Lebanon LB
Lebanon requires a permit from both the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Lebanese Army for any camera drone, but the legal framework is described by local legal experts as incomplete and inconsistently applied, with no clear published criteria for approval. At least one 2026 report indicates the Army suspended drone filming permits nationwide from March 2026, later allowing only narrow exceptions (weddings, cultural/sporting events) from June 2026 — this specific suspension could not be independently confirmed from a second source, but is consistent with Lebanon's pattern of ad hoc security-driven restrictions. Southern Lebanon and areas near the Israeli border remain an active conflict zone following renewed 2025–2026 fighting and a subsequent ceasefire; flying any drone there risks it being mistaken for a hostile device. Tourists should treat recreational drone flying in Lebanon as effectively unavailable in practice.
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Visitors can't fly drones in Lebanon
- Conflict-affected south, opaque permits
Drone use needs approval from both the DGCA and the Lebanese Army, with no published criteria. Southern Lebanon remains conflict-affected after the 2025-2026 fighting. Check your government's travel advice.
- Flying not allowed for visitors
Lebanon requires a permit from both the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Lebanese Army for any camera drone, but the legal framework is described by local legal experts as incomplete and inconsistently applied, with no clear published criteria for approval. At least one 2026 report indicates the Army suspended drone filming permits nationwide from March 2026, later allowing only narrow exceptions (weddings, cultural/sporting events) from June 2026 — this specific suspension could not be independently confirmed from a second source, but is consistent with Lebanon's pattern of ad hoc security-driven restrictions. Southern Lebanon and areas near the Israeli border remain an active conflict zone following renewed 2025–2026 fighting and a subsequent ceasefire; flying any drone there risks it being mistaken for a hostile device. Tourists should treat recreational drone flying in Lebanon as effectively unavailable in practice.
Flying
- Any drone with a camera requires prior written approval from both the DGCA and the Lebanese Army (via its Directorate of Orientation); there is no exemption for small or toy drones with a camera
- Legal experts (cited by the Lebanese digital-rights group SMEX) describe the permitting framework as lacking clear, published criteria, with no reliable process a visitor can plan around
- At least one 2026 source reports the Army suspended nationwide drone filming permits from 1 March 2026, later granting only exceptional permits (weddings, cultural/sporting events with pre-specified time and location) from 11 June 2026 — this could not be confirmed from a second independent source, so treat it as a strong signal rather than a certainty
- Flying is absolutely prohibited over military installations, barracks, government compounds, airports, and security-sensitive areas, and near the southern border region
- Southern Lebanon and other areas affected by the 2025–2026 conflict with Israel are active or recently active military zones; armed drones operate there and a civilian drone risks being mistaken for a hostile one
- Standard aviation-style limits reported in secondary guides: maximum 120 m altitude, visual-line-of-sight only, daylight operations only unless separately authorised — these are not confirmed in a primary legal text
Commercial use: Commercial or filming work needs a specific Army/DGCA permit describing exact flight purpose, location, time and drone serial number, submitted at least a week ahead; as of 2026 these were reported largely suspended nationwide except for narrow, pre-approved event categories.
Registration & classes
| Registration | Unknown No public civil drone registry or registration portal was found. What exists in practice is a per-flight permit request to the Lebanese Army's Directorate of Orientation, co-signed by DGCA for camera-equipped drones, not a standard registration system. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | Unknown No public pilot-certification scheme found. No standard pilot exam was found; one secondary source mentions a 'local drone license' may be requested as part of the Army permit application, but this is not confirmed in an official document. |
| Remote ID | Unknown No Remote ID broadcast requirement was found; enforcement centres on prior written Army/DGCA approval and physical checks (e.g. at Beirut airport customs) rather than in-flight identification. |
| Insurance | No One secondary source states drone insurance is not mandatory; commercial permit applications reportedly sometimes request proof of insurance and a risk assessment, but this is not confirmed in a primary source. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No There is no realistic self-service path for a tourist to get authorisation to fly a camera drone in Lebanon; permits go through the Lebanese Army and are reported to require at least a week, with 2026 sources suggesting general filming permits were suspended for most of the year. Treat recreational tourist drone flying as unavailable in practice, not just bureaucratically slow — legal experts describe the approval process itself as opaque and inconsistently applied. The security situation in and near southern Lebanon (2025–2026 conflict with Israel, later ceasefire) adds a real safety risk on top of the legal one; a drone there could be mistaken for a military asset. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| No camera | any weight, no camera | Less clearly regulated in available sources; still subject to general no-fly areas (military sites, airports, government compounds). |
| Any camera-equipped drone | any weight with a camera | Requires prior written DGCA and Lebanese Army approval regardless of size; treat this as unobtainable for an ordinary tourist visit, especially since 2026 reports of a nationwide suspension. |
Import & export
- No published personal/tourist allowance. Customs officers at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport are reported to inspect luggage for drones, and equipment can reportedly be held or confiscated if the traveller cannot show a valid flight permit.
- No public import certification or type-approval scheme was found; the practical gating factor is the Army/DGCA flight permit rather than a customs certification process.
- Batteries: No drone-specific rule found; standard airline lithium-battery rules apply (carry-on only, within normal Wh limits).
- Bringing a drone into Lebanon is not itself clearly illegal, but flying it without an Army/DGCA permit is, and that permit is reported to be very hard to obtain for a short tourist visit, especially given 2026 reports of a nationwide suspension of filming permits.
- Some secondary tourist guides mention specific DJI models (e.g. Mavic Air 2, Mavic Mini 2, Mavic Air 2S, FPV models) being refused or flagged at customs, but this could not be confirmed from an official source and may reflect informal, inconsistent enforcement rather than a published ban list.
- Given the active/recently active conflict in southern Lebanon, do not assume a drone can be flown safely or legally anywhere near the Israeli border or other military-sensitive areas.
Export
- No specific drone export restriction was found; ordinary customs procedures for personal electronics would apply when leaving.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: Not applicable — no standing civil drone registry was found; each flight instead needs its own one-off Army/DGCA approval rather than a time-limited registration. |
|---|---|
| No public pilot-certification scheme found | Unknown |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + ? % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Bringing a drone to Lebanon as a visitor — and what to do instead Visitors
- Assume you will not get a flight permit in time
Camera drones need joint DGCA/Lebanese Army approval with no clear published criteria; a 2026 report describes a nationwide suspension of general filming permits with only narrow event-based exceptions.
- Leave the drone at home if your trip is short or informal
Airport customs at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport are reported to inspect for drones, and equipment can be held or confiscated without a valid permit.
- If you must bring one, contact the Lebanese Army's permit office well in advance
Submit a written request with drone details, serial number, exact intended flight location/time and your passport; budget at least one to several weeks, and expect the request may simply be refused given reported 2026 suspensions.
- Never fly in or near southern Lebanon or any military site
This area has seen active 2025–2026 conflict with Israel; flying a civilian drone there risks it being mistaken for a hostile device, independent of any civil aviation rule.
- Need aerial footage? Hire a locally connected Lebanese production company
A local operator with existing Army/DGCA relationships and permit experience is far more likely to secure narrow, event-specific authorisation (e.g. for a wedding) than an independent visitor.
Sources
- SMEX — Drones in Lebanon: Who can fly them and are they legal? · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- drone-traveller.com — Drone rules and laws in Lebanon · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- flyingglass.com.au — Drone Laws Lebanon: Guide for Tourists & Locals · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Lebanon — About Us · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Drone flying banned for visitors−95
- Import restricted−25
- Duty + VAT ≈ 15 %−9
- Radio / type certification−4
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works