# Can I fly a drone in Faro, Portugal?

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.

## Key facts
- Restricted zones within 8 km of the centre: **5**
  - Prohibited: 2
  - Conditional: 2
  - Requires authorisation: 1
- Zones covering the city centre: **2**
- Restriction over the centre reaches **600 m above ground** (it applies from the surface up to that height - it is NOT an altitude you may climb to)
- Published by: ANAC - Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil
- Official source: https://dnt.anac.pt/
- Data version: 2026-04-22
- Measured within 8 km of 37.0187, -7.9272

## Zones nearest the centre of Faro

| Zone | Restriction | Distance from centre | Restricted up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heliporto hospitalar Faro | Prohibited | over the centre | 120 m AGL |
| Aeroporto de Faro - Área 1 | Conditional | over the centre | 600 m AGL |
| Aeroporto de Faro - Área Proíbida | Prohibited | 0.1 km | 600 m AGL |
| Parque Natural da Ria Formosa | Requires authorisation | 0.6 km | 300 m AGL |
| Aeroporto de Faro - Área 2 | Conditional | 4 km | 600 m AGL |

## Who to ask for permission

- **ANAC - Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil** - uas.spec@anac.pt (4 zones near Faro)
- **ICNF - Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas.I.P.** - DRCNF.Algarve@icnf.pt (1 zone near Faro)

## 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 was worked out

A zone counts if any part of it falls within 8 km of 37.0187, -7.9272 - Faro'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 70,347 (GeoNames record updated 2026-04-14).

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/portugal
Interactive map: https://canfly.io/map?country=PRT&lat=37.0187&lon=-7.9272&radius=8000

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**Citing this page:** canfly?, “Can I fly a drone in Faro?”, https://canfly.io/drone-zones/portugal/faro (data as of 2026-04-22).
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.