Maximum drone altitude in Netherlands

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of Netherlands. "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

  Exemption from minimum VFR flight altitudes

  The minimum flight altitudes for VFR traffic, as referred to in paragraph SERA.5005 of Regulation (EU) No 923/2012, do not apply to flights with an unmanned aircraft.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Exemption from VFR minimum flight altitudes

  The minimum flight altitudes for VFR traffic specified in paragraph SERA.5005 of Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 do not apply to flights with unmanned aircraft.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Maximum altitude in low-flying zones

  It is prohibited to fly higher than 30 meters above the closest point of the earth's surface in the Open category within designated low-flying routes and areas for civil or military aircraft.

  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

Official sources

• Regeling onbemande luchtvaartuigen (BWBR0044598, consolidated) — Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland (Air Traffic Control the Netherlands)Open
• Regeling zonering onbemande luchtvaartuigen (BWBR0044597, consolidated) — Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland (Air Traffic Control the Netherlands)Open
• EASA Easy Access Rules for U-space (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664), May 2024Open

Other drone rules in Netherlands

• Do I need to register my drone in Netherlands?Registration in Netherlands 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 Netherlands?No aerodrome permission of this kind is imposed in Netherlands for the operations covered here; a published rule states so expressly.
• Can I fly a drone at night in Netherlands?No. A published rule in Netherlands prohibits night operations for the operations covered here.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Netherlands?Whether an operation in Netherlands 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 Netherlands?Remote pilot competency in Netherlands 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 Netherlands?Drone insurance in Netherlands 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 Netherlands