's drone registration portal
- Create an account with Finnish ID or equivalent
- Complete operator registration
- Register each drone
- Receive your EU operator ID
- Complete required training
You register as an operator — not the drone. Registration is required from 250 g, or below 250 g if the drone can transfer more than 80 J of energy, or if it carries a sensor able to capture personal data. CE-marked toys are exempt. Put your operator number on every drone you fly and set it in Remote ID.
Flight rules
- Maximum height
- 120 m above ground level in the Open category.
- Line of sight
- Visual line of sight required.
- Weight classes
- Standard EU weight classifications.
- Night flying
- Night flying is allowed in the Open category. A drone with a class mark must show a flashing green light so it stays visible. You still have to keep it in sight, which is harder after dark, and national geographical zones apply exactly as they do in daylight.
- Weather
- Good weather required. Finnish winters are extremely cold. Check FMI (Finnish Meteorological Institute) forecasts.
Class marks C0–C6 have been mandatory since 1 January 2024. The transition period is over: a drone without a class mark may only be flown in A1 (under 250 g) or A3 (under 25 kg).
Where you may not fly
There is no single EU-wide distance from airports. Each country publishes its own UAS geographical zones, so check the national map or app before every flight.
Airports and controlled airspace
There is no Finnish airport distance, and this is a real finding rather than a gap in our research. The fixed separation distances around aerodromes and heliports were abolished at the end of 2020 and replaced by restrictive UAS airspace zones, each aerodrome with its own zone and its own conditions. So no single number can be published — you read the zone for the specific field. Zones come in three flavours: prohibitive, restrictive and permissive, set in a Traficom regulation that is revised on an annual cycle, most recently in force from April 2026.
Towns and cities
Helsinki center has restrictions. Other cities have limited drone-specific restrictions.
Protected nature
Finland is the exception on this site, and the exception is in the visitor's favour: flying in a nature protection area is generally allowed. Metsähallitus, which manages the national parks and most state land, says so directly — drone flying is permitted in many protected areas as long as you take account of any restrictions that do apply. Those restrictions are real where they exist: some areas carry movement bans, seasonally or year-round, and they cover retrieving a drone that has come down as much as flying it. Disturbing wildlife is separately prohibited under the Nature Conservation Act, especially during breeding, and Metsähallitus asks pilots never to approach or follow animals. The sensitive season runs from the beginning of March to the end of October, which is most of the year. Drones may not be used in hunting at all, including to track game.
Government and military sites
Prohibited areas cover the two nuclear sites at Loviisa and Olkiluoto, the Kilpilahti refinery, an area near Turku, and three districts of Helsinki — Meilahti, Munkkiniemi and Kruununhaka — which Traficom describes as state administration areas. Permission comes from Traficom. Prohibitive and restrictive zones also surround Parliament, prisons, police stations and some embassies, and a zone for the Polish embassy area was added in the 2026 revision. Note that Traficom names districts rather than buildings, so we do not claim which individual institutions a zone is meant to protect.
Other restrictions in Finland
- The eastern border is covered by restricted area EFR100, which always needs a special permit from the Defence Forces
- Extensive aerial photography of listed military areas needs a Defence Forces permit — €86, about 14 days, and the rule says explicitly that altitude and equipment type make no difference
- The border zone on the ground is a separate regime again: entering it needs a Border Guard permit, and doing so without one is punishable
- Photographing Defence Forces buildings is prohibited — Traficom names Suomenlinna and the Kaartinkortteli district in Helsinki as examples
Insurance
There is no national insurance requirement for light drones in Finland. EU law only mandates third-party liability cover above 20 kg. Insurance is still strongly recommended, and it is required for most commercial work.
Penalties
Finland publishes no tariff of drone fine amounts, and there is a structural reason why: Finnish fines are day-fines, set as a number of units multiplied by a value calculated from the offender's income, so the same offence costs different people different sums. The minimum value of a single day-fine is currently €6, and the justice ministry opened a consultation in September 2026 on raising it to €10 — a proposal, not law. Offences are charged as an aviation infringement under the Aviation Act, or in serious cases as endangering traffic safety, and a drone used as an instrument of crime may be forfeited. Real fines have been issued: the Border Guard fined two people for flying in the eastern border restricted area without Defence Forces permission, though no amounts were published. We could not read the punishment provision of the Aviation Act itself — the national statute database renders only in a browser — so we quote no figure.
Whatever the amount, the pattern across Europe is the same: paperwork failures are handled administratively, while flying near aircraft, over crowds, or inside a protected zone is what turns a case into a prosecution.
Visiting Finland with a drone
An EU or EEA registration is valid in Finland. If Finland is your first EASA country, registration is charged by period: €40 for a year, €95 for three, €125 for five. The good news for a visitor is the national parks — Finland generally permits drone flying in protected areas, which is unusual in Europe, provided you respect any movement restrictions for the specific area and keep well away from wildlife between March and October. The caution is geographic and current: the eastern border is a restricted area needing Defence Forces permission, and through 2026 the Defence Forces have repeatedly set temporary restricted areas over south-east Finland at a few hours' notice in response to drones straying across. For that part of the country, a static list of zones is worse than useless — check NOTAMs on the day.
Commercial work
Finland charges for the airspace zone itself if you need one created: a temporary zone is an administrative decision valid up to a year, applied for at least eight weeks ahead, and a permanent zone enters the annual regulation cycle with proposals due in May. Traficom's published prices are €370 for a restrictive or prohibitive zone and €460 for a permissive one, though those figures predate the general fee rise and we have not cross-checked them against the 2026 decree. Extensive aerial photography of listed military areas needs a separate Defence Forces permit at €86, and that permit regime was extended in May 2025 to cover foreign armed forces present in Finland.
Location planning
These are well-known photographic subjects to research, not recommended launch points or proof that a flight is allowed. Check the exact route against official airspace, nature, land-manager and people restrictions.
- Finnish Lake District
- Lapland wilderness (check restrictions near borders)
- Archipelago Sea (thousands of islands)
- Koli National Park area (check restrictions)
- Oulanka National Park area
- Helsinki coastline and islands
Apps and official maps
- Fintraffic Sky (sky.fintraffic.fi) — the air navigation provider's map, with layers for restrictive and prohibited UAS zones. Fintraffic states it must not be used as a sole source
- eservices.traficom.fi — Traficom's registration and theory exam service
- Flyk (flyk.com) — widely used and linked by Traficom, but a commercial third-party product, not an official one
Practical tips
- National parks are generally open to drones here, unlike most of Europe — but check the individual area for movement restrictions, which also cover fetching a drone that has come down
- The sensitive wildlife season runs from early March to the end of October. Never approach or follow animals
- In south-east Finland, check NOTAMs immediately before you fly. Temporary restricted areas have been appearing at a few hours' notice — six in July 2026 alone
- There is no national airport distance. The fixed separations were abolished at the end of 2020, and each aerodrome has its own zone with its own conditions
- The minimum age for a remote pilot is 12 in Finland, lower than the EU default
- Registration fees rose on 1 January 2026. If a guide says €30, it is quoting the old scale
- Drones may not be used in hunting, including to track game — that one is unambiguous in Finnish law
Questions about flying in Finland
Do I need to register to fly a drone in Finland?
Registration required — €40 per year (€95 for 3 years, €125 for 5 years). In the EU. One EU/EEA operator registration covers this country.
How high can I fly in Finland?
120 m above ground level in the Open category.
Do I need drone insurance in Finland?
There is no national insurance requirement for light drones in Finland. EU law only mandates third-party liability cover above 20 kg. Insurance is still strongly recommended, and it is required for most commercial work.
Can I fly a drone at night in Finland?
Night flying is allowed in the Open category. A drone with a class mark must show a flashing green light so it stays visible. You still have to keep it in sight, which is harder after dark, and national geographical zones apply exactly as they do in daylight.
What are the penalties for breaking drone rules in Finland?
Finland publishes no tariff of drone fine amounts, and there is a structural reason why: Finnish fines are day-fines, set as a number of units multiplied by a value calculated from the offender's income, so the same offence costs different people different sums. The minimum value of a single day-fine is currently €6, and the justice ministry opened a consultation in September 2026 on raising it to €10 — a proposal, not law. Offences are charged as an aviation infringement under the Aviation Act, or in serious cases as endangering traffic safety, and a drone used as an instrument of crime may be forfeited. Real fines have been issued: the Border Guard fined two people for flying in the eastern border restricted area without Defence Forces permission, though no amounts were published. We could not read the punishment provision of the Aviation Act itself — the national statute database renders only in a browser — so we quote no figure.
Official sources
Primary sources used for this guide, checked September 2026. Open the live national source again before flying; geographical zones and temporary restrictions can change between reviews.
- National authority Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency) — official drone information
- Registration Traficom drone e-services
- Official zones and map Fintraffic Sky — Fintraffic ANS
- European framework Regulation (EU) 2019/947 — rules and procedures for operating unmanned aircraft
- Official maps directory EASA — national aviation authorities and geographical-zone sources
Rules change, and national authorities publish the current position. Before you fly, check Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency) — it is linked at the top of this page too.