Maximum drone altitude in Spain
What is the maximum drone altitude in Spain?
Limited guide. Drone Assistant's coverage of Spain 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 Spain's drone law; check the linked sources or ask the assistant about your own flight.
Drone flights in Spain 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.
Spain 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 Spain. "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 certified, open and specific categories of operation.
- altitude
Flight altitude at or below 120 m
- altitude
Flight altitude below 120 m
The rules behind this answer
- Binding lawNational rule
Equipment exemption for specific and certified categories up to 120 meters
General airspace equipment requirements are not applicable to UAS operated in the specific or certified categories outside UAS geographical zones at or below 120 meters, unless required by EU law.
- Binding lawNational rule
Real Decreto 517/2024, art. 35 - section overview
This article establishes the equipment requirements for UAS operating in Spain, distinguishing between operations inside UAS geographical zones and those outside them, and provides specific exemptions for the open category and certain low-altitude operations in the specific and certified categories.
- Binding lawNational rule
Vertical Limits of Essential Services Geographical Zones
The vertical boundary of an essential services geographical zone extends to a minimum height of 50 meters above the highest point of the affected infrastructure or installation.
- 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.
- Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule
Class C0 Maximum Attainable Height Limit
A class C0 UAS must have its maximum attainable height above the take-off point limited to 120 m.
- Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule
Compliance with Open Category Operational Limitations
UAS operations in the 'open' category must comply with the operational limitations set out in Part A of the Annex.
- Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule
Criteria for Determining Unmitigated Ground and Air Risks
The risk identification must determine the unmitigated ground risk and unmitigated air risk based on specified operational, environmental, and airspace criteria.
Official sources
How this works across countries: Maximum altitude
Other drone rules in Spain
- Do I need to register my drone in Spain?Registration in Spain 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 Spain?Drone flights near aerodromes in Spain 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 Spain?Whether an operation in Spain 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 Spain?Remote pilot competency in Spain 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 Spain?Drone insurance in Spain 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 24 citable published rules for Spain (8 shown above). Sources last verified 2026-08-23. Page built 2026-10-07 (dataset ds_4w2tpw7xmph8a92vstdt6prfbm).
Ask Drone Assistant about altitude limits in Spain
This page answers "What is the maximum drone altitude in Spain?" 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.