Flying a drone at night in France

What the rules say

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

• Night flight permittedNo
• Authorisation requiredConditional
• Lighting requirementConditional
• Pilot requirementYes
• Operational conditionsConditional
• ExceptionsConditional

What changes the answer

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 50 m

• weight threshold

  Take-off mass below 8 kg

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 19 avril 2019, annexe, point 3 - section overview

  This section establishes the requirement to maintain direct visual line of sight (VLOS) with the unmanned aircraft at all times and prohibits night operations, while defining exceptions for FPV flights with an observer and night flights at authorized aeromodelling sites.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Prefectural waivers for night flight and maximum altitude

  The territorial Prefect may grant exemptions to night flight conditions or maximum altitude limits, after receiving opinions from the local civil aviation and defense services.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Prohibition of Night Operations

  Operating an unmanned aircraft at night is prohibited, even if the aircraft is equipped with lighting devices, except on authorized aeromodelling sites.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Prohibition of night operations and exceptions

  Unmanned aircraft must not operate at night unless they meet specific airspace, technical, or operational exceptions.

  Open the requirement
• 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

• Arrete du 19 avril 2019 relatif au contenu de la notice d'information fournie avec les emballages — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile
• Arrete du 3 decembre 2020 relatif a l'utilisation de l'espace aerien par les aeronefs sans equipage a bord — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile
• EASA Easy Access Rules for U-space (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664), May 2024Open
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945Open

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on night_operations.pilot_requirement; the binding position is published.

Other drone rules in France

• Do I need to register my drone in France?Registration in France 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 France?Remote identification in France 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 France?Drone flights in France 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 France?Drone flights near aerodromes in France are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• Can I fly a drone over people in France?Flight over uninvolved people is treated as a higher-risk operation in France: it is available only where the published conditions below — class, mass, separation or authorisation — are satisfied.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in France?No. A published rule in France excludes BVLOS for the operations covered here.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in France?Whether an operation in France 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 France?Remote pilot competency in France 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 France?Drone insurance in France 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 France