The Summer holidays are coming and one of the preferred touristic destination in Europe is Greece. This could allow filmmakers to take breath-taking footage from the beautiful Greek Islands, such as Thassos, Crete, Santorini, Lefkada, or even from the impressive Meteora.

If you plan on taking your drone with you and take advantage of the beautiful landscapes, here are the law regulations that you should be aware of: 

Greece Drone Regulations

1. Flying drones is legal in Greece, according to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) and you can always contact them to ask questions if you need more information. Their contact details are: YPA@HCAA.GR / +30 210 891600

2. Aside from the regulations that are enforced by the country, you should be aware that Greece is part of the European Union (EU). This means that you should also follow the drone regulations provided by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

3. You are not allowed to fly your drone directly over people, unless it has a class identification label or is lighter than 250 g (0.55 lbs).

4. You are not allowed to fly your drone above 120 m (400 ft).

If you plan to fly your drone up to 50 meters (164 ft) or above, you need to fill in an application for each individual drone flight that you plan to conduct. You also need to have your application approved by HCAA and get in touch with the local police department to share your flight plans. The maximum distance that you can be allowed to fly your drone is 120 meters (393 ft) above the ground.

5. You are not allowed to use your drone to carry dangerous goods or drop any material.

6. Your drone needs to maintain a safe distance from people at all times and you need to maintain visual contact with the drone at all times.

7. You are not allowed to fly your drone during the night.

8. You are not allowed to fly a drone which weights more than 25 kg (55 pounds).

9. You are not allowed to fly your drone over prisons, hospitals, government, military facilities and other sensitive areas. Also, you are not allowed to fly your drone over private properties, without the permission from the property owner.

You can read the legal framework of flying drones in Greece on the HCAA website: https://dagr.hcaa.gr/docs/HCAA%20UAS%20Regulation.pdf

Now, that you are aware of the basic legal framework that is required to fly your drone in Greece, I am looking forward to see what will you film during your holiday! 

Thank you for sharing, Maura! I really did not know this until now!

This is an interesting and highly informative post.