With drones becoming cheaper, more accessible and popular around the world, drone laws are becoming stricter and stricter. A Thailand drone registration is crucial if you wish to fly your drone within Thailand, but you do not need to register/have a license to bring a drone into Thailand.
If you do not register your drone and fly it, you are breaking the law. This is whether you are flying for commercial or hobby reasons.
Furthermore, the consequences of breaking the law are up to a 100,000 Baht fine or 5 years imprisonment. Do you want to hang out in a Thailand prison? Didn’t think so.
Fear not, as within this blog we will guide you through the whole process of registering your drone in Thailand and having the peace of mind to spread your drones’ wings and fly away.
Also, our knowledge is from first-hand, recent experience as we registered our DJI Mavic Air drone in Thailand in January 2020.
Our Thailand drone registration experience
When we did our own research, the 3 main documents we found out we needed were:
- Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC)
- The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT)
- Drone insurance
Once we registered with NBTC, we were told that the approved document from them is all we needed, nothing else. We asked several staff members at the NBTC centre and they all confirmed the NBTC registration is only needed for foreigners, local people must register with CAAT and have insurance too.
We could only fly on beaches and Islands, not within city centres or over cultural landmarks, for example, Big Buddha.
Online Thailand Drone Registration Research Vs Talking to NBTC officials
This goes against everything we have read online, however, nothing we have read online is as recent as our experience. So, they must have either changed the Thailand drone laws for 2020 compared to the Thailand drone laws in 2019/2018, or we were seriously misinformed.
Regardless, we will provide you with the step by step guide on how to obtain each documentation, if you do indeed need to register with CAAT too.
Getting a Thailand Drone Registration
In case you need to register your drone with NBTC and CAAT, we have provided a step-by-step guide below on what you need based on our experience and research. We can not guarantee if you only need the NBTC registration as a tourist, it is best to double-check with the authorities at the NBTC centre and CAAT representatives. Due to this, we would suggest following the below steps to avoid any wrongdoing.
7 Steps to Register Your Drone in Thailand
Step 1. Take pictures of your drone:
- Photo of your drone and remote controller
- A photo of your drone’s serial numbers
- A clear photo of your drone remote control serial numbers
Step 2. A signed copy of your passport (Also bring original just in case)
We took a photo of our passport, printed it and signed our name at the bottom of the page
Step 3. Proof of current address
Not a resident? Us neither, so we used a hotel booking confirmation email as we stayed at a guest house. We just took a screenshot of our guest house information and made sure it was showing our names etc.
Step 4. Print it all out
If you are staying at a nice hotel, they will probably have a printer that you can use If you ask nicely. Alternatively, ask your host where the nearest printer shop is, and they will let you know. The best way is to add all the relevant documents and photos onto a USB stick, so you can print the documents straight from that. If not, email them to yourself.
Step 5. Go to the closest NBCT office
You can find the closest one to you via Google by inputting ‘NBTC’. The staff were really friendly and very helpful. They gave us all the relevant forms to fill out and checked our documents, stamped them and let us go, all within 30 mins.
Step 6. Purchase drone insurance
If you don’t already have it (see below for more details)
Step 7. Register with CAAT
If you haven’t already (see below for more details)
NBTC drone registration process
Registering under the NBTC is completely free and easy to do. You can speed up the process by printing out and filling out forms which you can obtain online. However, you cannot obtain your NBTC drone registration online, this must be done at an NBTC centre in person.
You do not need to book an appointment at the NBTC centre, you can just turn up on the day. Many NBTC centres are found in Thailand throughout the major cities. In our experience, we registered at the NBTC in Phuket.
NBTC Phuket address: หมู่4 84/2 Wichit Songkhram Rd, Kathu, Kathu District, Phuket 83120, Thailand
NBTC drone regulations form
If you wish to read NBTC drone regulations yourself, they can be found on their website.
For the actual documentation you must fill out regarding your drone, it can be found by clicking the following link: NBTC drone registration form
You will need this as we guide you through how to fill out the form below.
Most of the form is pretty self-explanatory, but we will guide you through what we put in each section.
Thailand Drone Registration Form Guide
Section 1
We didn’t fill in the ‘Import by yourself’ part, we weren’t quite sure what it meant and wasn’t questioned about it anyway. The other details we filled in where we purchased our drone from, in our case, a website, so we put the websites name.
The receipt/tax invoice we put the date we purchased the drone and visa is when we arrived in Thailand. In our case a 30 day on the spot visa.
Section 2
This is asking how much your drone weighs. Find out from the specifications on the drones’ manufacturer website if you do not know.
Section 3
In this section, you do not need to fill in the Thai Citizen ID because as a tourist you do not have one unless of course, you are a Thai citizen.
Regarding the contact address, just put the address you are currently staying within Thailand at the time of filling in the form.
Section 4
Do not fill in this section unless you are doing this as part of an organisation or an agency. We did not fill in this section.
Section 5
Tick the appropriate box you intend to use your drone for. We only wanted to use it for our own hobby and entertainment purposes. So we ticked the first box. I would recommend ticking this box too if you are only doing this as a hobby too. Any other boxes may suggest you’re part of a company making a film/video/journalism.
Section 6
Enter your drones brand and model specifications, as well as the serial number which can be found on your drone. This is usually located in the inner body of your drone where the battery sits, otherwise, check your drones manufacturers website for details on how to find your serial number.
Also, for installed accessories, we put ‘Camera’, if your drone has a camera, then put this too. For the frequency and transmission power, this can be found on the manufacturer’s website, as well as all the other information asked such as max flying altitude.
Section 7
Remote control serial details can usually be found on the back of the remote.
Section 8
Sign the document on the first line with your signature and then print your name on the second line.
What to do I need to take to the NBTC centre?
Along with the NBTC drone registration form fully filled in, you will also need to bring with you:
- A signed copy of your passport (Also bring original just in case)
- Photo of your drone and remote controller
- A photo of your drone’s serial numbers
- A clear photo of your drone remote control serial numbers
- Proof of current address (We used a hotel booking confirmation email)
What will I need to do at the NBTC centre?
Once you get there and the officials have seen everything you have brought (Checklist above). You will be asked to fill out an Owner’s Declaration of Conformity (ODoC) Form. This is given to you in person at the NBTC office and is only a 1-page document.
The details you must fill in on the ODoC form are:
- Full Name
- Address & Telephone number
- Your drone brand name
- The drone model name
- The serial number of your drone
- Drone remote controller serial number
Once the officials have copied and checked your information, you’re all set. You should receive a physical copy of your license with an official stamp, as well as the ODoC form you filled out with an official stamp.
The whole process from entering the NBTC building with our documents to obtaining our license was around 30 mins.
We would advise you to take a photo of your physical license just in case, even better, use the scan option on your phone and save it on your cloud storage.
Do I need to register with CAAT?
At this point, we thought we would ask about being registered with CAAT, as far as we were aware, we had to also do this, in order to fly our drone.
However, upon enquiring with the officials at NBTC, as stated at the start of this blog, we were told we did not need to register with CAAT and that was only for locals.
Who are we to argue with the officials? As far as we were aware, we did everything we needed to do to for our Thailand drone registration to fly our drone in Thailand legally. They gave us permission to record, take photos and fly on beaches and small Islands BUT not within city centres or cultural landmarks.
If anyone said anything to us, we could show them our Thailand drone registration license and tell them what we were told. It never came to that point anyway as we were never bothered by anyone when flying our drone.
CAAT Thailand drone registration
To be on the safe side, you can also register your drone with CAAT. Technically, judging from what they say on the CAAT website, it is still illegal to fly a drone without registering with them, being a local or not. See the Announcement of The Ministry of Transport for further details.
The below infographic also is relevant to the official CAAT rules, taken from their website.
If your drone has a camera that takes photos or videos on it, then you must register your drone. In addition, if your drone has a camera on it or not and weighs over 2kg, you must register your drone.
You can not register your drone with CAAT unless you are in Thailand. Due to the fact that you need to have registered with NBTC first and provide proof of entry into Thailand via the stamp in your passport.
Therefore, some people have had trouble registering with CAAT due to them not being able to provide this.
Apply for CAAT drone registration online
Unlike the NBTC registration, you can apply for CAAT drone registration online. Head over to the CAAT Website and apply online.
Once all your documents have been received and your application sent, they do intensive background checks to make sure you haven’t already committed any crimes in Thailand. The time scale for a decision on your license is announced within 15 days.
Another thing to note about the main application, The CAAT registration also requires you to sign a self-declaration form, upload pictures of your drone, remote and serial numbers (which you should already have from the NBTC application) and proof of your drone insurance.
Do I need drone insurance?
Yes, you need drone insurance if you don’t have it. It’s to make sure that if an accident occurs you are covered to take care of the damages, more so 3rd party damages.
Other documents are like the NBTC application, passport and proof of living etc.
Thailand drone insurance
It’s worth noting that you should get a good drone insurance policy, don’t just go for the cheapest and expect to be ok if an accident does occur. Furthermore, here are a few tips on the key things to look out for when buying drone insurance.
Recreational or commercial insurance
What do you intend to do with your drone? Is it just to have fun as a hobby and take a few pictures and videos? Then you need recreational drone insurance. If you intend to make money using your drone or for a company or a business opportunity, then you need commercial drone insurance.
The number of users and drones
It’s easy to not think about this and just hand the remote controller to a friend or partner. For that reason, if they have a crash, it’s not insured because you only insured yourself as the pilot and not anyone else.
Similarly, the same rule applies for another drone, if you have more than 1 drone then each drone needs to be insured.
Coverage / Liability with drone insurance
If you do have an accident and need a payout, how much is covered by your insurance? For example, crashing your drone into someone who is then hurt and needs to go to the hospital can rack up hefty fees, as well as any damage to architecture. Look to see if the amount covered is enough, the more the better.
Excess amount for your drone accident
Need to claim? Make sure you don’t have a ridiculous excess. An excess fee is an amount you must pay if you make a claim before you can receive any money needed, this can range a lot so keep an eye out for that.
Flight area and type of flying
Finally, make sure the country or area you are flying the drone is actually covered in the insurance. In addition, if you are flying the drone in some sort of competition, is that covered? Don’t hesitate to email ring the insurer if you are unsure.
Do not skip past the small print and always ask questions regarding insurance with the provider, they will try to do everything in their power to not payout if you need to. So, don’t get caught out by not being covered for something you assumed you would have been insured for.
How was this blog on Thailand Drone Registration?
Was this article helpful? Have you recently been to Thailand and had to go through this procedure? If so, what was your experience like? Please let us know via the comments and we can keep this article updated as a community, with the latest information to help those that need it.
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If you need some inspiration for Thailand travel or places to fly your drone, check out our Thailand Blogs such as 2 days in Phuket and Ao Nang or Railay Beach for some great itinerary’s, not to mention some beautiful drone photography.
