# Can I fly a drone in Porto, Portugal?

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.

## Key facts
- Restricted zones within 12 km of the centre: **7**
  - Conditional: 3
  - Requires authorisation: 2
  - Prohibited: 2
- 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 12 km of 41.1485, -8.611

## Zones nearest the centre of Porto

| Zone | Restriction | Distance from centre | Restricted up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeroporto do Porto - Área 2 | Conditional | over the centre | 600 m AGL |
| Heliporto de Massarelos | Requires authorisation | over the centre | 120 m AGL |
| Aeroporto do Porto - Área 1 | Conditional | 2 km | 600 m AGL |
| Aeroporto do Porto - Área 3 | Conditional | 3 km | 600 m AGL |
| Aeroporto do Porto - Área Proíbida | Prohibited | 3 km | 600 m AGL |
| Heliporto hospitalar de Matosinhos | Prohibited | 5 km | 120 m AGL |
| LPR40A | Requires authorisation | 9 km | 600 m AGL |

## Who to ask for permission

- **ANAC - Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil** - uas.spec@anac.pt (5 zones near Porto)
- **HELIPORTO - Massarelos** - duarte.bravo@helibravo.com (1 zone near Porto)
- **AAN - Autoridade Aeronáutica Militar** - imagens.aereas@aan.pt (1 zone near Porto)

## 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 was worked out

A zone counts if any part of it falls within 12 km of 41.1485, -8.611 - Porto'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 252,687 (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=41.1485&lon=-8.611&radius=12000

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**Citing this page:** canfly?, “Can I fly a drone in Porto?”, https://canfly.io/drone-zones/portugal/porto (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.