Maximum drone altitude in Portugal
What is the maximum drone altitude in Portugal?
Limited guide. Drone Assistant's coverage of Portugal is still under review, so this page summarises only the published rules we can cite to an official source. It is not a complete statement of Portugal's drone law; check the linked sources or ask the assistant about your own flight.
Drone flights in Portugal 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.
- General height limit
- 120 m
- Reference datum
- above_nearest_obstacle
The general height limit that applies to drone flights, and what changes it.
Portugal applies the European Union / EASA framework. Rules marked as framework rules below are inherited, not uniquely national — see the European Union / EASA answer.
What the rules say
Each line is resolved from published facts of Portugal. "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
Altitude telemetry in CTR
RPAs flying inside a CTR must have real-time altitude telemetry, or otherwise be restricted to flying below the height of the nearest natural or artificial obstacle within a 75-meter radius.
- Binding lawNational rule
Cascais Airport Protection Area 2 Altitude Limit
In Cascais Airport Protection Area 2, RPA flights are limited to 60 meters above the surface, or up to the height of obstacles within a 75-meter radius if they exceed 60 meters, unless authorized by ANAC.
- Binding lawNational rule
Faro Airport Protection Area 1 Altitude Limit
In Faro Airport Protection Area 1, RPA flights are limited to 30 meters above the surface, or up to the height of obstacles within a 75-meter radius if they exceed 30 meters, unless authorized by ANAC.
- Binding lawNational rule
Faro Airport Protection Area 2 Altitude Limit
In Faro Airport Protection Area 2, RPA flights are limited to 60 meters above the surface, or up to the height of obstacles within a 75-meter radius if they exceed 60 meters, unless authorized by ANAC.
- Binding lawNational rule
Flores Airport Area 1 Altitude Limit
RPA flights in Area 1 of Flores Airport are limited to 30 meters above the surface, or up to the height of a natural or artificial obstacle within a 75-meter radius if the obstacle exceeds 30 meters, unless authorized by ANAC.
- Binding lawNational rule
Flores Airport Area 2 Altitude Limit
RPA flights in Area 2 of Flores Airport are limited to 60 meters above the surface, or up to the height of a natural or artificial obstacle within a 75-meter radius if the obstacle exceeds 60 meters, unless authorized by ANAC.
- Binding lawNational rule
Horta Airport Area 1 Altitude Limit
RPA flights in Area 1 of Horta Airport are limited to 30 meters above the surface, or up to the height of a natural or artificial obstacle within a 75-meter radius if the obstacle exceeds 30 meters, unless authorized by ANAC.
- Binding lawNational rule
Horta Airport Area 2 Altitude Limit
RPA flights in Area 2 of Horta Airport are limited to 60 meters above the surface, or up to the height of a natural or artificial obstacle within a 75-meter radius if the obstacle exceeds 60 meters, unless authorized by ANAC.
Official sources
- Regulamento n.º 1093/2016 (ANAC) — condições de operação de aeronaves civis pilotadas remotamente (vigência condicionada: artigos 5.º a 7.º e 11.º relativos a zonas geográficas) — Autoridade Nacional da Aviação CivilOpen
How this works across countries: Maximum altitude
Other drone rules in Portugal
- Do I need to register my drone in Portugal?Registration in Portugal 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 Portugal?Remote identification in Portugal 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.
- Can I fly a drone near an airport in Portugal?Drone flights near aerodromes in Portugal 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 Portugal?Whether an operation in Portugal 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 Portugal?Remote pilot competency in Portugal 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 Portugal?Drone insurance in Portugal 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.
Built around official regulatory sources
- Official sources
- Regulation-level citations
- Coverage and freshness checks
- Location-aware data where available
Built from 8 published facts (8 binding), each resting only on the 39 citable published rules for Portugal (8 shown above). Sources last verified 2026-08-25. Page built 2026-10-07 (dataset ds_4w2tpw7xmph8a92vstdt6prfbm).
Ask Drone Assistant about altitude limits in Portugal
This page answers "What is the maximum drone altitude in Portugal?" for the general case. Ask about your own aircraft, weight and location to see which of the 8 rules above actually apply to you.
This page gives general regulatory information. It is not flight clearance, operational authorisation or legal advice, and it does not guarantee that a flight is legal. See sources and methodology and terms.