Can I fly a drone in Faro?
Drone zones in and around Faro
The zones below are the ones nearest the centre of Faro, measured from 37.0187, -7.9272. Distance is to the edge of the zone, so “over the centre” means the city centre itself is inside it. Restricted up to is how far the zone reaches above the ground – the restriction applies from the surface to that height, so it is not an altitude you may climb to.
| Zone | Restriction | Distance | Restricted up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heliporto hospitalar FaroPT-Categoria aberta: todos os voos proibidos na categoria aberta. EN-Open category: all flights prohibited in the open category. | Prohibited | Over the centre | 120 m AGL |
| Aeroporto de Faro - Área 1PT-Cat Aberta ate 30mSFC ou obstaculo raio 75m. Obrigatorio Funcao no UA para indicar altura SFC. EN-Open Cat up to 30mSFC or obstacle in… | Conditional | Over the centre | 600 m AGL |
| Aeroporto de Faro - Área ProíbidaPT -Categoria aberta: todos os voos proibidos na categoria aberta EN -Open category: all flights prohibited in the open category | Prohibited | 0.1 km | 600 m AGL |
| Parque Natural da Ria FormosaCarece de autorização, exceto em áreas não abrangidas por regimes de proteção. Requires Authorisation, except in areas not covered by… | Requires authorisation | 0.6 km | 300 m AGL |
| Aeroporto de Faro - Área 2PT-Cat Aberta ate 60mSFC ou obstaculo raio 75m. Obrigatorio Funcao no UA para indicar altura SFC. EN-Open Cat up to 60mSFC or obstacle in… | Conditional | 4 km | 600 m AGL |
Who to ask for permission
The zones around Faro name 2 different responsible bodies, so who you ask depends on which zone you are flying in.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fly a drone in Faro?
The centre of Faro sits inside 2 published drone zones (Heliporto hospitalar Faro, Aeroporto de Faro - Área 1), so flying there is prohibited without an exemption. 5 restricted zones fall within 8 km of the centre in total. Faro is in Portugal, where the UAS geographical zones are published by ANAC - Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil under Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15. Always confirm against the official source before a flight.
Where can't I fly a drone in Faro?
Inside Faro's UAS geographical zones. Within 8 km of the centre canfly? tracks 5 restricted zones: 2 prohibited, 2 conditional, 1 requiring authorisation. They are published by ANAC - Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil and shown on the map at https://canfly.io/map.
How high can I fly a drone in Faro?
The EU open category caps you at 120 m above ground across Portugal, and lower where a zone says so. Over the centre of Faro the restriction reaches 600 m above ground - meaning it applies to you from take-off all the way up to 600 m, not that 600 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 Faro?
The zones around Faro name 2 different responsible bodies, so it depends which zone you are in. The most frequently named are ANAC - Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (uas.spec@anac.pt); ICNF - Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas.I.P. (DRCNF.Algarve@icnf.pt). Each zone's authority is listed on this page.
How this page was worked out
- Zones published by
- ANAC - Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil
- Official source
- https://dnt.anac.pt/
- Data version
- 2026-04-22
- Last refreshed by canfly?
- 2026-08-01
- Area covered
- Within 8 km of 37.0187, -7.9272
- Legal basis
- Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15
Zone counts are measured from the point above, which is Faro's centre as recorded by GeoNames; a zone counts if any part of it falls within 8 km of it. That radius scales with population and is not Faro's administrative boundary, so a zone just outside the city limits still appears - which is what matters when you are deciding where to take off. Population 70,347 (GeoNames, record updated 2026-04-14). City data from GeoNames, licensed CC BY 4.0. Zone data is the official Portugal dataset, unmodified except for normalisation to ED-269.
Other cities in Portugal
canfly? has zone pages for 6 cities in Portugal. See the whole country, or another city: