Drone operational authorisation in Austria

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of Austria. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Authorisation requiredConditional
• Trigger statedConditional
• Issuing authorityConditional
• Application modelpermitYes
• Risk assessmentConditional
• Standard scenario routeConditional
• Declaration routeConditional
• Generic or organisational privilegeConditional
• ValidityConditional
• Repeat operationsNot resolved
• Digital applicationConditional

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the open and specific categories of operation.

• pilot certification

  Pilot age at or above 16 years

• weight threshold

  Take-off mass below 20 kg

• pilot certification

  Age reduction at or below 2 years

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Authorization for Cross-Border UAS Flights

  Cross-border flights with Class 1 and 2 unmanned aircraft into Austrian territory are only permitted if the aircraft has Austrian nationality, the flight is permitted under applicable EU regulations, or an authorization has been granted by Austro Control GmbH.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Authorization for UAS flights above 120 meters or near borders

  The operation of Class 1 unmanned aircraft at altitudes of 120 meters above ground and higher, or under circumstances where crossing the federal border is expected, requires authorization from the competent authority.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Authorization for UAS flights above 120m or near borders

  The operation of Class 1 unmanned aircraft at altitudes of 120 meters above ground and higher, or under circumstances where crossing the federal border must be expected, requires authorization from the competent authority.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Cross-border flights of Class 1 and 2 unmanned aircraft

  Cross-border flights of Class 1 and 2 unmanned aircraft into Austrian territory are only permitted if the aircraft has Austrian nationality, is permitted under applicable EU regulations, or has been granted an authorization by Austro Control GmbH.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Equivalency Requirements for Cross-Border Permits

  Austro Control may only grant a cross-border flight permit if the operator's home state or the aircraft's state of registry enforces safety and operational requirements at least equivalent to Austrian national standards.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Exemption for Sub-250g Drones in Restricted Areas

  Flight restriction areas must be applied to aircraft, self-propelled aviation equipment and unmanned aircraft, except those with a maximum take-off mass of less than 250 g operated up to a maximum altitude of 30 metres above ground.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Exemptions for Aerial Photography Restrictions

  Exemptions from aerial photography prohibitions or distribution restrictions must be granted by the Federal Minister of Defense if military interests are not compromised, and are deemed approved if not denied within six weeks of application.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Flight Restriction Area Vienna (LO R 15) Authorization

  Operating a drone in the Vienna flight restriction area (LO R 15) requires an authorization from the competent authority and prior ATC approval, unless the drone weighs less than 250 g and is flown at a maximum altitude of 30 meters above ground.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Luftfahrtgesetz (LFG) § 24k — Flugmodelle (RIS konsolidiert, XML) — Bundeskanzleramt — Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS)Open
• Luftverkehrsregeln 2014 (LVR 2014) § 18 — Betrieb von unbemannten Luftfahrzeugen und Flugmodellen (RIS konsolidiert, XML) — Bundeskanzleramt — Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS)Open
• Luftverkehrsregeln 2014 (LVR 2014) Anl. 2 — Anlage 2 (RIS konsolidiert, XML) — Bundeskanzleramt — Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS)Open
• Luftfahrtgesetz (LFG) § 130 — Unfallmeldung und Untersuchung (RIS konsolidiert, XML) — Bundeskanzleramt — Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS)Open

Known limitations

• 1 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in Austria

• Do I need to register my drone in Austria?Registration in Austria is governed by a published mass threshold of 0.25 kg, alongside the further conditions cited below. Whether it applies to a given flight depends on those conditions, each cited to its rule.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in Austria?Drone flights in Austria are held to a published general height limit of 120 m AGL. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in Austria?Drone flights near aerodromes in Austria are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• Do I need drone insurance in Austria?Drone insurance in Austria is published with a minimum third-party cover of 0.75 million SDR. Whether cover is required for a given flight depends on the published conditions below.

All drone laws in Austria