Nepal drone rules: permits, no-fly zones, and what to expect

The legal basis

Published hedged: the primary CAAN document could not be fetched this run. Nepal’s drone rules are reported to originate from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) Flight Procedure dating to roughly 2018/19, implemented operationally through CAAN’s own Unmanned Aircraft System Requirements (UASR) document under Part 101 of Nepal’s Civil Aviation Regulations. This is an established legal framework, not a new rule that changes every year — the many “Nepal Drone Laws 2026” articles circulating online mostly describe enforcement intensity and portal changes around that same underlying framework, not a new law each year.

Weight categories and registration

Nepal categorises drones by maximum take-off weight: Category A, under 250g, described as very low risk; Category B, 250g–2kg, low risk; Category C, 2–25kg, regulated low risk; and Category D, above 25kg, regulated high risk. Widely reported, not confirmed against the primary text: registration is now widely reported to apply regardless of category, including sub-250g consumer drones (such as the smaller DJI Mini models) once commonly assumed exempt — several sources describe this specific enforcement tightening through 2025–2026. Do not assume a small drone is exempt without checking current CAAN guidance directly.

The three-layer permit process

Reported consistently across independent sources, though the primary CAAN text could not be fetched this run: (1) CAAN registration and a flight-permit application; (2) a Ministry of Home Affairs security-clearance layer, reported as required for security-sensitive, border-adjacent, or commercial operations; and (3) a separate, area-specific park or conservation-area permit — the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) for national parks generally, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) for the Annapurna region, and the Sagarmatha National Park office specifically for the Everest region.

No-fly zones

Widely reported, consistent in direction across sources: a roughly 5km horizontal no-fly radius around any airport or airway, which covers not just Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport but small mountain STOL airstrips like Lukla, Jomsom, and Talcha, given constant helicopter and fixed-wing traffic on those approaches. Kathmandu Valley’s UNESCO World Heritage monument zones — the Durbar Squares, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, and Pashupatinath — and government-security zones such as the area around Singha Durbar, Nepal’s central government complex, are also reported no-fly areas. International border areas carry a similarly reported no-fly radius, consistent with (though not directly sourced from) this site’s own destination pages for the Api Nampa/Darchula far-western region and the Sandakpur & Chhintapu border ridge, which both state a no-drone rule near the border independent of this page.

Altitude ceiling

Widely reported general operating ceiling: approximately 120 metres (400 feet) above ground level, attributed across sources to conflicts with helicopter rescue operations and fixed-wing or STOL approach paths in mountain terrain. Treat this as the general rule rather than a site-specific one — it applies wherever you are permitted to fly at all.

Costs and timeline

The weakest-sourced part of this page — no official CAAN fee schedule was found or fetchable, and figures vary across sources. Personal recreational CAAN registration is reported anywhere from roughly USD 10–50 up to a narrower, more recently reported band of about USD 75–115 (commonly cited as NPR 10,000–15,000) plus tax, valid for one year. Once a required park or ministry clearance is added, total personal tourist permit costs are reported anywhere from roughly USD 50–100 up to USD 100–300 depending on source and which protected area is involved. Commercial or filming operations near Everest are reported as potentially exceeding USD 1,800–2,500 all-in once liaison and park fees are included — that figure is specific to commercial filming, not personal tourist use, and should not be read as a personal-drone cost. Processing time is reported consistently around 7–15 business days for CAAN registration alone, with several sources recommending applying at least a month ahead once park or ministry layers are added. Confirm the current fee and process directly with CAAN before applying — every figure above is a researched planning range, not an official price list.

What actually happens at customs and checkpoints

Reported by travellers and trekking operators, not an official procedural document: arriving travellers are advised to declare a drone at Kathmandu airport customs and obtain a Customs Clearance Certificate, without which CAAN registration reportedly cannot proceed — an undeclared drone is reportedly sometimes held at the airport until departure. Inside trekking regions, checkpoints along park trails (the Sagarmatha National Park trail is the specific example reported) reportedly ask about drones, and one without a producible valid permit can be confiscated on the spot with a collection receipt for pickup in Kathmandu. One drone-pilot community thread also reported a fine for flying without a permit, though the specific amount was not corroborated elsewhere and is not published here as a fixed figure.

The honest bottom line

Because the full legal process stacks three separate approval layers, each with its own multi-week timeline, actually completing an official personal drone permit before a short trip is genuinely difficult — which is exactly why NepalPick’s own packing list advises leaving drones at home unless you have verified current permission rules well in advance. This page does not suggest flying unpermitted as a workaround: the reported consequences (confiscation, fines, and complications at customs or on the trail) are real, and several independent sources converge on the same practical conclusion that many short-stay travellers simply choose not to bring a drone.

Where drones are already banned on this site

These NepalPick destination guides state a no-drone rule in their own responsible-travel notes, independent of this page:

For general trekking permits — TIMS, park entry, and restricted-area rules, which this page deliberately does not restate — see Nepal trekking permits.