Flying a drone near airports in Latvia

What the rules say

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

• Aerodrome permissionConditional
• Controlled airspace permissionConditional
• Protected facilitiesConditional
• Digital authorisationYes
• Altitude relationshipConditional
• ExceptionsNo

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the open category of operation.

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Coordination for flights exceeding ATZ limits

  UAS flights in aerodrome traffic zones (ATZ) that do not meet the VLOS or 50-meter altitude limits must be coordinated with the aerodrome representative.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Flight coordination in civil aviation safety zones

  For a coordinated flight in a geographical zone established to ensure the safety of civil aviation flights, the aerodrome or air navigation service provider assesses the application against the coordination procedure within the period set for coordination, which does not exceed five working days. Where changes or risk-mitigation measures are needed, that period may be extended to up to 30 days.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Flight limits in aerodrome traffic zones (ATZ)

  UAS flights in aerodrome traffic zones (ATZ) are permitted without coordination only if conducted in VLOS at an altitude of up to 50 meters, unless AIP procedures specify otherwise.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  State UAS night lighting exemptions

  State UAS operating in the open category at night may use flashing lights of colors other than green, and certain state investigative or intelligence agencies operating up to 120 meters in uncontrolled airspace are exempt from equipping the UAS with flashing lights.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  In-flight Geographical Zone Compliance

  During the flight, the remote pilot must comply with the operational limitations defined for geographical zones.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• GuidanceNational rule

  Online Supervision for Remote STS Exams

  Veicot tālvadības pilotu teorētisko zināšanu attālinātu eksāmenu standartscenārijiem (STS), atzītajai struktūrai jānodrošina specializēta tiešsaistes eksāmena norises pārraudzība.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• GuidanceEU/EASA framework rule

  Observation of the Operating Environment

  EASA accepts that the remote pilot observes the operating environment and checks for conditions that might affect safety, such as people, property, vehicles, public roads, obstacles, aerodromes, and critical infrastructure, as a means of complying with UAS.OPEN.060(1)(c).

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Ministru kabineta noteikumi Nr. 248 — Bezpilota gaisa kuģu lidojumu noteikumi — Valsts aģentūra "Civilās aviācijas aģentūra" (Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia)Open
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945Open
• CAA droni.caa.gov.lv — Atzītās struktūras (recognised entities) — Valsts aģentūra "Civilās aviācijas aģentūra" (Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia)Open
• EASA Easy Access Rules for UASOpen

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 Latvia

• Do I need to register my drone in Latvia?Registration in Latvia 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 Latvia?Remote identification in Latvia 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 Latvia?Drone flights in Latvia 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.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Latvia?Whether an operation in Latvia 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 Latvia?Remote pilot competency in Latvia 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 Latvia?Drone insurance in Latvia is published with a minimum third-party cover of 20 kg. Whether cover is required for a given flight depends on the published conditions below.

All drone laws in Latvia