Summary of Drone Laws in Turkey
Hobbyist Drone Laws For Residents of Turkey
Drone Operations in Turkey are currently regulated.
- Hobbyist drone flights are allowed in Turkey
- Hobbyist Turkey drone pilot license/approval is required
- Hobbyist Drone registration is required in Turkey for hobbyists
- Drone Remote ID is not required in Turkey for hobbyists
- Drone Insurance is not required but recommended for hobbyists’ drone operations in Turkey
Read below for more details on Hobbyist Drone Laws in Turkey and to find links to regulators and other credible sources!
Commercial Drone Laws For Residents of Turkey
Drone Operations in Turkey are currently regulated.
- Commercial drone flights are allowed in Turkey
- Commercial Turkey drone pilot license/approval is required
- Commercial Drone registration is required in Turkey for commercial drone operators
- Drone Remote ID is not required in Turkey for Commercial Drone Operators
- Drone Insurance is not required for commercial drone operations in Turkey
Read below for more details on Commercial Drone Laws in Turkey and to find links to regulators and other credible sources!
Drone Regulations For Visitors To Turkey
Drone Operations in Turkey are currently regulated.
- Foreign visitor drone flights are allowed in Turkey
- Foreign visitor drone pilot license/approval is required
- Drone registration is required in Turkey for visitors/tourists
- Drone Remote ID is not required in Turkey for tourists
- Drone Insurance is not required but recommended for tourist drone operations in Turkey
Read below for more details on Drone Laws in Turkey for Visitors (Tourists) and to find links to regulators and other credible sources!
Drone Rules For Government Drone Operators in Turkey
Drone Operations in Turkey are currently regulated.
- Government drone flights are allowed in Turkey
- Government drone pilot license is required
- Drone registration is required in Turkey for Government operations
- Drone Remote ID is not required in Turkey for Government operations
- Drone Insurance is not required for Government drone operations in Turkey
Read below for more details on Drone Laws in Turkey for Government Drone Operations and to find links to regulators and other credible sources!
Agencies Responsible for regulating drones in the Republic of Turkey
Drone Regulator in Turkey: Republic of Turkey Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure –General Directorate of State Airports Authority
Turkey Drone Registry and Information Page: SIVIL HAVACILIK
Contact Information
If you need additional details we have not covered or specific case help, contact the DGSAA at:
- Address: Mevlana Bulvari No:51, 06330 Akköprü/Yenimahalle, Ankara, Turkey
- Phone: +90 0312 204 20 00
- Email: iletisimmerkezi@dhmi.gov.tr or online email contact form
Please continue reading for more details on Drone Laws.
UAS Laws – General rules for flying drones in Turkey
The Turkish agency responsible for drone safety, DGSAA, has provided several internet-accessible details on flying for fun or work. The highlights are enumerated below. For more details, go to the link above.
Are drones allowed in Turkey?
Here are the most important rules to know for flying a drone in Turkey:
It is legal to purchase and fly drones.
Certain UAVs may not be imported into Turkey without submitting a Letter of Application to the customs office.
The use of model aircraft and small UAVs under 4 kg, with speeds under 50 km/h and flight heights under 100m, is not regulated. Use is permitted in open areas for recreational and sports purposes.
It is required for pilots who intend to fly a UAS that weighs 500 gr or more on Turkish air space to be registered to the system and receive approval from the General Directorate of Civil Aviation. Register at the site linked here.
More information has been provided online regarding the registration requirements and process. This information can be found online at the following links:
How to register a drone in Turkey (Turkish)
Information regarding Turkey Drone Requirements and Registration (English Translation)
Notes for recreational drone pilots flying for fun in Turkey
You must follow the procedures outlined above, as well as those below.
You must not fly your drone higher than 120 meters (400 feet) above ground level.
UAVs weighing less than 25 kilograms need no permit to be obtained from the government for uses besides commercial use, such as sports activities and amateur purposes. You are required to be registered, as stated above, and get flying permission.
Additional Note For Foreign Operators
In Turkey, for foreign UAV operations, according to “SHT-IHA Instructions,” you must fulfill these instructions below;
1) UAV flight request in Turkish airspace by foreign operators/actuators/pilots must be sent to the General Directorate of Civil Aviation via diplomatic channels 20 weekdays before the first flight day by filling UAV Flight Permit Request Form (The form is located in the DGCA official website)
– Form Link: http://web.shgm.gov.tr/tr/formlar/3910-index (Hava Seyrüsefer Daire Başkanlığı = > UAV Flight Permission Request Form (FR.23)).
In addition, you can’t register your UAV in Turkey because you are not a Turkish citizen. Although you do not have a UAV registration number, you can fill in the application form (FR.23) by leaving the UAV registration number section blank.
2) Insurance is mandatory for the drone. Therefore, you must insure your drone and send the insurance documents to the General Directorate. To find out how much insurance amount your drone requires, please check the legislation in the link; https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2017/07/20170727-2.htm
3) After receiving positive views from the civil and military institutions about the applications, these areas are to be announced with NOTAM to all airspace users. In case of receiving negative views from the institutions or from our General Directorate, the flight is not permitted.
4) In case of getting flight permission, obeying the provisions in Turkish AIP and other rules by operators/pilots/parties is compulsory.
5) A Turkish Republic citizen pilot who has at least IHA2 pilot license from our General Directorate supervises all flights.
6) If the area to fly is in the special permit area (red area), risk analysis is required for any purpose.
INFORMATIONS ABOUT CUSTOMS
If you bring your UAV which MTOW (maximum takeoff weight) is 500g or above in Turkey, customs may seize your drone and demand a technical conformity form (FR.03) that can be taken from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. To receive a technical confirmation form for your UAV, you must apply to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation with application form FR.03 (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Importation Technical Conformity Application and Control Form). The form can be found in the Forms sections on the main page of the DGCA official website.
– Form Link: http://web.shgm.gov.tr/tr/formlar/3910-index (İHA Sistemleri Koordinatörlüğü/ Kontrol Formları = > Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Importation Technical Conformity Application and Control Form (FR.03)).
In addition to the flight permit form, the criminal records must be sent to our General Directorate.
If you bring your UAV which MTOW is below 500g, that kind of UAV is out of the scope of our national regulation and does not require any technical conformity. For this reason, the General Directorate has no responsibility for the entry of UAVs under 500g into the country from customs.
If you have more questions about the technical confirmation form (FR.03) you can mail it to “ihadestek@shgm.gov.tr” e-mail address.
Notes for operating Commercial Drone Services in Turkey
Prior permission from authorities is required for commercial use.
Useful published information on flying drones in Turkey
Here is a useful video for those considering visiting Turkey with a Drone…
Authoritative Sources of Information on Turkey Drone Laws
We will attempt to keep an updated list of online authoritative links to regulators and other official websites here:
- Drone Regulator Website: Republic of Turkey Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure –General Directorate of State Airports Authority
- Link To SUAS Laws: N/A
- No Fly Zone Maps/Locations: N/A
- UAV Registration Site: SIVIL HAVACILIK
- Drone Operator Licensing Site: N/A
- Others: How to register a drone in Turkey (Turkish)
- Others: Information regarding Turkey Drone Requirements and Registration (English Translation)
NOTE: This page is about the Regulation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS), Small UAS, Remote Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), and drone are interchangeable terms unless specified. Model Aircraft, toy, remote-controlled, and RC aircraft may be covered by the same regulations unless specified.
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