Senegal SN
Senegal's civil aviation authority ANACIM has required authorisation for camera-equipped drones since 2014, but on 27 January 2026 it issued a circular banning recreational and private drone flights outright across the whole national territory, after a drone disrupted security at a national team event and with the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games approaching. Only professional operators with prior ANACIM authorisation may fly. A tourist would need an ANACIM import licence and a Ministry of Interior/ANACIM flight approval before even bringing a drone in; without that paperwork, confiscation at the border is likely. In practice, a visitor cannot realistically fly a drone recreationally in Senegal right now.
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Visitors can't fly drones in Senegal
- Recreational drone flights banned nationwide since January 2026
On 27 January 2026, ANACIM's director general issued a circular banning all recreational and private drone flights across Senegal, citing a security incident on 20 January 2026 (a media drone disrupting the national football team's parade) and airspace-control needs for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games. Only professional operators with prior ANACIM authorisation may fly; violations are subject to the aeronautical penalties in Decree 2025-1750 (24 October 2025). Check ANACIM's site for whether the ban has been lifted before travelling.
- Flying not allowed for visitors
Senegal's civil aviation authority ANACIM has required authorisation for camera-equipped drones since 2014, but on 27 January 2026 it issued a circular banning recreational and private drone flights outright across the whole national territory, after a drone disrupted security at a national team event and with the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games approaching. Only professional operators with prior ANACIM authorisation may fly. A tourist would need an ANACIM import licence and a Ministry of Interior/ANACIM flight approval before even bringing a drone in; without that paperwork, confiscation at the border is likely. In practice, a visitor cannot realistically fly a drone recreationally in Senegal right now.
Flying
- Since a 27 January 2026 ANACIM circular, all recreational and private drone flights are banned nationwide; only professional operators with prior ANACIM authorisation may fly
- Independent of the 2026 ban, ANACIM's Annexe 5 au RAS 06 (adopted 2018) already required identification/authorisation for any camera-equipped drone and set a 300 ft (100 m) altitude ceiling for leisure/sport categories
- Visual line of sight is required, with minimum visibility at least 1.5 times the pilot-to-drone distance; beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight needs a special safety-study-backed authorisation
- Daylight operation only; night flights require special ANACIM authorisation
- Since January 2022, any remote pilot flying from a control station on Senegalese territory must hold a remote pilot licence issued or validated by ANACIM (commercial/professional categories)
- Violations are subject to the aeronautical penalties set out in Decree 2025-1750 (24 October 2025)
Commercial use: Professional operators must hold an RPAS Operation Permit (PER) and, since January 2022, a remote-pilot licence issued or validated by ANACIM, plus civil liability insurance. Class 3 (>25 kg) and BVLOS operations face case-by-case ANACIM authorisation with height/route limits set individually. This route is built for established (often Senegal-based) operators, not visiting hobbyists.
Registration & classes
| Registration | Yes (all drones) ANACIM states no RPAS may be operated in Senegal until the Authority has identified it. RPAS under 2.5 kg used strictly for scientific research or training are automatically authorised after identification; all other categories go through ANACIM's identification and, for professional use, permit process. No public fee schedule or online portal was found — the process is administrative/in-person via ANACIM. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | Sometimes Remote pilot licence (professional/commercial categories only). No licence or test is required for hobbyist/leisure flying (moot in any case since leisure flying is banned nationwide since January 2026). Commercial/professional remote pilots flying from a Senegalese control station must hold a remote pilot licence issued or validated by ANACIM since January 2022; format and fee were not found on an official page. |
| Remote ID | No No in-flight Remote ID broadcast requirement was found for any category; oversight relies on pre-flight identification/authorisation rather than broadcast identification. |
| Insurance | Depends Not required for hobbyist flying but recommended. Commercial/professional operators must hold civil liability insurance and provide a copy of the contract to ANACIM; government operations are exempt. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No Contact ANACIM well before travel to confirm the current status of the January 2026 recreational-flight ban and what, if anything, is possible for visitors. A tourist wanting to fly would need to apply for both an import licence and a flight authorisation in advance; approval is reported as slow (weeks to months) and rarely granted for standard tourist requests. Given the nationwide ban on leisure flights, the realistic advice for a tourist is to leave the drone at home unless travelling specifically for pre-arranged professional/authorised work. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 (leisure/sport/professional) | ≤ 5 kg | Includes leisure (1A), sport (1B) and professional (1C) sub-categories; leisure flying is currently banned nationwide regardless of weight. |
| Class 2 (sport/professional) | > 5 kg – 25 kg | Cannot be used for leisure; sport (2B) and professional (2C, including 25–30 kg MTOM with base mass ≤25 kg) sub-categories require ANACIM authorisation. |
| Class 3 (professional only) | > 25 kg | Professional use only (3C); significant restrictions and case-by-case ANACIM permitting. |
| Sub-2.5 kg research/training | < 2.5 kg, scientific/training use only | Automatically authorised after identification with ANACIM — the narrowest official exception, not applicable to ordinary tourist photography. |
Import & export
- No personal duty-free drone allowance was confirmed. Guidance aimed at visitors states a drone should not be brought into Senegal without first obtaining an ANACIM import licence; without it, confiscation at the border is likely.
- Sources describe a required ANACIM import licence obtained before travel, plus a separate ANACIM (and reportedly Ministry of Interior) approval to fly once in the country — applications reportedly detail flight intentions, locations and passport details and can take weeks to months, with standard tourist requests rarely approved under current security measures. This was not confirmed on an official ANACIM fee/procedure page (the anacim.sn site could not be directly verified due to a certificate error during this research).
- Batteries: No Senegal-specific lithium-battery rule was found; standard international air-travel limits (carry-on only, spare-battery caps) apply.
- Declare any drone to customs on arrival; travelling without prior ANACIM paperwork risks confiscation.
- The January 2026 nationwide ban on recreational/private flights means even a successfully imported personal drone cannot legally be flown for leisure at this time — only professional, ANACIM-authorised use is permitted.
- Fee amounts for the import licence or identification process were not found in public sources; confirm directly with ANACIM before travelling.
Export
- No drone-specific export ban was found; treat any registered/authorised professional equipment as subject to ordinary Senegalese export-control rules.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: Not specified in public sources; identification/authorisation is tied to the RPAS and its declared category rather than a fixed renewal period. |
|---|---|
| Remote pilot licence (professional/commercial categories only) | Unknown |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + ? % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Flying a drone in Senegal as a visitor Visitors
- Check whether the nationwide ban is still in force
ANACIM banned all recreational/private drone flights on 27 January 2026; confirm current status with ANACIM before planning any drone use. Open
- Apply for an import licence and flight authorisation in advance
Visitors are expected to obtain an ANACIM import licence before entering with a drone, plus separate authorisation to fly it — start this process well ahead of travel, as approval can take weeks to months.
- Assume leisure flying is not possible right now
Only professional operators with prior ANACIM authorisation and a remote pilot licence may currently fly; recreational tourist use is banned nationwide.
- Declare the drone at customs regardless
Bringing an undeclared drone risks confiscation at the border; keep any ANACIM paperwork with you at all times.
- Need aerial footage? Hire a locally authorised operator
A Senegal-based professional operator already holding an ANACIM RPAS Operation Permit and remote pilot licence is the realistic route for photography or video work.
Sources
- ANACIM (Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie) — official site · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Dakaractu — L'ANACIM interdit les vols de drones de loisir ou privés sur toute l'étendue du territoire national · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- drone-laws.com — Senegal Drone Laws 2026 · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- fitcationhq — Senegal Drone Regulations for Tourists (2026 Guide) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Drone flying banned for visitors−95
- Import permit−40
- Duty + VAT ≈ 15 %−9
- Radio / type certification−12
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works