Maximum drone altitude in Estonia

What the rules say

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

• General height limit120 mConditional
• Reference datumabove_nearest_obstacleYes
• Category-specific limitsConditional
• Aerodrome-related limitConditional
• Structure exceptionConditional
• Authorised exceedanceConditional
• Conditional limitsConditional
• ExceptionsConditional

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the open category of operation.

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or below 120 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 120 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or below 15 m

• altitude

  Obstacle height above 105 m

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  UAS Flight Restrictions in Environmental Protection Zones

  UAS flights in environmental protection geographical zones are limited to a maximum altitude of 120 meters (400 feet) above ground or water and require authorization from the Environmental Board.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Article 4 - section overview

  This section establishes the classification requirements for UAS operations in the 'open' category, defining limits on aircraft class, maximum take-off mass, operational distance from people, visual line of sight, maximum altitude, and cargo restrictions, as well as dividing the category into three sub-categories.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Class C0 Maximum Attainable Height Limit

  A class C0 UAS must have its maximum attainable height above the take-off point limited to 120 m.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Compliance with Open Category Operational Limitations

  UAS operations in the 'open' category must comply with the operational limitations set out in Part A of the Annex.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Criteria for Determining Unmitigated Ground and Air Risks

  The risk identification must determine the unmitigated ground risk and unmitigated air risk based on specified operational, environmental, and airspace criteria.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Height Exception for Unmanned Sailplanes

  Unmanned sailplanes with an MTOM of less than 10 kg may be flown at a distance in excess of 120 metres from the closest point of the surface of the earth, provided they do not exceed 120 metres above the remote pilot at any time.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Height Exception Near Tall Artificial Obstacles

  The maximum height of the UAS operation may be increased up to 15 metres above the height of an artificial obstacle taller than 105 metres when flying within a horizontal distance of 50 metres from it, at the request of the entity responsible for the obstacle.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Vabariigi Valitsuse korraldus — Lennupiirangud õhusõidukitele ja geograafilised alad mehitamata õhusõiduki lendamise piiramiseks — Transpordiamet (Estonian Transport Administration)Open
• EASA Easy Access Rules for U-space (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664), May 2024Open
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945Open
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947Open

Other drone rules in Estonia

• Do I need to register my drone in Estonia?Registration in Estonia 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.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in Estonia?No aerodrome permission of this kind is imposed in Estonia for the operations covered here; a published rule states so expressly.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Estonia?Whether an operation in Estonia needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in Estonia?Remote pilot competency in Estonia scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.
• Do I need drone insurance in Estonia?Drone insurance in Estonia 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 Estonia