Drones: plan the place before the flight
Before packing a drone for a holiday, decide what you want to photograph and where you would stand. Recreational flying, commercial filming and aerial work have different rules in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Your aircraft, purpose and exact location determine which questions need answering.
Drone rules for visitors
The BiH Directorate of Civil Aviation, BHDCA, publishes rulebook 51/20 for aircraft above 0.248 kg up to 25 kg, including the equipment carried at take-off. Its English summary describes the range as 249 g–25 kg. A lighter aircraft is not a general exemption from airspace, site or privacy restrictions.
For non-commercial flying, Article 6 requires daylight and visual contact, with a maximum height of 30 m above ground. It sets separations of at least 30 m from people, animals, buildings, vehicles, roads, waterways and other listed objects, 50 m from gatherings and 500 m from specified public-significance sites. These limits make a crowded town or roadside viewpoint a poor place to assume a holiday flight is possible.
Permissions and insurance
Article 19 addresses foreign operators: non-commercial flights must meet Article 6, while commercial filming and aerial work require prior BHDCA approval and compliance with the relevant conditions. An approval issued elsewhere does not establish permission here.
BHDCA’s English recreational summary says third-party cover is required above 1 kg; Article 16 of the rulebook uses broader wording for the operator or owner. Ask BHDCA which insurance and documents apply to your aircraft and purpose. The website’s weight threshold should not be treated as an exemption.
For an aviation enquiry, BHDCA publishes dron@bhdca.gov.ba. Describe the operator, aircraft, take-off mass, purpose, dates and exact location; have the technical documents and proposed third-party cover available. For paid filming, the decision and its conditions need to be settled before the flight becomes part of a client commitment. Keep any approval and its conditions with you on the day, and follow the manufacturer’s operating limits.
Airspace and the place on the ground
For recreational flying, Article 7 prohibits launching from the 300 m strip inside the border and flying within 500 m of military sites. Article 6 restricts airport and controlled-airspace zones; its airport exception requires at least 1.5 km separation, a maximum height of 30 m and an airspace reservation. Do not treat 1.5 km as an automatic permission boundary. A drone app’s map is not approval. Article 20 directs reservation requests to BHANSA’s Airspace Management Cell, which publishes forms and procedures. Its listed contacts are amc.lqsb@bhansa.gov.ba and +387 33 251 393; an enquiry does not itself reserve airspace.
For a flight over Una National Park, obtain the park’s written consent as well as meeting the aviation conditions. Its published 2026 tariff includes commercial filming and photography under a separate permission protocol. A visitor ticket does not give permission to fly or film.
If the flight cannot meet the applicable conditions, a photograph from an authorised ground position is a useful alternative. The safety guide matters when deciding where to stand: a photographic subject is no reason to step onto unconfirmed ground.
Local registration is a different procedure
The rulebook’s registration provision concerns owners resident or registered in BiH. BHDCA’s local leaflet lists an application, identity or business identification, PBA-4 residence evidence, ownership evidence, insurance and an administrative-fee record, posted to V kozarske brigade 18, 78000 Banja Luka. As a visiting foreign operator, ask for the procedure that applies to you rather than using a local residence checklist.
A location visit or help with the trip
For a location visit alongside the wider journey, put the place, purpose and dates in an experience outline. Ask the proposed operator to identify its role and relevant qualifications. Aviation approval and the park’s permission still need to be settled with the responsible authorities.