Drone laws in Serbia

Reviewed September 2026 by the DroneRulesEurope editorial team. How we verify the rules.

Serbia is the counter-example to the idea that the Balkans quietly follow the EU rulebook. It runs a wholly national scheme with its own weight categories, a 100 m ceiling and no class marks. A visitor does not register, but does need a per-flight authorisation from the Directorate for any drone of any weight, and should allow about 25 days for it.

Country-specific decision path

Before you choose a launch point in Serbia

1. Confirm your operator paperwork Registration required — 1,170 RSD administrative tax. Outside the EU/EEA system. You need a separate registration here. Open Civil Aviation Directorate — UAS pages
2. Check the exact route on the official map CAD Serbia drone information is the national starting point; read every condition covering the complete route, not only the launch pin. Open CAD Serbia drone information
3. Apply the local layer You do not register a foreign drone in Serbia — but that is not a relaxation. Review the Serbia zone and nature checks

Registration in Serbia

Serbia has not adopted EU Regulation 2019/947. Its Rulebook on Unmanned Aircraft, published in the Official Gazette 1/20 and in force since 15 February 2020, sets out four categories by maximum take-off mass: under 0.9 kg, 0.9 to 4 kg, 4 to 25 kg and 25 to 150 kg. There is no Open, Specific or Certified structure, no A1, A2 or A3 subcategories and no C-class marking requirement anywhere in the text. Foreign A1/A3 and A2 certificates are expressly not recognised.

What it costs: 1,170 RSD administrative tax — Ongoing.

Outside the EU/EEA system. You need a separate registration here.

How to register

1. Decide whether your flight needs registration at all — a light drone flown simply may not
2. Complete form CAD_AIR_OBU_003 and pay the 1,170 RSD tax
3. Take the Directorate's knowledge test if your operation needs approval — the pass mark is 75 per cent
4. Hold third-party liability insurance covering the territory of Serbia
5. For any flight needing approval, email uas@cad.gov.rs well in advance
6. Request airspace allocation through SMATSA where the flight needs it

Flight rules

Where you may not fly

Airports and controlled airspace

5 km around the major airports listed in the Rulebook's annex, and 1.5 km around other aerodromes and heliports. Inside an aerodrome boundary you need the operator's permission.

Towns and cities

A 500 m buffer applies around the National Assembly, the Government, courts, prosecutors' offices and foreign diplomatic missions — which covers a good deal of central Belgrade. Temporary bans over the city centre are issued frequently by NOTAM.

Protected nature

We found no Directorate source addressing drone use in Serbian national parks. Uvac, Đerdap and Tara may well have rules from the park managers, so ask them rather than assuming the aviation rules are the whole picture.

Government and military sites

The same 500 m rule covers state institutions and embassies, and extends to energy, transport, telecommunications and water infrastructure unless the owner consents. Restricted zones additionally need positive opinions from the Ministries of Defence and Interior.

Other restrictions in Serbia

• Flying over people is prohibited outside the lightest category with approval
• Đerdap and the Iron Gates sit on the Romanian border, which adds a second sensitivity
• There is no official zone map or app — the Directorate publishes a KMZ of aerodromes and relies on NOTAMs

Insurance

Third-party liability insurance is required for registered aircraft, as part of any approval request, and expressly for foreign operators, whose policy must cover the territory of Serbia. No minimum sum insured appears anywhere in the Rulebook, so we do not publish one.

Third-party liability cover is compulsory, and for a foreign operator the policy must expressly cover the territory of Serbia. The Rulebook requires it for registered aircraft, for any approval request and for foreign operators, but sets no minimum sum insured, and the underlying transport-insurance rules were not reachable, so no figure is published here.

Penalties

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 Serbia with a drone

You do not register a foreign drone in Serbia — but that is not a relaxation. Flight authorisation from the Directorate is mandatory regardless of the drone's weight, including for aircraft under 250 g, and the Directorate says the process can take more than 20 days and asks for documents at least 25 days ahead. Send the flight approval form, an insurance policy covering Serbia and a copy of your ID to uas@cad.gov.rs. If you want aerial photographs, the separate Ministry of Defence filming permit needs a Serbian company to submit it, and that is the real obstacle.

Commercial work

Commercial work follows the same approval route, with the knowledge test and insurance required. There is a second permit most people miss: aerial filming needs consent from the Ministry of Defence, and that request must be submitted through a legal entity registered in Serbia. A foreign individual cannot apply in their own name.

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.

• Uvac Special Nature Reserve — the meanders and the griffon vultures
• Đerdap and Golubac Fortress, on the Danube border with Romania
• Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad
• Tara National Park and the Banjska Stena viewpoint
• Drina River House at Bajina Bašta
• Belgrade Fortress — central, heavily buffered, approval only

Apps and official maps

• Civil Aviation Directorate KMZ of aerodromes - the only official spatial file published
• NOTAMs via SMATSA - where the temporary Belgrade bans actually appear

Practical tips

• Serbia does not follow the EU rules — your EU certificate is expressly not recognised
• The ceiling is 100 m, not 120 m
• Flight authorisation is needed for any drone, any weight, even a sub-250 g one
• Allow 25 days, and remember the filming permit needs a Serbian company
• There is no zone map — plan around NOTAMs and the aerodrome file

Questions about flying in Serbia

Do I need to register to fly a drone in Serbia?

Registration required — 1,170 RSD administrative tax. Outside the EU/EEA system. You need a separate registration here.

How high can I fly in Serbia?

100 m above ground, not the 120 m used across the EU. Anything higher needs prior Directorate approval and airspace allocation.

Do I need drone insurance in Serbia?

Third-party liability insurance is required for registered aircraft, as part of any approval request, and expressly for foreign operators, whose policy must cover the territory of Serbia. No minimum sum insured appears anywhere in the Rulebook, so we do not publish one.

Can I fly a drone at night in Serbia?

Night flying is not banned, but it is never free: it requires prior approval from the Directorate, granted case by case.

What are the penalties for breaking drone rules in Serbia?

The Rulebook contains no fine amounts at all. Penalties sit in the Law on Air Transport, and we could not retrieve the penalty chapter from an official source. Amounts circulating on Serbian legal news sites date from 2017 and we do not republish them. Check with the Civil Aviation Directorate.

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 Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia — official drone information
• Registration Civil Aviation Directorate — UAS pages

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