# Can I fly a drone in Sofia, Bulgaria?

The centre of Sofia sits inside 2 published drone zones (Зона H001, София (LBSF)), so you need authorisation or must meet stated conditions before flying there. 76 restricted zones fall within 15 km of the centre in total.

## Key facts
- Restricted zones within 15 km of the centre: **76**
  - Requires authorisation: 45
  - Prohibited: 25
  - Conditional: 6
- Zones covering the city centre: **2**
- Restriction over the centre reaches **120 m above ground** (it applies from the surface up to that height - it is NOT an altitude you may climb to)
- Published by: Главна дирекция „Гражданска въздухоплавателна администрация“ (CAA Bulgaria)
- Official source: https://www.caa.bg/bg/category/633/7062
- Data version: 2026-07-30
- Measured within 15 km of 42.6975, 23.3242

## Zones nearest the centre of Sofia

| Zone | Restriction | Distance from centre | Restricted up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Зона H001 | Requires authorisation | over the centre | 120 m AGL |
| София (LBSF) | Requires authorisation | over the centre | 120 m AGL |
| ERM1 | Requires authorisation | 0.2 km | 120 m AGL |
| DR Zone 1 | Requires authorisation | 0.2 km | 120 m AGL |
| MIL_101 | Prohibited | 0.3 km | 150 m AGL |
| ICGB-1 | Prohibited | 0.4 km | 120 m AGL |
| MP2 | Requires authorisation | 0.4 km | 120 m AGL |
| MP1 | Requires authorisation | 0.4 km | 120 m AGL |
| Зона H008 | Prohibited | 0.7 km | 120 m AGL |
| Зона H002 | Requires authorisation | 0.7 km | 120 m AGL |
| БВЛ "Света Екатерина" | Requires authorisation | 2 km | 120 m AGL |
| MIL642 | Conditional | 2 km | 150 m AGL |
| Вертолетно летище "Милениум-Център" | Requires authorisation | 2 km | 120 m AGL |
| MIL_168 | Conditional | 2 km | 500 m AGL |
| DR Zone 2 | Requires authorisation | 2 km | 120 m AGL |
| MP4 | Requires authorisation | 2 km | 120 m AGL |
| MP29 | Requires authorisation | 2 km | 120 m AGL |
| ERM2 | Requires authorisation | 2 km | 120 m AGL |
| TOPLO1 | Requires authorisation | 2 km | 120 m AGL |
| MIL121 | Conditional | 2 km | 150 m AGL |

Showing the 20 nearest of 76.

## Who to ask for permission

- **ГД ГВА** - uas@caa.bg (69 zones near Sofia)
- **МО.** - v.chernokozheva@mod.bg (1 zone near Sofia)
- **ВА.** - r.dimitrov@rndc.bg (1 zone near Sofia)
- **Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Bulgaria** - chnemb_bg@live.cn (1 zone near Sofia)
- **Национална гвардейска част** - ovt@guards-bg.com (1 zone near Sofia)
- **КЛП** - d.s.valchev@armf.bg (1 zone near Sofia)
- **ВВС** - a.penchev@armf.bg (1 zone near Sofia)
- **СВ.** - vf_28610@armf.bg (1 zone near Sofia)

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I fly a drone in Sofia?
The centre of Sofia sits inside 2 published drone zones (Зона H001, София (LBSF)), so you need authorisation or must meet stated conditions before flying there. 76 restricted zones fall within 15 km of the centre in total. Sofia is in Bulgaria, where the UAS geographical zones are published by Главна дирекция „Гражданска въздухоплавателна администрация“ (CAA Bulgaria) under Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15. Always confirm against the official source before a flight.

### Where can't I fly a drone in Sofia?
Inside Sofia's UAS geographical zones. Within 15 km of the centre canfly? tracks 76 restricted zones: 45 requiring authorisation, 25 prohibited, 6 conditional. They are published by Главна дирекция „Гражданска въздухоплавателна администрация“ (CAA Bulgaria) and shown on the map at https://canfly.io/map.

### How high can I fly a drone in Sofia?
The EU open category caps you at 120 m above ground across Bulgaria, and lower where a zone says so. Over the centre of Sofia the restriction reaches 120 m above ground - meaning it applies to you from take-off all the way up to 120 m, not that 120 m is available to fly in. Whether you may fly there at all depends on the zone's restriction level, listed on this page.

### Who do I ask for permission to fly a drone in Sofia?
The zones around Sofia name 8 different responsible bodies, so it depends which zone you are in. The most frequently named are ГД ГВА (uas@caa.bg); МО. (v.chernokozheva@mod.bg); ВА. (r.dimitrov@rndc.bg). Each zone's authority is listed on this page.

## How this was worked out

A zone counts if any part of it falls within 15 km of 42.6975, 23.3242 - Sofia's centre as recorded by GeoNames. That radius scales with population and is NOT the administrative city boundary, so a zone just outside the city limits still appears. Population 1,152,556 (GeoNames record updated 2023-09-08).

City names, coordinates and populations from GeoNames (https://www.geonames.org/), licensed CC BY 4.0. Zone data is the official national dataset, unmodified except for normalisation to ED-269.

Full country picture: https://canfly.io/drone-zones/bulgaria
Interactive map: https://canfly.io/map?country=BGR&lat=42.6975&lon=23.3242&radius=15000

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**Citing this page:** canfly?, “Can I fly a drone in Sofia?”, https://canfly.io/drone-zones/bulgaria/sofia (data as of 2026-07-30).
canfly? aggregates the official UAS geographical zones that EU and EEA states publish under
Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15. It is not an air-traffic or flight-authorisation service;
critical flights must be confirmed against the national authority.