FØROYSKT

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS) – DRONES

Flying drones in the Faroe Islands can be a stunning yet fragile venture as this small & remote archipelago is inhabited by 54,000 people scattered around the 18 islands. Privacy and safety must be the highest priority when flying drones up close to wildlife and villages. Therefore before your visit, we kindly ask that you familiarize yourself with the conditions below in which drone flying is permitted. 

NB! Bear in mind new drone regulations, resembeling those of EU, are going through the Faroese legislative process at the moment. As soon as we have an English version of the new Faroese Drone Rules ready, we will make a short summary here on our website. For more detailed information, we refer to the Faroese Police and for a Danish detailed version of the new rules we refer to Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority - Trafikstyrelsen. Below are the current rules. These will be updated soon:

 

Permission is granted, provided ALL the following conditions are met: 

  • Drones MUST NOT be flown within 150 metres of any residential area, village, town or city.
  • Drones MUST NOT cross or fly within 150 metres of any public road 
  • Drones MUST NOT be flown within a 5-kilometre radius of Vágar Airport
  • Drones MUST NOT be flown above summerhouses or camping areas, or in places where many people are gathered, e.g. at festivals, or at a place out in nature where many people happened to have gathered
  • Drones MUST NOT be flown above 100 metres from the ground.
    These rules apply to all drones, no matter the purpose of the flight or the size of the drone.

 The Faroe Islands are not members of the European Union and any EU-approved drone license is not valid in the Faroe Islands. The rules for flying drones in the Faroe Islands, BL9-4, are set by the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority, Trafikstyrelsen. 

There are no exceptions from the mentioned rules, except only for the registered Faroese drone operators who have obtained the needed approval from the Danish Trafikstyrelsen. Others can not obtain this exception.

A list of these approved Faroese drone operators will soon be available on this site – in the meantime you can contact the Faroese police if you need help to locate a approved Faroese drone operator.

Illegal flying of drones in the Faroe Islands can result in a fine of DKK 5,000.

You will see signs like the one above at various sites across the islands. Drone pilots ought to follow all rules, no matter there being a sign or not and always be considerate of the environment, respecting bird- and wildlife and the privacy of locals and farmers. 

Because of the unpredictable nature of the Faroese weather, it is advisable to bring sturdy drone equipment and to check the weather forecast before flying.

Aviation rules and regulations in the Faroe Islands are overseen by the The Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority, Trafikstyrelsen. For more information about the use of drones in the Faroe Islands, please visit the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority website or download the Regulations on Unmanned Aircraft in English below.

Source: Faroe Islands police