Flying a drone at night in Finland

What the rules say

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

• Night flight permittedNo
• Authorisation requiredNot resolved
• Lighting requirementConditional
• Pilot requirementConditional
• Operational conditionsConditional
• ExceptionsNo

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the open category of operation.

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or above 1000 ft

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or above 300 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 18000 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 60000 ft

• location

  Radius of 8 km

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  2.39 - section overview

  This section regulates unmanned free balloons in Finland. It clarifies that no additional national regulations apply to light unmanned free balloons used solely for meteorological purposes beyond Appendix 2, and mandates lighting for heavy unmanned free balloons operated at night below 18,000 meters pressure altitude.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Minimum flight altitude for night VFR flights

  Night VFR flights must be flown at an altitude of at least 300 meters (1,000 feet) above the highest obstacle within an 8-kilometer radius of the aircraft's estimated position.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Night lighting requirement for heavy unmanned free balloons

  Heavy unmanned free balloons must not be operated below a pressure altitude of 18,000 meters (60,000 feet) at night unless the balloon, its auxiliary parts, and its payload are illuminated.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational ruleOPS M1-32 · UAS.OPEN.060

  Night operations in Finland

  In the 'open' category the remote pilot must, when operating at night, ensure that a green flashing light on the unmanned aircraft is activated.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  OPS M1-1 kohta 2.13.3 - section overview

  This section establishes the minimum flight altitude for night VFR flights in Finland, requiring aircraft to fly at least 300 meters (1,000 feet) above the highest obstacle within an 8 km radius, except during takeoff, landing, or when operating under aviation regulation OPS M1-15.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Green Flashing Light for Night Operations

  When operating at night, the remote pilot must ensure that a green flashing light on the unmanned aircraft is activated.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Lights for Night Conspicuity

  The UA must be equipped with lights for conspicuity at night, designed to allow a person on the ground to distinguish the UA from manned aircraft.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Part 3 - section overview

  This section outlines the product requirements for Class C1 Unmanned Aircraft Systems, specifically detailing requirements for low battery warnings, controllability and night conspicuity lighting, user manual contents, and the inclusion of an EASA information notice.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Traficom regulation OPS M1-1 – Suomessa sovellettavat lentosäännöt (2025) — Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto)Open
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft — consolidated text — Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto)Open
• EASA Easy Access Rules for U-space (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664), May 2024Open
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945Open

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 Finland

• Do I need to register my drone in Finland?Registration in Finland 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.
• Do I need Remote ID in Finland?Remote identification in Finland is framed by a published mass threshold of 25 kg, together with the aircraft and operation conditions cited below. Whether a given flight must carry or broadcast an electronic identity depends on those conditions.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in Finland?Drone flights in Finland are held to a published general height limit of 120 m above_nearest_obstacle. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in Finland?Drone flights near aerodromes in Finland are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Finland?Whether an operation in Finland 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 Finland?Remote pilot competency in Finland 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 Finland?Drone insurance in Finland 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 Finland