How to register your drone in Thailand
Updated on 4/01/2018 with information that the deadline for registering a radio controlled device with NBTC is 9 January 2018. After that, you face up to five years in prison for non compliance.
If you intend to fly a drone in Thailand, whether as a hobby or for commercial reasons, you have to by law register your drone first. If you don’t you could face a fine of up to 100,000 Baht or even up to five years in prison. They are serious about this, so before you fly, make sure you register your drone with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). In addition, if your drone has a camera (any weight) or weighs over two kilos then you need to obtain insurance and get permission to fly from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). Their fine for not doing this is up to 40,000 Baht and up to one year in prison. Before you ask, if you have a toy drone, for example weighing less than 250g, then the NBTC or CAAT are not interested. However, they have specifically said that the small DJI Spark needs to be registered.
Scroll down for how to register your drone and for links to download the forms.
When I first started flying drones in Thailand I hardly ever saw any other drone pilots. I also didn’t face any problems about where I could fly. Security guards would come over if they saw me flying, not because it was illegal, but because they were curious to see the live pictures from above. Sadly, those days are long gone. Security guards are more likely to chase you away or sometimes you will see signs like the one above which prohibits the flying of drones. This is not necessarily because of any new laws, it is mainly because just about everyone decided to get a drone for Christmas. Now, with so many people flying, it is no longer the novelty and people, sometimes quite rightly, are fed up with the buzzing sound of the drones flying low over their heads.
When I attend an event these days, there are usually four or five drones flying. And quite honestly, some of these pilots are very dangerous. They are not keeping their drones in line of sight. They are just watching their screens. Which means the possibility of a collision is quite high. I have seen them go down before, either crashing into buildings, trees and power lines, or just colliding with another drone. I tend not to fly at events any more. Partly because it is distracting to people who might be watching a show, but also it is quite dangerous if there is a large crowd. The number one rule for drone pilots is to make sure you have a wide and clear area in case of an emergency landing. This kind of thing is why the Ministry of Transport came out with a new law about the use of drones in Thailand.
Scroll down for the law regarding drones in Thailand.
Even after you have registered your drone with the NBTC, bought insurance and have permission to fly from CAAT, you still need to obey the following rules. If not, you will be subject to a fine and maybe imprisonment.
Once you have permission from the land owner to fly, you must obey these rules while flying:
- must not fly in a way that may cause harm to the life, property and peace of others
- must not fly into restricted area, limited area and dangerous area announced in Aeronautical Information Publication – Thailand or AIP-Thailand and also at government buildings and hospitals unless permission is given.
- take-off and landing area must not be obstructed by anything
- must keep the Unmanned Aircraft in line-of-sight at all times and not rely on the monitor or other devices
- must only fly between sunrise and sunset when the Unmanned Aircraft can clearly be seen
- must not fly in or near clouds
- must not fly within 9 km (5 nautical miles) from airport or temporary airfield unless having permission from the airport or airfields operators
- must not fly over 90 meters above the ground
- must not fly over cities, villages, communities or areas where people are gathered
- must not fly near other aircraft that have pilots
- must not violate the privacy rights of others
- must not cause a nuisance to others
- must not deliver or carry dangerous items or lasers on the Unmanned Aircraft
- must not fly horizontally closer than 30 meters (100 feet) to people, vehicles, constructions or buildings
For the full regulations, click here, or visit the CAAT website for the latest up to date information.
Before I continue, I should point out something in the above infographic released by CAAT which is contradictory to the regulations. The infographic says you need to have a licence to fly if your drone has a camera, even if it is less than two kilos. But, the regulations do not say anything about that. From what I, and other people understood, if you have a small drone like a Spark or Mavick that weighs less than two kilos, you do not need to get permission to fly from CAAT. As long as you are not using it for commercial reasons and you obey the above rules. However, officials we have spoken to at CAAT insist that you still have to get permission to fly. We asked specifically about the smallest of drones, DJI Spark, and they said yes, we would need insurance and permission to fly.
Scroll down for how to register your drone with NBTC.
If you intend to fly a drone in Thailand, then by Thai law you must register it first with the NBTC before the 9 January 2018 deadline. If you don’t, you are violating the Communications Radio Act. Apparently, only 350 drones have been registered up to now out of an estimated 50,000 drones in Thailand. Which is why there is now a crackdown on drones. Before, we probably would have gotten away with flying without a license if we were discreet. But, now, thanks to all of the publicity, everyone knows that you must register your drone or you will face up to five years in prison. It was front page news in the Bangkok Post (see the article here) and other national newspapers.
The following is what I did to register my drones with NBTC in Bangkok. They have 17 offices around Thailand, and so you don’t need to do this here. Also, you are apparently allowed to register at your local police station. I know people who have done this, but make sure you download the form in advance as they won’t know anything about it. My advice is to go to your local NBTC officer. In Thai it is “กสทช.”, just search for it on google maps. For the one in Bangkok, it is on Soi Phahonyothin 8. Click here for the map link. When you arrive, you will see the big building in the photo above. You need to go to Building 2, first floor. From the front gate, turn right and walk down a path. Don’t go through security. You will see the building on your right near the road.
Before you go, you should prepare the following. If you do so, then you will be in and out in just five minutes. That is how long it took me to register my two drones.
- Sign a copy of your passport
- Proof of address like house registration, lease, rental contract or work permit (this is new)
- Photos of your drone and the serial number on your drone
- Two copies of the filled in application form
That’s it if you are just flying as a hobby like myself. If you are media or a registered company, then there are more documents that you need.
NOTES:
- You don’t need to take your drone into the office. Though some people did.
- Stick the photos on a piece of A4 paper and then sign the sheet of paper.
- You need a set of documents for each of your drones.
- The serial numbers are on a sticker on the drone box. I took a picture of that.
- Print the application form on both sides of a sheet of paper. Or pick one up at their office.
- The filled in form needs to be photocopied. This is what they stamp and return to you.
This is a link to the page on the NBTC page about the regulations. This is a direct link to download the form. It is only in Thai. I will take you through it step by step below. Scroll down.
The first three fields to fill in are for “Day/Month/Year”
The next section is about the weight of your drone. I ticked the first one as my drones are less than 2 kilos. The others are for between 2 and 25 kilos, and for more than 25 kilos.
Number 5 is your first name and number 6 is your family name. Number 7 is your age. Number 8 and 9 is your nationality. I wrote UK.
Numbers 10-12 is your birthday written as Day/Month/Year. Number 13 is your ID card number. I wrote my passport number.
Number 15-21 is your address. 15 is the house number, 16 the Soi number, 17 the road name, 18 the Tambon or kwang name, 19 the Amphoe or Khet name, 20 the province name, and 21 the post code. Number 22 is your telephone number. I didn’t fill in the rest.
UPDATE: They didn’t ask me for proof of address when I went, but now they apparently are. I’m not sure yet what tourists can do about this.
I didn’t fill in Section 2 as I am a private individual. Continue to page two.
For Number 23, I ticked the first box as I just fly for a hobby. The others are for media, businesses etc.
For Number 24, I wrote the name of my drone. For Number 25 it is asking for the number of drones and rotors. I wrote one drone and four rotors. I was registering a DJI Phantom 3 and a DJI Spark. I did this on two different forms. I guess if you have two of the same then use the same form.
For number 26, I wrote the serial number of the drone. As I said before, it is on a sticker on your box. Number 27 is the weight. Number 28 is for what equipment is fixed. I said camera. Number 29 is the maximum height it can go in meters. Number 30 is the frequency. For mine I wrote 2.400 – 2.483 GHz.
That’s it. Sign your name and then write your name clearly in the brackets below. The other signatures are for the officials. Hand them into the officer at the reception. It took them about five minutes to check everything and stamp it. The registration is free at the moment.
UPDATED: When I went to the NBTC office, the official said that there was no need for me to do anything else. They said they would forward my application to CAAT. But people who went later are reporting that NBTC officials are now saying that you also need to get permission to fly from CAAT. This is because at NBTC you are just registering your radio communications device. I rang CAAT and an official there confirmed this. They also added you need to get insurance first before they would accept your application. The whole process will take about two months. Maybe longer now as over 1,300 drones were registered at NBTC in the first week alone. Some people in the comments below have said that after they registered with CAAT, they were told that they would pass on their registration to NBTC. So, no need to do both.
If you want to do that yourself, then click here for the forms and regulations in English. If you search for Thai drone insurance on Facebook you will find some companies that offer it. If you have experience of registering your drone in Thailand, or you have any questions, then please feel free to post them below in the comments. Please remember, if you do fly your drone in Thailand, please do so responsibly. It only needs one person to fly over the Grand Palace or crash into an aircraft for drones to be banned for everyone.
PLEASE READ THE COMMENTS BELOW FOR SOME USEFUL ADVICE.
Hi guys, sorry for this question, Im sure its been asked before.
Do I need a Thai address? If I do, what do I put, as I don’t live in Thailand.
Also how do I get the papers once its registered without living in Thailand, will they email them?
Thanks in advance,
Ben.
Yeah, I am also wondering about this. I am living in Germany and now trying to find out how to fill the form from CAAT where there is no Country field.
Does anybody outside Thailand did it already?
Ben, I’m not sure if you got an answer to this but using your overseas address on the form is fine. When it’s approved, they will call or email saying its ready for collection. That’s a hassle so they can also post it if you give them a contact address. If you are not coming to BKK they will scan you a copy to use instead. The registration form has a space to give your email contact.
Did anyone purchased insurance other than dronethaiinsurance? I sent email to this company last week and no reply.
Valdss give them a call
Hi Valdas, we are handling drone insurance and doing no problems. [email protected]. We’re a professional licensed broker. Just forward your email over.
Just FYI for everyone getting a license from CAAT. I sent an email yesterday to [email protected] and [email protected]. I included ” Attached is a pdf with my Consent to disclose personal information, UAV Registration Application, Insurance, Passport, Photos and Serial Number of my drone.” I called +66 (0)25688815 today and asked if the UAV registration was received – The looked it up and said I they received my email and would mail me my license in 6 weeks. (I live in Thailand).
Wow 6 weeks?? Not 60 days??
I hope it is only a 6 week wait.
Please keep us posted
Sent my registration forms to the CAAT on 11 October without a drone or insurance in order for the checking process to begin.
Have since provided them with my drone S/N and insurance paperwork (new drone). They told me yesterday that they are still awaiting a reply from the agencies involved in the checks.
How did you fill the address section in CAAT forms? I am not living in Thailand, so i guess I have to use my German`s address, but, there are not such field like Country, city, etc.
It has only House No, Building, Street, Road, Sub-District, District, Province, Postal Code, etc.
Hi Craig!
So you sent to CAAT insurance papers? Did you sent also ID card copy?
The form for CAAT… can we ignore the Part 1. (2) and (3) and Part 2…?
Hi Guys, on the caat registration form, in the address section, which address did you use if you do not permanently reside in Thailand? The address of one of your hotels, or your home country address?
Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
I apologize if this has already been discussed, but what must I do if I am travelling with a drone (mavic) through Thailand? I will be in China before my Thailand visit and would like to use the drone in China. I unfortunately do not have enough time to register in Thailand so I won’t fly there, but I will have a drone in my luggage. Will I have problems at customs?
So far no-one is reporting problems at the airport. But shops are being told they must register if they are importing drones. At the moment we don’t know how this will affect drones in baggage yet. So far I’m pretty confident you will be fine.
First of all, thank you Richard, for all your blogging/reporting and this post especially.
I have a mavic and went to NBTC in Chiang Mai to register on Oct 31. Literally the easiest thing of it’s kind that I’ve ever done here. Took 6 minutes in the door to put the door. They did not require proof of address and said very clearly that I needed to also register with the CAAT. Thanks to Stuart I got the insurance finalized and then went to the CAAT office on Nov 1, but discovered too late that the office closes at 3:30PM instead of 4:30pm like google said. Finally made it back to the CAAT on Nov 16, and was a very pleasant experience. Really nice lady who spoke some English. Checked all the paperwork and said they will contact me in 60 days to pick up the license. Also, it’s not legal to fly until you have that license.
One question I have: for those who have chosen to fly before receiving the license, is posting the drone video on social media a bad idea? I know Richard has talked about multiple people arrested, how did they find those people? Thoughts? With the incredible number of unregistered drones in Thailand I think it of some relevance.
The Air Force have detection vans and spotters. But, yes, some were caught after posting to social media. In most these cases they were flying near replicas of the crematorium around the country. In theory you should be fine if you keep a low profile.
Is there a CAAT office in Chiangmai?
I would just email the documents in not sure any benefit to turning up in person, I used the email on the bottom of the forms you fill out. Then call them to ensure they have it, they will give you the standard 60 day answer. Note if you don’t call, you hear nothing they are overloaded. Note also the number to call is not the one in the form use 02 5688800 ext 1504-1505, suggest someone that speaks Thai.
For those who has homebuilt drones without serial numbers. This is a problem for NBTC. They insisted on a seial number and the solution in my case was to create a serial number, print a sticker and put it on the drone, take photos, sign the photos and attach them to the application. In my case we took my passport number and added a dash one for my first drone, dash two for my second drone. This was accepted and I now have my NBTC registrations.
Thanks for the that.
Thanks Juan. 1 drone will do for now 🙂
It might be better to contact http://dronethaiinsurance.com/ directly as I wouldn’t want to misinform anyone as we all know have quickly things in Thailand can change without notice.
At the time of my application their service fee was under 2,000 Baht.
Hope this helps.
I’m guessing once we get our drone licence it covers only the one drone we registered ?
If we buy an additional drone we must apply for a new licence?
Robert that is correct one insurance cover one drone only, new drone new insurance and new license
Robert one drone one insurance one license, new drone new process that is correct
sent mail yesterday to http://dronethaiinsurance.com/ asking about a licensing/insurance service but no response back as yet.
Same situation here. Emailed yesterday to dronthaiinsurance and waiting for reply. Maybe they have day off…
Did they reply you yet?
No, they did not…..
I found another insurance company https://www.phantomthailand.com/mobile/product/Drone-Insurance it seems DJI is stepping in?
Another company I found was http://www.falconinsurance.co.th/ was showing in google drone insurance search results and in falcon insuranc page but later disappear.
thanks for the feedback Robert, anyone have any pricing on these services?
As thai law is not generally upheld by most of the corrupt police (no helmets, riding on the pavement, as long as you point at someone you can be let off). Can we really be arsed to do all this and spend money?
I guarantee the local police guy will not know about a drone law, or even know wtf a drone is. I also bet all the Thai’s don’t give a sh*t about doing this and won’t bother. I’ve already asked 2 other thai’s who were flying dji’s and they had no clue.
I just read a group of youths fired guns in a market crowd but because no one was hurt it was ok. Yet we would get a prison sentence for flying a drone? hahaha
Up to you. But it was in the newspaper today that six drone pilots face arrest for flying without permission. Another drone pilot was arrested a couple of weeks ago for flying 9 kilometers from an airport. The knives are out.
Without permission or registration? Links to proof?
It’s there on the Internet for anyone to read. Just search in Thai language. They were all charged with not having registered their drone and flying without permission. But, like I said, up to you if you choose to fly without a license.
Of course registration is required now. But permission? Here it says that permission is needed only for commercial use http://bangkokjack.com/2017/10/22/register-drone-thailand/
When you called CAAT, did you specify about commercial and non-commercial use?
Or is there a reference to the official law? If so, then there are no questions.
It’s pointless us discussing it. It’s the police that will interpret the law, not us. They’ve already made it clear, if your drone has a camera, you need to get permission to fly.
I was under the impression that the 6 prosecuted were flying their drones within the 19 klm limit imposed during the late kings funeral, am i mistaken that this is then another 6?
Yes, but they were charged with not having a license. The point is, if you fly without a license you run the risk of being arrested or extorted. There’s been a lot of publicity now and the police know to check.
Except my neighbor got caught by the police, have to pay fine 5000 THB, spend hours of time in the police station and was forced to register his drone and return to the police station after the registration was completed to show them that the registration was correct…
This means that if you already have a registration (not a flight permit), is everything alright?
Sergey you need license to fly, registration doesn’t cover permission ( license) be aware and don’t make that mistake
Ok, I got it. All plans are down the drain..
I am in process of settling down in Thailand and was wondering if there are any drone pilot meet up groups in Bangkok, Roi Et and Phuket? It is always fun to meet and exchange experience with other hobbyists. Also, any local to Thailand drone forums? Thanks
Thanks, Juan. How long did it take for you to get your license using this insurance company from the moment you submitted your paperwork? Thanks….
Valdas applied June 14 and got appears September 20 as you can see a bit more than 60 days but worthy the wait, and emails, phone calls etc.
Valdas applied June 14 and got papers, September 20 as you can see a bit more than 60 days but worthy the wait, and emails, phone calls etc. system work but slow since all that is free from CAAT
Stuart and Valdas, yes I did my license (permission) to fly with them as I said long ago, but there are few people not satisfied with their services but most of people including me are!!!
Great feedback, Robert. Now we just need to check if anyone already got their license also using dronethaiinsurance company as a service company.
Hmmm , sounds pretty fantastic ☺️
Sorry, for my previous post, my mistake on web address given for Thai drone insurance which should be http://dronethaiinsurance.com/ . Wonder if it is a real legit insurance company that can provide a coverage if needed….Thanks….
I am currently using Drone Thai Insurance, http://dronethaiinsurance.com/.
From my first contact with Drone Thai Insurance I have received nothing except great support and excellent service .
I asked them many questions via email which were all replied. They even apologized for some delays in replying since the drone regulations have changed in Thailand they have become very busy processing drone insurance policies.
After all my questions were answered well and I decided to take out drone insurance with them.
Once I transferred the payment the drone insure policy was processed and I received an email that contained a scanned copy of my new drone insurance policy. 15 days later (as promised) I received the official drone policy documents at my home address.
The drone policy is issued from Mittare Insurance Thailand.
For a small service fee Drone Thai Insurance have checked that all my scanned documents were filled in correctly (for CAAT registration) and they personally checked and delivered by hand all the required hard copies to CAAT. They will also collect my licence when its ready and deliver to me.
I’m more than happy with them.
Valdas the Thai Drone insurance is legitimate, as per local laws and according with Thai regulations, a did get good services too, although there had been few people not satisfied.
Can’t said much since I don’t know deeper the regulations for setting up companies and so on, but as they are locals they might know people in the government and make it easy for them to acces officers
Good luck
Hey guys, did any one purchased Thai insurance for a drone from other than droneinsurance.com? Would this be the only company offering drone insurance in Thailand at this time? An online search does not return any other choice….If anyone purchased an insurance from droneinsurance.com, does this feel it is a legitimate company?
Thanks!
Hi,
Was someone able to finally obtain a permit ?
I applied in August with all the papers needed and proof of insurance. They confirmed they received everything but 3 months later I still have no news and they are not answering my emails anymore…
Christopher, got mine (license) before October but it took more time of what they said, it happens sometimes they just don’t answer.
I kept emailing them and then they answered, if you are in Thailand give them a call
If you aren’t in Thailand and got Insurance in Thailand, then ask the insurance company to give you a hand
So I got the NBTC registration thanks to my wife who went there, bringing my drones and my transmitter with her. She was the only woman among the applicants and she was the only one registering racing drones. The big boss of the department, who probably never seen a racing drone before, even asked her about the 35 degree camera up-tilt and suggested that in order to see the ground, it must be flown upside down 🙂
Beside the form printed on double sided paper and filled in and signed by me, she had signed copies of my passport, signed copies of my work-permit, printed photos of every angle of the drones signed by me, a stamped right of attorney signed by me with postage stamps, my wife’s ID-card (she is Thai). She also brought my passport and my work-permit with her. What is interesting in my case are the following:
I have two home-built racing drones without any serial number. This turned out to be a problem and two serial numbers had to be fabricated quickly (she used my passport number and added a dash one and dash two for my two drones) and the staff helped by printing out these serial numbers and they were taped to the drone and photographs were taken. These photographs were signed by my wife which is a stretch of the ways it should be done. They should have been signed by me but as she had a stamped right of attorney signed by me with postage stamps and everything, this was accepted.
The frequencies of the transmitter a Taranis Q X7, 2.4GHz was taken from documents from FrSky’s webpage (the ISM band of 2.4-2.5GHz is way larger than what the Taranis is using) and the Vtx TBS Unify Pro v2 (it is locked to keep inside the 5.8GHz ISM band at 25mW) was taken from the TBS manual, in my case 5.733-5.866 which is inside the ISM band 5.725-5.875. What is remarkable is that only the frequencies need to be filled in and no info about field strength or output power was required.
Everything went well and she returned home with both drones registered.
Now for the CAAT. My wife called them and asked a million questions. The information that was given may not be the same every time so here is what we got.
The phone call to CAAT resulted in and email from them to us contaning information about what we should do and what email address to use. To CAAT we can email all documents. Form for registration application and for the consent to disclosure of personal information, that they will use to request information about possible criminal activities of the drone owner. passport, work-permit, proof that the drones has insurance.
They told us that only two companies are guaranteed to be approved, Bangkok Insurances is one of them and the other I don’t remember. I don’t say that other companies are not going to be approved but that is what they told us. So for those who are going to buy an insurance please call CAAT and get the information. There is a list of three companies published somewhere, but CAAT told us that that list was not correct and one of the companies was no longer approved. I also saw someone who had gotten IDRA insurance approved but CAAT told us that IDRA is no longer going to be approved.
As you can see, there are lots of information floating around…
Important is to get the CAAT papers in as soon as you can. It takes 45-60 days according to CAAT. You can do this even if you don’t have any insurance yet. You can email them the insurance papers later. The important thing is that they can start sending out your name to other authorities to check if you are a criminal or not. This part is what takes time.
So my own progression is, I will send the insurance papers to CAAT in the next few days. All other papers to CAAT has been sent already. By the way Bangkok insurance was expensive 3999 baht per drone and I have two…
I would also mention that having someone who speaks Thai to do the phone calls probably makes things easier. So many thanks to my wife Tara who helped me with this!
Do i have to be personally in CAAT office (only in Bangkok?) to get permission for flights?
I tried to register my drone at Phrakhanong Police station today; they didn’t have a clue what to do. I’ll have to go the NBTC directly I think.
If you’re thinking of trying to register there I’d advise you to not bother.
Do you have to get the insurance before sending form to CAAT or can you await approval first?
Can you do a similar numbered copy of the CAAT form as you did for the NBTC form as the CAAT form is much more complicated…even the English one.
CAAT told me to submit the form to them first as the background check can take some time. I didn’t have my drone, and obviously insurance, at the time, but went head and submitted as per their instructions.
Hi Craig.
Ah, whom did you contact? do you have an email?
I would like to submit my form also and then apply for the insurance with drop info when I will have it.
Did You submit only personal info form so far?
Sent an email here: [email protected] 🙂
Did they acknowledge receipt of the forms? I sent mine already but no response at all from CAAT
Yes they did. They told me they had anything they needed. But then no response…
When you email your docs to CAAT does anyone know if they notify you that they received them or is it case of cross your fingers and hope, including hope you sent to the correct email.
We called CAAT. They said to e-mail the documents to [email protected]
Called back and they confirmed receipt and also sent an e-mail as below – although I do live in Thailand . . .
“I’ve received your document already. For your information, you should plan ahead before you bring your UAV to Thailand. Since you have registered for UAV, I will send your personal information to National Intelligence Agency, Immigration Bureau and Office of Narcotics Control. It will take approximately 60 days to get the result before I can process the approval.”
Wait and see what happens next 🙂
Dear Trevor,
I’ve got same replay. “You will send your personal information to National Intelligence Agency, Immigration Bureau and Office of Narcotics Control. It will take approximately 60 days to get the result before I can process the approval.”
Have you got any information about how to do this?
Got the same message, saying that they will forward the document.
If you read Trevor’s message carefully, it is written” I will send your….”, hence there is no further action required, I assume.
I sent all required document a month ago and hope the license will be ready before end of the year.
We are going to the CAAT office on Monday to try to pin down the facts on registration and see if its worth to offer a registration service (as people are asking) in addition to the insurance service we do. The CAAT website already says a lot (in Thai) which includes the fact they will obtain the NBTC registration for operators as well, in addition to CAAT’s registration. Anyway its always better to go & see government agencies for to get ‘clear’ info as they are too busy to answer phones.
If we did offer registration assistance in addition to insurance, the question is: what will people be willing to pay for the assistance ? Who is doing this now and what are people being charged?
I am in.
Stuart, is me again as I know for first hand experience when I did insurance with Thai drone company they did offer me to do the license for FREE as they knew what for is the insurance ( and they show me all forms in English )
But i had already done that part so they didn’t asked me more about it.
One thing is missing for sure in all this contexts which I think is the most important thing and it is about safety in general and qualifications of the drone operators. If we look at other countries regulations that is the main issue
Nevertheless money always talk, happy hunting and fly safe, cheers
Hi Stuart
Will much appreciate if you guys could start such a service, but cost should obviously not be very high. Say the service charges (excluding insurance premium) should not be anything above 10% of the cost of (less than 2kg) drone.
Could you please let us know if CAAT/NBTC are really accepting online applications and any idea on the duration of this whole registration process?
Bonjour,
Quelqu’un peut-il me dire à quoi correspond le champ n° 14. richard ne l’a pas précisé.
Merci beaucoup
Called CAAT today ( 8 Nov ) and was told to send application by e-mail to [email protected]
Am I correct in assuming you cannot legally fly the drone until you receive approval of the registration ?
Does this also apply to flying over your own property ? I am fortunate enough to have about 25 rai ( 10 acres ) rural land / hilltop, nearest house 300 meters away, so no real “danger” to others if kept low and close by !! Unless of course it decides to do it’s own thing and fly away 🙂
I’m sure you will be fine on your own property as long as neighbors don’t call the police.
Hello! We are going to travel to Thailand with Mavik. Will the type A insurance for 3000 baht be suitable for obtaining a license?
If we rent on airbnb, can I provide a copy of the check and booking from there?
Hi Kate, as far as we know , no-one has had issues so far with the lowest cover which is set at the minimum required by law. You dont need to show your accommodation booking , just use that address on the application form. You can contact us for assistance: [email protected]
There is direct email address from NBTC
[email protected]
Went to NBTC in Phuket today. Very good service. In and out in 10 minutes
Emailed of to CAAT at beginning of week but have had no reply yet. Hopefully they will acknowledge receipt of paperwork.
Be aware guys that “Registration” and “license” aren’t the same, even NBTC office as today are telling people can’t fly without license.
Apparently there had been some thing like hit and run accidents with drone, so they can’t identify the owner, but once the drone is registered the law will catch the culprits
Hi, who does the insurance? and generally how much does it cost?
Thanks.
Hi Kevin , the minimum premium cost is Bht 3,000 + handling fee as the commission is bugger all. We can arrange it for you : [email protected].
I will go to Thailand in one month, 7 December.
Is there any way to speed up the CAAT registration? Will stay in Thailand for a couple months and travel around the country.
Email to CAAT with correct filled forms in English is enough? Since email is the only option when I’m yet not in Thailand? Able to print if received when in Thailand.
How can I fill in a residency when I don’t know what hotel I will be staying at any time?
The MBTC forms/license can be registered fast when in Thailand at MBTC office in Bangkok? Don’t have to wait for email response that might take longer?
Also police registration and copy might be helpful? To help if any security guard or local police want to cause trouble for me.
Very appreciated if all questions can be answered.
I fully understand both Juan and Richard’s advice. I wasn’t implying anyone was right or wrong, sorry if I gave that impression.
It’s probably advisable to get insurance and then register with both the agencies involved with this confusing time consuming necessity.
Good to have all bases covered.
Thanks everyone!
Happy Flying!
Juan…
Richard Barrow clearly states at the beginning of this article…
“you must register with both NBTC and CAAT and get insurance before you can fly.”
Your have stated to “Register only with CAAT.”
Is anyone else feeling confused?
Robert, the problem is, even some of the officials are confused and give contradictory instructions. Yes, it might be true that if you register with CAAT that they will pass your information onto NBTC. But then again, they might not. Do you really want to risk it? It’s you who could face up to 5 years in prison, not them. It took me 5 minutes to register with NBTC and it was free. It made sense for me to do that and worry about doing with CAAT later. The maximum fine for CAAT is “only” 1 year in prison.
Robert and Richard, if you ever fill up the form from CAAT you will find part of the form asking about which frequency the RC of drone operates.
I did called NBTC couple of times asking about and NBTC told me CAAT share information with them.
Bottom line is without CAAT license the drone isn’t flying
Only the one who already had done the process knows, that is why I said walk the talk, my apologies if offended any one
We are here to help and support one each other for the same benefit (license)
I don’t think anyone like to be a testing subject and fly the drone with NBTC registration only to see what are the conseques.
I had said this four times I do have license ( permission) every thing done with CAAT alone
We aren’t in a contest who is right or wrong
Hope you listen, happy flying and good luck
Dear All,
There is so much info here I just ask my question 555
I want to buy a spark this month
I understand I can register NCBT and caat
But I don’t understand the insurance do I need to have it for a spark and so which one do you guys recommend
Hi jobs the confusion had been because few people went through the license process already and a lot of people thought they got it right.
Register only with CAAT they are the only one to provide license (permission) CAAT will share your information with NBTC and police.
The insurance is in case the drone has acccident and you must have it if you want to fly
Very simple once we had walked the talk, any one can talk the talk
Wojtek W. Could you contact with me on mail or facebook 🙂 ? (https://www.facebook.com/MatiDiving , [email protected] , potrzebuję Twojej pomocy, wybieram się wkrótce do Tajld. 🙂 )
thanks
Good afternoon, tell me, but I can fly to Thailand with a drone in my luggage and register it when I will be in Phuket?
As far as I know, no-one has had a problem doing that. However, there is a grace period of 90 days for all shop owners and importers to register. I’m not sure how this will affect people bringing in drones. My gut feeling is that you will be fine.
And 2 more questions please.
1) Since now there is a period for processing papers of 90 days, the Thai authorities will not punish the owners of drones without a license?
2) When issuing a license in CAAT, does the ministry issue a paper that you started to license and it will be ready in 2 months?
Richard, please correct me if I am wrong,
Mike,
1) any one can bring drone and register in Thailand, as long you don’t fly (according with law need license) even you register at Police station or NBTC you can’t fly without CAAT license, if you do fly and authorities catch you then trouble might come, but surely some people will be taking the risk
2) I have license (permission) to fly, got it a month and half ago, my experience in this issue, is that CAAT don’t provide any kind of paper or document stating you had applied, till license is approved you are notified that is it
However things migh have changed since the demand of license is increasing
On the CAAT application form section, 4 part 3 Registration Marks anyone know what this is serial number is part 4
You can set in NONE
And more in Bangkok and around Thailand
https://www.bangkokpost.com/archive/cib-tackles-illegal-drone-flight-threat/1330587
In another news
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asean/1350719/myanmar-charges-foreign-journalists-for-flying-drone
Drone insurance.
What about International Insurance?
This shall apply in all countries. It will be a bit “bullied” if you are on holiday to register / insure the drones in all countries you visit.
http://www.idra.co/membership-options/
Svein, that will be better of course, an international insurance, however many countries don’t require that, like Iceland and New Zealand for example others like Nicaragua and India is illegal to fly
As long we can fly doesn’t matter the rules of the country
1. The IDRA policy looks interesting for people wanting overseas cover however note it requires the approved pilot to be FAA certified. Does this mean it’s for US citizens only ? 2. The insurance company behind is unknown / not stated and also unclear how they would defend you in court in a foreign country exactly. 3. Compliance wise, it’s unclear what license they have to sell insurance overseas to foreign nationals.
Can Anybody suggest me how and where to obtain the drone insurance for Thailand only? I am going to buy Mavic Platinum and probably will go on vacation to Samui (for 1 month). Want to get everything registered before I will fly there.
Is it possible obtain an insurance for the short time only? (like 1 or 2 months).
Thank You.
Roman, we can fix the insurance for you , for Thailand. It is a cheap fixed package which is issued 1 year. They do not do shorter periods and the price is the same anyway.
Hi Stuart, thank you for your response.
Is it necessary to have drone already (for serial number purpose for example) or it can be done before I will buy it?
I have ordered it today (Mavic platinum) and it going to be delivered in approximately 5-7 days.
Roman, yes the serial number and drone details are needed for the insurance.
ok, so waiting for delivery then will write drop you an email.
Can I fly my mavic pro at bangkok and krabi? I’m going there next month. Need your advise on this.
You have to register first or you will face up to five years in a Thai prison. Details above.
Richard thanks for detailed info in the new draft. I had missed it with my earlier question. Everybody needs to keep reading the updates. For locating a nearby NBTC office one can also visit http://bit.ly/2gKx91y for a list (after select correct province/area).
Richard, I may be getting more confused. I had read we could register at our local police station. But would that cover both the NBTC registration part and the CAAT registration?
Also, I would imagine NBTC would be interested in both the Radio Transmitter and the Video Transmitter. Is that correct. And is it against the law to be in possession of such a device even if it not used?
Does anybody can confirm licensing requirements for selfie drone Dobby? It weighs 200 g but it has the camera.
Thanks a lot,
George, the most obvious reading is that your Dobby is an Article 4 (2) drone due to its use for selfie photography and video. It fits the broad <25kg category and there is no obvious benefit to being <2kg. We can only hope that the Ministry of Transport would relax and clarify the designation of drones for "hobby/entertainment" use to include personal photography that would not be distributed. But in an era of ubiquitous FB and You Tube video do not hold your breath for such an exception.
Hi guys, I’ve gone through every comment on this article since it was posted, and there’s a lot of information being tossed around.
I’ve contacted Stuart who has sent over paperwork for me to fill in, but can someone please tell me the process that I will have to go through to be able to legally fly my drone in Thailand.
I have a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced.
Thanks.
HI Ben, is simple Stuart should help you with CAAT, otherwise after you are done with Stuart contact CAAT submit all papers (I did by email) then wait till they contact you ( I suggest to email them from time to time) till your license is approved
Ok, cool thanks. And once I have my license that’s it? I don’t have to go anywhere else, send any other documents? Go somewhere when I get into Thailand?
Yes that is it, license is recognized by NBTC and Police, however it doesn’t mean you can fly everywhere, read the rules, and read the documents required to apply, cheers
Juan and everyone – we do insurance that’s all. We’re an insurance broker.
Understand Stuart
Once you got license from CAAT, no need to go anywhere else Rowe, to be sure call them and ask, you will see CAAT is the power house in this issue
Does anyone know can you send all the documents electronically to CAAT or do you need to go in person? I’ve sent a few emails with no response from them maybe overloaded.
If you register with CAAT do you still need to do the NCBT registration?
Trying to limit time off work
Yes you can sent it by email, to Mrs Apinya, I did everything by email, some times they answer quickly other times few days
Thanks for the info Juan. Do you have an email adress for me?
You can reach me at [email protected]
I meant the email address of Mrs Apinya.