Drones and model aircraft may not be operated near gatherings of people or beyond direct eye contact. However, the FOCA may issue a permit for such flights under certain circumstances. Here it is essential to allow sufficient time for preparing an application and submitting it to the FOCA as early as possible.
For safety reasons, it is prohibited to operate drones and model aircraft within a radius of 100 metres from gatherings of people (i.e. groups of several dozen people). Operating a drone beyond direct eye contact (e.g. equipped with devices such as binoculars or video goggles) is also prohibited.
To qualify for an exemption from the FOCA, a safety test is required. Standard procedures may be applied for certain operations, and these procedures are being constantly supplemented. For operations that cannot qualify for a standard procedure, a complete safety test in accordance with the JARUS Guidelines on Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) is required.
All information on the procedure for obtaining an approval has been moved to the new FOCA website on the EU drone regulation.
- Approval with standard procedure: Note that the approval with standard procedure still refers to Swiss national law.
- SORA approval: Note that the operating licence according to SORA still refers to Swiss national law (JARUS SORA 2.0).
Further information
Contact
Federal Office of Civil Aviation
Mühlestrasse 2
3003 Bern