Flying a drone in Italy: what you need before you go

Am I allowed, do I need to register, where can I fly? The three answers for bringing your drone to Italy.

You are coming to Italy with a drone. Three questions arise, and only three.

1. Am I allowed to fly?

Yes, if you follow the European framework - which is the same in Italy as at home, as long as you come from an EU member state.

  • Under 250 g, with no personal-data sensor: no training required.
  • Over 250 g, or with a camera: the A1/A3 certificate at minimum.
  • Close to people: subcategory A2.

Your European certificate is valid in Italy. There is nothing to retake.

2. Do I need to register?

You are already registered, if you did it at home: registration happens in your state of residence.

⚠️ But Italy has a single desk you cannot avoid. The D-Flight portal (d-flight.it), built by Italian air traffic control, is not only for registration: it is where zones are checked and requests are filed. A visitor registered elsewhere has nothing to create there, but will have to open it to prepare a flight.

3. Where can I fly?

This is the only question whose answer changes from place to place, and Italy is the country in this series where it changes most.

Check a location on the map →

Historic centres are effectively closed. Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples and other listed cities are under near-total bans. Flying over them requires authorisation from ENAC and, in some cases, from the Ministry of Culture.

That is the Italian paradox: the images people come for are exactly the ones that require a procedure, and that procedure is not done the day before.

⚠️ The map shows permanent restrictions. It contains neither NOTAMs nor temporary bans.

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