# Can I fly a drone in Geneva, Switzerland?

The centre of Geneva sits inside 3 published drone zones (GE - Cantonal Police of Geneva, LSGG Genève), so you need authorisation or must meet stated conditions before flying there. 12 restricted zones fall within 10 km of the centre in total.

## Key facts
- Restricted zones within 10 km of the centre: **12**
  - Requires authorisation: 12
- Zones covering the city centre: **3**
- No zone over the centre states a height at which its restriction stops; the EU open-category limit of 120 m applies
- Published by: FOCA / BAZL (Switzerland), data via swisstopo
- Official source: https://map.geo.admin.ch/?layers=ch.bazl.einschraenkungen-drohnen
- Data version: 2026-07-31
- Measured within 10 km of 46.2022, 6.1457

## Zones nearest the centre of Geneva

| Zone | Restriction | Distance from centre | Restricted up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| GE - Cantonal Police of Geneva | Requires authorisation | over the centre | not stated |
| LSGG Genève | Requires authorisation | over the centre | not stated |
| CTR GENEVA | Requires authorisation | over the centre | not stated |
| Water Bird and Migratory Bird Reserves Rhône-Verbois (GE) | Requires authorisation | 0.3 km | not stated |
| Water Bird and Migratory Bird Reserves Rive droite du Petit-Lac (GE, VD) | Requires authorisation | 1 km | not stated |
| GE - Prison Services | Requires authorisation | 2 km | not stated |
| GE - Cantonal Office for Agriculture and Nature | Requires authorisation | 2 km | not stated |
| Water Bird and Migratory Bird Reserves Rive gauche du Petit-Lac (GE) | Requires authorisation | 2 km | not stated |
| LSGG Genève (Airport perimeter) | Requires authorisation | 4 km | not stated |
| Substation Palexpo | Requires authorisation | 4 km | 200 m AGL |
| Substation Foretaille | Requires authorisation | 5 km | 200 m AGL |
| Substation Verbois | Requires authorisation | 9 km | 200 m AGL |

## Who to ask for permission

- **FOCA (BAZL)** - info@bazl.admin.ch (12 zones near Geneva)

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I fly a drone in Geneva?
The centre of Geneva sits inside 3 published drone zones (GE - Cantonal Police of Geneva, LSGG Genève), so you need authorisation or must meet stated conditions before flying there. 12 restricted zones fall within 10 km of the centre in total. Geneva is in Switzerland, where the UAS geographical zones are published by FOCA / BAZL (Switzerland), data via swisstopo under Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15. Always confirm against the official source before a flight.

### Where can't I fly a drone in Geneva?
Inside Geneva's UAS geographical zones. Within 10 km of the centre canfly? tracks 12 restricted zones: 12 requiring authorisation. They are published by FOCA / BAZL (Switzerland), data via swisstopo and shown on the map at https://canfly.io/map.

### How high can I fly a drone in Geneva?
The EU open category caps you at 120 m above ground across Switzerland, and lower where a zone says so. No zone over the centre of Geneva publishes a height at which its restriction stops, so treat 120 m as the limit and check the zones nearby before you launch.

### Who do I ask for permission to fly a drone in Geneva?
The zones around Geneva name one responsible body, so it depends which zone you are in. The most frequently named is FOCA (BAZL) (info@bazl.admin.ch). Each zone's authority is listed on this page.

## How this was worked out

A zone counts if any part of it falls within 10 km of 46.2022, 6.1457 - Geneva'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 201,741 (GeoNames record updated 2026-05-27).

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/switzerland
Interactive map: https://canfly.io/map?country=CHE&lat=46.2022&lon=6.1457&radius=10000

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**Citing this page:** canfly?, “Can I fly a drone in Geneva?”, https://canfly.io/drone-zones/switzerland/geneva (data as of 2026-07-31).
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.