Drones

A permit is required to fly a drone recreationally or commercially in Rwanda.

Permits are issued by the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, with an average processing time of 2 to 4 weeks (RPAS Activity Permit) or 2 months (RPAS Operator Certificate).

Foreign citizens are unable to register drones themselves – a Rwandan citizen, permanent resident or body / entity may register a drone on behalf of a foreign citizen.

Drones must be marked with a registration number assigned by the RCAA.

Basic rules:

• Do not fly your drone over people or large crowds
• Respect others privacy when flying your drone
• Do not fly your drone over airports or in areas where aircraft are operating
• You must fly during daylight hours and only fly in good weather conditions
• Do not fly your drone in sensitive areas including government or military facilities. Use of drones or camera drones in these areas are prohibited

For more information, please consult the RCAA website or email enquiries to d.fss@caa.gov.rw.

You may be interested to read up on the partnership between Rwanda and the World Economic Forum (WEF) to nurture the drone industry in Rwanda, building on the success of Zipline’s blood delivery technology, which hails from Silicon Valley. The partnership is managed by WEF’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

As Rwanda looks to the future, we will continue to put in place the infrastructure and policy frameworks that accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies to transform people’s lives.