Sudan SD
Sudan is in the middle of a civil war and is a 'Do Not Travel' destination for essentially all Western governments, with drone strikes themselves a leading cause of civilian death in 2026 and both Khartoum and Port Sudan airports subject to drone attacks that can close them without warning. Civilian drone regulation has not been codified by the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), whose head office has itself relocated from Khartoum to Port Sudan because of the fighting. There is no tourism infrastructure, no realistic route to fly a drone, and carrying one is a serious personal-safety risk given that drones are actively weaponised in the conflict.
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Visitors can't fly drones in Sudan
- Do not travel — active civil war
Sudan has been in civil war since April 2023. Government travel advisories (including the US State Department) rate it 'Do Not Travel' due to armed conflict, crime, civil unrest, kidnapping and the collapse of law and order, government services, healthcare, electricity and telecommunications in many areas. Armed drones are a leading cause of civilian casualties in 2026, with the UN reporting hundreds of civilian deaths from drone strikes this year alone; drone attacks on Khartoum and Port Sudan, including their airports, occur without warning. This is not a country to bring or fly a recreational drone in — a drone in your possession may also be mistaken for military-relevant equipment.
- Flying not allowed for visitors
Sudan is in the middle of a civil war and is a 'Do Not Travel' destination for essentially all Western governments, with drone strikes themselves a leading cause of civilian death in 2026 and both Khartoum and Port Sudan airports subject to drone attacks that can close them without warning. Civilian drone regulation has not been codified by the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), whose head office has itself relocated from Khartoum to Port Sudan because of the fighting. There is no tourism infrastructure, no realistic route to fly a drone, and carrying one is a serious personal-safety risk given that drones are actively weaponised in the conflict.
Flying
- SCAA has not codified civilian drone-use regulations; in the absence of a tourist framework, and given the active war, any drone flight by a visitor should be treated as banned in practice
- Armed drones are a major feature of the ongoing conflict and a leading cause of civilian deaths in 2026 — flying, or even carrying, a drone risks being mistaken for a combatant activity
- Both of Sudan's main airports (Khartoum and Port Sudan) have been subject to drone strikes and can close without notice; airport security screening for any drone-like equipment should be expected to be strict
- There is no functioning tourism or hobbyist drone infrastructure under current wartime conditions
Commercial use: No public commercial drone authorisation pathway was found; SCAA's regulatory capacity is degraded by the war and its relocation from Khartoum to Port Sudan. Any professional operation would need direct, case-by-case coordination with SCAA and is not realistic for a visiting operator under current conditions.
Registration & classes
| Registration | Unknown No public registration portal or scheme was found. SCAA has not codified drone regulations at all, per available sources. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | Unknown No public pilot test/certificate scheme found. No publicly documented pilot-certification scheme was found for Sudan. |
| Remote ID | Unknown No Remote ID requirement was found; there is no codified civilian drone framework at all. |
| Insurance | Unknown No public information found on drone insurance requirements in Sudan. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No Given the 'Do Not Travel' advisory and active civil war, tourism itself is not realistic — drone flying should not be part of any travel planning for Sudan at this time. Drones are actively weaponised in the conflict; carrying one significantly increases personal risk beyond the general dangers of travelling to Sudan. No tourist permission pathway exists with SCAA. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| All drones | any weight | No codified civilian rules exist; treat all drone flight as banned in practice given the active war and lack of any tourist framework. |
Import & export
- None realistic. There is no tourism infrastructure and no personal drone allowance to speak of; given wartime security screening and the risk of a drone being treated as military-relevant equipment, do not attempt to bring one into Sudan.
- No public import/certification scheme was found; not applicable in current wartime conditions.
- Batteries: Not applicable — travel to Sudan itself is advised against, and flights in and out are limited and subject to disruption from the conflict.
- Both of Sudan's main airports have experienced drone strikes and unscheduled closures during the war; ordinary international air travel to/from Sudan is itself severely disrupted.
- Any equipment resembling a drone or its components is liable to draw serious security scrutiny given the conflict's heavy use of armed drones.
Export
- Not applicable in the ordinary tourist case; Sudan is not a realistic travel or drone-export destination under current wartime conditions.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: Not applicable — no codified civilian registration scheme exists, and the war makes any such process moot in practice. |
|---|---|
| No public pilot test/certificate scheme found | Unknown |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + ? % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Drones and travel to Sudan — do not attempt this Visitors
- Check the travel advisory first
Sudan is rated 'Do Not Travel' by essentially all Western governments due to active civil war; reconsider travel itself before thinking about a drone.
- Do not bring a drone
Armed drones are a leading cause of civilian death in the current conflict; carrying a drone increases your personal risk and may draw serious security scrutiny.
- Assume you cannot legally fly
SCAA has not codified any civilian drone framework, and there is no tourist or hobbyist pathway.
- Expect airport disruption
Both Khartoum and Port Sudan airports have been struck by drones during the war and can close without notice.
- Monitor official advisories
If you have essential travel to Sudan for humanitarian or professional reasons, check current guidance from your government and the SCAA directly rather than assuming any pre-war rule still applies. Open
Sources
- Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- UN News — Armed drones leading cause of civilian death in Sudan war: UN rights chief (May 2026) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- drone-laws.com — Sudan Drone Laws · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Drone flying banned for visitors−95
- Drone import banned−95
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works