Drone Regulations - Open Category

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The open category contains low-risk operations with drones weighing less than 25 kg.

Requirements

The drone must weigh less than 25 kg
The pilot must maintain a visual line of sight (VLOS) with the drone at all times
The drone is not allowed to fly higher than 120 m from the ground
You cannot fly over crowds of people
Dangerous goods cannot be carried
You cannot release objects from the drone
The drone must be marked with the registration number of the operator

Subcategories

The open category is divided into three subcategories: A1, A2 and A3.

A1 - Fly light drones, C0 and C1, with few distance restrictions to uninvolved persons.
A2 - Fly C2 drones in built-up areas with a minimum of down to 5 meters from uninvolved persons. (30 meters without low-speed mode, 5 meters with low-speed mode).
A3 - Fly drones up to 25 kg, minimum 150 meters from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

Minimum age

The minimum age for drone pilots is 16 years.
Children under the age of 16 may operate drones weighing less than 250 grams (C0) in the A1 category or under the supervision of a registered pilot holding A1/A3 certification.
A legal guardian must register as the drone operator for the child's drone at www.flydrone.is.

Open category

Registering drone operators

In order to fly in the open category, all pilots must be registered on the Icelandic Transport Authority's registration website, Flydrone.is (excluding pilots of C0 class drones without camera equipment). In order to fly drones which weigh more than 250 gr. pilots must read the learning material and pass the A1/A3 exam on the registration website. After passing the exam pilots can fly drones up to 900 gr in subcategory A1 and up to 25 kg in subcategory A3. In subcategory A2 it is allowed to fly very close to people and therefore it is considered the riskiest subcategory in the open category. There are more requirements for pilot competency in the A2 subcategory and pilots must pass a special A2 exam which is held at the Icelandic Transport Authority or other approved organization.

C-Class	Privately built and legacy drones < 250g C0 C0 without camera	C1	C2 C2 with low speed mode	C3 C4 Privately built and legacy drones
Drone maximum weight	Less than 250 gr.	Less than 900 gr.	Less than 4 kg	Less than 25 kg
Subcategory	A1 Not over assemblies of people (can also fly in subcategory A3)	A1 Not over assemblies of people (can also fly in subcategory A3)	A2 Fly close to people (can also fly in subcategory A3)	A3 Fly far from people
Operating Restrictions	No flight over assemblies of people	No expected flights over uninvolved persons. If unavoidable, extreme caution should be used. No flight over assemblies of people	No flying over uninvolved persons. Maintain at least 50 m distance from uninvolved persons.	No flying close to or over persons. Maintain at least 150 m distance from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.
Operator registration	Yes, unless the drone is not equipped with a camera and is considered a toy.	Yes	Yes	Yes
Competency requirements	Read user's manual	Read the user manual. Complete training and pass online A1/A3 exam.	Read the user manual. Complete training and pass A1/A3 and A2 exams.	Read the user manual. Complete training and pass online A1/A3 exam.
Minimum age	No minimum age	16 years	16 years	16 years

Regulation (EU) 2019/947 allows each country to establish specific rules for drone operations to address areas not covered by the EASA regulation. Regulation 1360/2024 outlines the following restrictions.

It is prohibited to fly unmanned aircraft within 150 meters of sensitive sites such as power plants, substations, Parliament, the Presidential residence, ministries, embassies, police stations, prisons, and hospitals, unless authorized by the property owner or operator.
General rules regarding the protection of property rights, privacy, and personal data apply when flying near residential areas or places where people are present.
Flying unmanned aircraft without permission from airport operators is prohibited on airport premises and within restricted zones around scheduled flight airports. Flying is allowed within restricted zones without specific permission if done below the height of the highest obstacles and within 50 meters of the drone’s flight path.
Maximum caution and safety must be exercised near runways of non-scheduled flight airports.
Drones must always give way to all other air traffic.
Instructions from air traffic services, police, the Icelandic Coast Guard, the Icelandic Transportation Authority, and other authorities must be followed.
Restricted zones and limitations for unmanned aircraft are announced on the Icelandic Transportation Authority website and in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) Iceland.