Provided by Finike Yachting Agency

Since January 2017, there have been binding rules for drone pilots in Greece. The following rules apply to private copter pilots.

Maximum flight altitude: You can not fly higher than 120 meters.

Maximum horizontal distance and FPV: Your copter can be a maximum of 500 meters away from you and you must always keep visual contact with the drone. Anyone who argues against the authorities during a check that they see the live image of where the drone flies and what they do (First-Person-View) is immediately classified as a commercial pilot and needs a special authorization from the Greek Aeronautical Authority.

Compulsory insurance: There must be an insurance for the drone. You should also take the proof of insurance in a translated version to Greece. This can considerably simplify the entry or inspection during a check.

Maximum take-off weight (MTOW): In the past, a total take-off mass of up to 7 kg was used for model aircraft. Unfortunately, I can not say currently which influence the new rules from 2017.

Distance to airports: You have to keep a distance of 8 kilometres to airports. This means you can not fly on almost any Greek island that owns an airport, because many islands are quite small. Exceptions are possible with a written authorization from the Greek aeronautical authority.

Other safe distances: Do not fly over people and keep at least 50 meters of safety distance (for example at demos, events) – except for permission.

Flight bans: Flight bans apply over military installations, hospitals, prisons and other government facilities.

Flight approval: Owners of land (also of hotels) must agree to a start on their property. The personality rights must be observed. Flights to nature reserves are subject to prior approval. For flights over archaeological sites and foundations, a permission must be obtained from the Ministry of Culture (http://www.yppo.gr/0/eindex.jsp [BROKEN LINK]). The Greeks are very strict!

Time of operations: Drones flights are allowed only in daylight. Specifically, this means in Greece that you can start at least 30 minutes after sunrise. From 30 min before sunset, there is a night flight ban. Approvals for night flights must be approved separately.

Specific regulations: If a pilot comes for example from Germany, the German drone laws apply to him here also in Greece and, in addition, the Greek rules. Anyone who violates the drone laws can expect a penalty ranging from 500 to 250.000 euros.

Regulations for commercial pilots: Commercial pilots require written authorization from the aeronautical authority for almost everything. There are contact details for the approval on the CAA website.

Good to know: You should absolutely comply with the Greek regulations. In almost every city or area in Greece, there is a police season with trained birds of prey, which are specialized in bringing drones from the sky. Apparently, this is intended to combat terrorism, but you never know.

We have researched the listed drone regulations for Greece to the best of our knowledge. We can not guarantee the correctness of the information. If you want to be on the safe side, please contact the competent aviation authority. Alternatively, you can also ask the embassy in your country for further information about the regulations.