New Caledonia NC
New Caledonia is a French special-status territory with its own aviation rules, set locally by the Direction de l'Aviation Civile de Nouvelle-Calédonie (DAC-NC) rather than following EASA's Open/Specific category system used in mainland France. Recreational drone flying needs no prior authorisation if you follow the safety and privacy rules (150 m ceiling, 30 m from people, VLOS, no night flying), but importing a drone needs ANFR administrative import authorisation unless the model is on the exemption list.
Your plan
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You're good to go, just follow the local rules
- No registration needed
A 249 g drone with camera doesn't need to be registered in New Caledonia.
- Bringing your drone in
New Caledonia has its own customs and telecom-import regime, separate from mainland France/EU. Bringing in a drone (a radio-transmitting device) generally requires an Administrative Import Authorisation (AAI) from the Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) unless the specific model appears on ANFR's published exemption list. Batteries: Notify your airline in advance; batteries under 160 Wh are typically accepted in cabin/cargo per standard international rules, but always confirm with the specific airline serving New Caledonia.
- Before each flight
Maximum altitude 150 m · Keep at least 30 m horizontal distance from any person · No flying over people in public spaces within built-up areas
Open official page
Flying
- Maximum altitude 150 m
- Keep at least 30 m horizontal distance from any person
- No flying over people in public spaces within built-up areas
- Stay clear of airports, heliports and controlled airspace (notably above Nouméa from ground level)
- Avoid sensitive sites such as military bases and hospitals
- Night flying is prohibited
- Always keep the drone within visual line of sight
- Respect people's privacy; do not publish or use footage of identifiable people without consent, and no commercial use of recreational footage
- Use the free 'NC Drones' app or the Géorep map to check current restricted zones before flying
Commercial use: Commercial drone operations require prior authorisation or declaration to DAC-NC; local rules follow the 3 December 2020 territorial decree rather than mainland France's EASA-based categories, so mainland/EU authorisations, declarations or remote pilot registrations do not automatically transfer.
Official airspace mapRegistration & classes
| Registration | No No registration or prior authorisation is required for leisure/recreational drone flying, provided the standard altitude, distance, privacy and no-fly-zone rules are followed. Commercial operators must declare/register through DAC-NC; mainland France's AlphaTango platform is referenced for remote-pilot users but the territory runs its own local process. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | No None for recreational flying. No public knowledge test is required for leisure drone flying. Commercial/professional operators are subject to DAC-NC's own authorisation process, not automatically the mainland French/EASA remote pilot certificate. |
| Remote ID | Unknown No Remote ID broadcast requirement for recreational drones was confirmed for New Caledonia specifically. |
| Insurance | Unknown No public recreational insurance requirement was confirmed; liability for damage or injury still applies under general law, so travel/liability cover is prudent. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No No registration is needed for ordinary recreational flying, so most visitors can fly without pre-arranging anything beyond checking the ANFR import list for their drone model. French/EU (EASA) drone registrations, remote-pilot certificates and declarations are not automatically recognised — New Caledonia runs its own local aviation framework under DAC-NC. Check the NC Drones app or Géorep map for current no-fly zones before every flight, since restricted areas (military, sensitive sites, parts of Nouméa) are locally defined. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Leisure/recreational drones | any weight, standard recreational use | No registration or authorisation needed. Follow the 150 m ceiling, 30 m from people, VLOS, no night flying, and avoid restricted zones (check the NC Drones app). |
| Commercial/professional operations | any weight, commercial use | Requires prior authorisation or declaration to DAC-NC under the local territorial framework (3 December 2020 decree), independent of mainland France's EASA categories. |
Import & export
- New Caledonia has its own customs and telecom-import regime, separate from mainland France/EU. Bringing in a drone (a radio-transmitting device) generally requires an Administrative Import Authorisation (AAI) from the Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) unless the specific model appears on ANFR's published exemption list.
- Check the ANFR exemption list before travelling; most common consumer drones (e.g. mainstream DJI consumer models) are commonly exempt, but this must be confirmed per model since the list changes.
- Batteries: Notify your airline in advance; batteries under 160 Wh are typically accepted in cabin/cargo per standard international rules, but always confirm with the specific airline serving New Caledonia.
- New Caledonia is a French territory with its own customs and telecom-import rules distinct from mainland France/the EU — an EU CE marking alone does not guarantee import clearance; check the ANFR AAI exemption list for your specific drone model before travelling.
- No drone-specific duty or VAT rate was confirmed; general territorial import taxation (TGC and customs duty) may apply depending on declared value and HS classification.
Export
- No drone-specific export controls beyond standard French/EU dual-use rules were identified as applying distinctly to New Caledonia.
Costs
| Operator registration | Not needed Validity: N/A for recreational flying |
|---|---|
| None for recreational flying | Not needed |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + ? % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Flying a drone in New Caledonia as a tourist Visitors
- Check the ANFR import list before you travel
Confirm your drone model is exempt from Administrative Import Authorisation (AAI), or apply for AAI in advance if not. Open
- Download the NC Drones app or check Géorep
Look up current no-fly zones (airports, Nouméa controlled airspace, sensitive sites) before every flight. Open
- Keep to the core limits
150 m altitude ceiling, 30 m from any person, visual line of sight, daylight only.
- Respect privacy
Don't publish identifiable footage of people without consent, and don't sell or commercially use recreational footage.
- Don't assume French/EU rules apply
New Caledonia's DAC-NC rules and import regime are locally set and differ from mainland France's EASA-based system.
Sources
- New Caledonia Tourism — Fly a drone in New Caledonia (drone regulations FAQ) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Direction de l'Aviation Civile de Nouvelle-Calédonie — Drones / Aéronefs télépilotés · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- service-public.nc — Règles d'usage d'un drone de loisir en Nouvelle-Calédonie · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Remote ID−3
- Mandatory insurance−2
- Night flight banned−8
- Import restricted−25
- Duty + VAT ≈ 15 %−9
- Radio / type certification−6
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works