Taiwan TW
Taiwan is workable for drone tourists, especially with a sub-250 g drone: those need no registration or permit at all. Anything 250 g or heavier must be registered online with the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA), and non-resident foreigners specifically must submit proof of their drone's registration/licence in their home country (or another country that does register it) through the CAA's foreigner portal, with the resulting approval valid only 6 months. Drones over 2 kg additionally require an operator permit via a CAA knowledge exam, and a fast-growing list of no-fly zones (airports, military areas, national parks, and — new in March 2026 — 11 major seaports) needs checking before every flight.
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 Taiwan.
- Bringing your drone in
Drones and batteries are permitted in carry-on luggage at Taiwanese airports for personal use. No drone-specific duty-free personal allowance was confirmed, but bringing a single personal drone as a tourist is not reported as a customs problem in itself. Batteries: Carry-on only for lithium batteries; standard international airline limits apply.
- Before each flight
Drones at or under 250 g need no registration or permit and can be flown by tourists like ordinary residents, subject to the general flight rules below · Drones over 250 g must be registered online at the CAA drone portal; non-resident foreigners use a dedicated foreigner registration path requiring proof the drone is registered/licensed in their home country (or another country, if the home country has no registration system), with approval valid for only 6 months · Maximum altitude 120 m (400 ft) above the ground/take-off point
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Flying
- Drones at or under 250 g need no registration or permit and can be flown by tourists like ordinary residents, subject to the general flight rules below
- Drones over 250 g must be registered online at the CAA drone portal; non-resident foreigners use a dedicated foreigner registration path requiring proof the drone is registered/licensed in their home country (or another country, if the home country has no registration system), with approval valid for only 6 months
- Maximum altitude 120 m (400 ft) above the ground/take-off point
- Visual line of sight is a hard limit of about 300 m; binoculars or FPV goggles do not satisfy the VLOS requirement
- No flying between sunset and sunrise without a separate night-flying permit from the CAA
- No flying over crowds or outdoor assemblies, from moving vehicles/watercraft, or operating multiple drones simultaneously (no permit exists for the latter)
- Stay roughly 2.6 km from airport perimeters and 5 km from airport centres (Taipei Songshan, Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, etc.), and away from military zones and government buildings
- National parks (Taroko, Kenting, Yangmingshan, Yushan, Shei-Pa) prohibit drones without specific park-authority filming/flight permission
- Since March 2026, 11 major seaports are restricted zones with a 30 m buffer from vessels; a 30 m minimum distance from highways/railways also applies
- Always check the official CAA airspace map (red/yellow zones) before flying, since restrictions vary significantly by location and change over time
Commercial use: Operating a drone over 2 kg (recreational or commercial) requires passing the CAA's Drone Written Exam (available in Chinese; English availability unclear) to get an operator permit. Commercial work additionally needs a Business Operation Certificate and liability insurance.
Official airspace mapRegistration & classes
| Registration | Yes (from 250 g) Sources conflict on the fee: several describe registration as free, while one cites a 150 TWD charge (reportedly free when the system launched in early 2020). Non-resident foreigners must submit documentary proof of the drone's registration, inspection certificate and remote pilot licence issued by their home country (a Chinese translation is required if the original isn't in English); if the home country has no registration system, registering in a third country has reportedly been accepted. The registration number must be visibly displayed on the drone. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | Sometimes (in person, from 2 kg) CAA Drone Written Exam / operator permit. Required for drones over 2 kg, recreational or commercial. The written exam is available in Chinese; English-language availability was not confirmed. Foreign remote pilot licences may be recognised via the same foreigner documentation process used for registration, subject to CAA approval. |
| Remote ID | No No electronic Remote ID broadcast requirement was found; compliance is enforced through registration numbers displayed on the drone and airspace-map/no-fly-zone rules instead. |
| Insurance | Depends Liability insurance is required for commercial operation (alongside the Business Operation Certificate and CAA exam); not required for recreational/hobbyist flying. |
| Foreign registration accepted | Depends Non-resident foreigners register through a dedicated CAA foreigner path (drone.caa.gov.tw), submitting proof of the drone's registration/inspection/licence status in their home country (with Chinese translation if needed); approval is valid for only 6 months. If the traveller's home country has no drone registration system, registering the drone in another country that does offer one has reportedly been accepted as valid proof. Sub-250 g drones remain the simplest option for a short visit, since they skip both registration and the foreigner documentation process entirely. No confirmed minimum lead time was found for the foreigner registration process, but it should be started well before travel given the documentation requirements. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Under 250 g | < 250 g | No registration or permit needed, for residents or foreign visitors alike; general flight rules (altitude, VLOS, no-fly zones) still apply. |
| 250 g – 2 kg | 250 g – 2 kg | CAA registration required (foreigner-specific path with home-country documentation for non-residents, 6-month validity); no operator permit/exam needed for recreational use. |
| Over 2 kg | > 2 kg | Registration plus an operator permit via the CAA Drone Written Exam is required. |
| Over 25 kg | > 25 kg | Mandatory government inspection in addition to registration and operator permit requirements. |
Import & export
- Drones and batteries are permitted in carry-on luggage at Taiwanese airports for personal use. No drone-specific duty-free personal allowance was confirmed, but bringing a single personal drone as a tourist is not reported as a customs problem in itself.
- Imported drones may require CAA inspection/validation, and since November 2025 sellers/importers placing drones on the Taiwanese market must provide cybersecurity test results (non-compliant sellers face fines up to NT$1,500,000). This primarily targets commercial sellers/importers rather than a single tourist's personal drone, but it has reduced which models are readily available for purchase locally.
- Batteries: Carry-on only for lithium batteries; standard international airline limits apply.
- The practical gating step for a tourist is CAA registration/permit compliance for flying, not customs clearance of the physical device.
- No official drone-specific customs duty or VAT rate was confirmed for a personal-use drone.
Export
- No drone-specific export control information was found; general Taiwanese customs rules would apply when taking a drone back out of the country.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: 6 months for non-resident foreigners' registration/inspection/operation approval from date of issuance; resident registration validity was not confirmed as time-limited in the same way. |
|---|---|
| CAA Drone Written Exam / operator permit | Unknown |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + ? % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Flying a drone in Taiwan as a tourist Visitors
- Consider a sub-250 g drone
This skips registration and the foreigner documentation process entirely while still needing to follow the general flight rules.
- Register a heavier drone through the CAA foreigner portal
Submit your passport and proof of your drone's home-country registration/licence (translated to Chinese if needed); approval is valid for 6 months. Open
- Pass the written exam if your drone is over 2 kg
An operator permit requires passing the CAA's Drone Written Exam, currently available in Chinese.
- Check the CAA airspace map before every flight
Confirm you're clear of airports, military areas, national parks, seaports and other red/yellow restricted zones, which vary by location. Open
- Respect altitude, VLOS and daylight limits
Stay under 120 m, within roughly 300 m visual line of sight, and fly only between sunrise and sunset unless you hold a night permit.
Sources
- Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) Taiwan — Drone Portal · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Foreigners in Taiwan — Taiwan Drone Flying FAQ · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- dronesgator.com — Drone Laws in Taiwan (2026) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan) — Regulations of Drone · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Operator registration−10
- Pilot test (in-person)−10
- Mandatory insurance−3
- Night flight permit−6
- Visitors need a flight permit−20
- Visitors must register locally−10
- 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