Can I fly a drone in Porto?
Drone zones in and around Porto
The zones below are the ones nearest the centre of Porto, measured from 41.1485, -8.611. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeroporto do Porto - 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 | Over the centre | 600 m AGL |
| Heliporto de MassarelosPT-CAT Aberta: Ate a altura obstaculo raio75m. Se acima autorizacao Diretor do Heliporto. EN-Open CAT: Up to obstacle height in 75mRadius… | Requires authorisation | Over the centre | 120 m AGL |
| Aeroporto do Porto - 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 | 2 km | 600 m AGL |
| Aeroporto do Porto - Área 3PT-Cat Aberta ate 80mSFC ou obstaculo raio 75m. Obrigatorio Funcao no UA para indicar altura SFC. EN-Open Cat up to 80mSFC or obstacle in… | Conditional | 3 km | 600 m AGL |
| Aeroporto do Porto - Área ProíbidaPT -Categoria aberta: todos os voos proibidos na categoria aberta EN -Open category: all flights prohibited in the open category | Prohibited | 3 km | 600 m AGL |
| Heliporto hospitalar de MatosinhosPT-Categoria aberta: todos os voos proibidos na categoria aberta. EN-Open category: all flights prohibited in the open category. | Prohibited | 5 km | 120 m AGL |
| LPR40APT -Todas as categorias: todos os voos UAS carecem de autorização da AAN EN -All categories: all UAS flights shall obtain AAN authorisation | Requires authorisation | 9 km | 600 m AGL |
Who to ask for permission
The zones around Porto name 3 different responsible bodies, so who you ask depends on which zone you are flying in.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fly a drone in Porto?
The centre of Porto sits inside 2 published drone zones (Aeroporto do Porto - Área 2, Heliporto de Massarelos), so you need authorisation or must meet stated conditions before flying there. 7 restricted zones fall within 12 km of the centre in total. Porto 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 Porto?
Inside Porto's UAS geographical zones. Within 12 km of the centre canfly? tracks 7 restricted zones: 3 conditional, 2 requiring authorisation, 2 prohibited. 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 Porto?
The EU open category caps you at 120 m above ground across Portugal, and lower where a zone says so. Over the centre of Porto 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 Porto?
The zones around Porto name 3 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); HELIPORTO - Massarelos (duarte.bravo@helibravo.com); AAN - Autoridade Aeronáutica Militar (imagens.aereas@aan.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 12 km of 41.1485, -8.611
- Legal basis
- Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15
Zone counts are measured from the point above, which is Porto's centre as recorded by GeoNames; a zone counts if any part of it falls within 12 km of it. That radius scales with population and is not Porto'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 252,687 (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: