Saudi Arabia SA
GACA requires every drone of 250 g or more to be registered through the UAS portal, but the portal only accepts a Saudi National ID or Iqama (residency permit) verified via Nafath — there is no registration path for short-term tourists. Foreign visitor drone flights are described in official guidance as not allowed, so a tourist should not plan to bring and fly their own drone; hiring a licensed local operator is the realistic option for aerial footage.
Your plan
Choose your home country (top right) to see steps tailored to you.
Visitors can't fly drones in Saudi Arabia
- Flying not allowed for visitors
GACA requires every drone of 250 g or more to be registered through the UAS portal, but the portal only accepts a Saudi National ID or Iqama (residency permit) verified via Nafath — there is no registration path for short-term tourists. Foreign visitor drone flights are described in official guidance as not allowed, so a tourist should not plan to bring and fly their own drone; hiring a licensed local operator is the realistic option for aerial footage.
Flying
- Only Saudi nationals and residents with a valid Iqama (national ID verified via Nafath) can create a profile on the GACA UAS portal; tourists have no registration path
- Register every drone of 250 g or more with GACA before flying (Open category up to 24.99 kg, Specific category up to 150 kg)
- Drones under 250 g are exempt from registration but flight-authorisation rules and no-fly zones still apply
- Keep the drone within visual line of sight (VLOS) and fly in daylight only — night flying is not permitted for standard operations
- Stay at or below roughly 150 m; commercial operators are commonly capped at 120 m (400 ft)
- No flying over crowds or uninvolved people, near airports, government/military/security sites, or over the holy sites in Mecca and Medina, especially during Hajj and Umrah when extra security airspace restrictions apply
- The drone's radio/video-link transmitter also needs CST (Communications, Space & Technology Commission) type approval separately from GACA registration
Commercial use: Commercial/for-hire operation needs a GACA Remote Pilot Certificate (online aeronautics knowledge test, minimum age 18, English proficiency) plus Aviation Security Division clearance; reported processing time ranges from about 1 to 5+ months. The aircraft must also be registered in the correct GACA category (Open up to 24.99 kg, Specific up to 150 kg) before commercial flights, and Hajj-period medical/logistics drone operations require a separate GACA permit.
Registration & classes
| Registration | Yes (from 250 g) Create an individual or company profile via Nafath (Saudi National ID or Iqama), wait for profile approval, then submit a 'New Unmanned Aircraft' request choosing Open or Specific category. Fees are generated by the portal per aircraft/request type; a secondary source cites SAR 250, but the official guide explicitly warns not to rely on a fixed published fee. There is no path to register without a National ID/Iqama, so tourists cannot complete this step. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | Sometimes (online, from 250 g) GACA Remote Pilot Certificate (Open-category online knowledge test). The UAS portal offers an Open-category Remote Pilot Certificate process built around an online knowledge test; it is tied to registering/operating a drone through the portal rather than a universal standalone recreational requirement. Specific-category requirements are shown per request and were not fully detailed in public sources. Commercial operators additionally need Aviation Security Division clearance. |
| Remote ID | Unknown No official broadcast Remote ID mandate for recreational drones was found in public GACA materials; the portal instead relies on account-based registration and a physical registration number rather than a confirmed broadcast Remote ID standard. |
| Insurance | Unknown Secondary (non-official) sources describe insurance as not legally required but recommended for recreational flying. This was not confirmed on an official GACA page, and commercial operators may be asked to show liability cover as part of security clearance, so treat this as unverified. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No The GACA UAS portal requires Nafath login tied to a Saudi National ID or Iqama; short-term tourists have no way to create a profile or register a drone. Official guidance describes foreign visitor drone flights as not allowed — there is no visitor permit or temporary registration scheme found in public GACA materials. Only someone who becomes a resident (obtains an Iqama) gains access to the normal registration and Remote Pilot Certificate process described above. No lead time applies because there is no visitor pathway to begin; this differs from countries that simply require advance registration. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Under 250 g | < 250 g | Exempt from GACA registration, but flight rules (VLOS, daylight only, no-fly zones) still apply. |
| Open category | 250 g – 24.99 kg | Must be registered with GACA via the UAS portal; Open-category Remote Pilot Certificate (online knowledge test) applies to registered operations. |
| Specific category | up to 150 kg | Registration plus category-specific requirements set by GACA per request; typically used for higher-risk or commercial operations. |
| Commercial/for-hire (any weight) | for hire or reward | Requires a GACA Remote Pilot Certificate, minimum age 18, aeronautics knowledge test and Aviation Security Division clearance. |
Import & export
- No drone-specific duty-free personal allowance is published. A drone must be registered and approved in a GACA UAS account, and the importer registered on the ZATCA customs platform, before customs clearance is granted — this applies even to a single drone carried as luggage.
- CST (Communications, Space & Technology Commission, formerly CITC) type approval is required for radio-frequency equipment, which covers a drone's video link/transmitter; without it the device cannot legally be imported, sold or operated.
- Batteries: Carry-on only for spare lithium batteries, standard airline limits apply (typically up to 100 Wh freely, 100–160 Wh with airline approval, max 2 spares).
- No official drone-specific customs duty rate was confirmed; the general GCC common external tariff is commonly around 5% for many electronics categories, but this was not verified against an official schedule for drones.
- Drones arriving without prior GACA registration/approval risk being held by Saudi Customs; some reports describe short (around 10-day) disposal windows if the paperwork is not resolved.
- Pre-registering the drone on the GACA UAS portal before shipping or travelling is recommended wherever the importer has a National ID/Iqama; this option is not available to tourists.
Export
- No drone-specific export ban was confirmed for Saudi Arabia; general Saudi Customs (ZATCA) rules and dual-use/military export controls may still apply to advanced UAV components — check with ZATCA before shipping a drone out of the country.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: Reported as 1 year from approval on the official UAS portal guidance; one secondary source cites a 3-year renewal cycle instead. Could not be reconciled — confirm the current validity inside the portal after profile approval. |
|---|---|
| GACA Remote Pilot Certificate (Open-category online knowledge test) | Unknown |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + 15 % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Bringing or flying a drone in Saudi Arabia as a tourist Visitors
- Assume you cannot register or fly recreationally
The GACA UAS portal only accepts a Saudi National ID or Iqama via Nafath login; short-term tourists have no registration path, and foreign visitor drone flights are described as not allowed. Open
- Don't count on clearing customs with it
An unregistered drone can be held by Saudi Customs on arrival; you may be asked to leave it in airport storage for collection when you depart.
- Check the radio-equipment rule too
Even a registered drone's transmitter needs CST type approval to be legally imported and used in Saudi Arabia. Open
- Hire a licensed local operator instead
For aerial photos or video during your trip, book a GACA-registered commercial drone/filming company rather than bringing your own aircraft.
- If you relocate on an Iqama
Once you hold a Saudi National ID or Iqama, create a profile on the UAS portal via Nafath, register the drone (250 g+) in the Open or Specific category, and complete the Open-category online knowledge test before flying. Open
Sources
- GACA – Unmanned Aircraft Registration (UAS Portal) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- CST – Special Telecommunication Devices Registrar Qualification and Accreditation · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- NineTenths – How to Register Drones with GACA in Saudi Arabia (2025 Guide) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- drone-laws.com – Drone Laws in Saudi Arabia (2026) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Drone flying banned for visitors−95
- Import permit−40
- Duty + VAT ≈ 20 %−12
- Radio / type certification−12
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works