Can You Take A Drone To India?
One of the questions we have been asked the most since getting back from India is Can You Take A Drone? And honestly, we understand why! The information out there is quite confusing and contradicts itself all the time! We were super confused when planning our India trip! So, we have decided to put together this guide to lay it all out as clearly as possible!
Your time is precious, so we’ll cut to the chase: No, officially, you cannot take a drone to India. You are probably wondering then, how loads of the stunning India drone content has come to grace your eyes! Well, people still do take their drone to India; let us explain!
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Disclaimer!
All information in this guide is our interpretation of the rules and regulations regarding the import and use of drones in India. This information can change over time and it is always important to check the most up to date advise on government websites!
Drone Laws In India
There are two things to think about when considering taking your drone to India…
The first is if you can legally fly a drone in India, and the second is if you can actually take your drone into India. We will cover both below:
Flying Your Drone In India Legally
To cut to the chase, legally, foreign visitors are not allowed to fly a drone in India. Indian residents are allowed to fly drones in India in certain places, but they need to register their drone and, in some cases, also have a drone pilot license.
The reason foreign visitors are not allowed to fly a drone in India is because all drones (including nano category <250g drones) need to be registered on the Digital Sky Platform. In order to register on this platform, you need an Indian passport and Indian ID. If you have a friend from India, they could potentially register your drone for you, but technically, only they would be able to fly it.
How To Register Your Drone In India
If you are interested in the process of registering and the full details of the law, you can read more about it here. If you would like to try and register your drone, this is the digital sky platform.
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Getting Your Drone Into The Country
If we haven’t lost you yet… this, unfortunately, is where the situation becomes even more complicated!
You see… India has banned the import of foreign drones, including DJI drones! This rule applies to Indian citizens, meaning they are not allowed to purchase a drone abroad and bring it into the country. HOWEVER… It appears that now many tourists are also having their personal drones confiscated at Delhi airport as customs are classing this as importing a foreign drone!
Some message boards have suggested taking evidence that it is your own personal drone, such as adding stickers and making sure it has footage showing you use it for personal use, but unfortunately, many people have stories of their drones being confiscated regardless. Others have taken their drones through without any issues, so it really seems to be luck of the draw on this one! Although, the general trend seems to be that they are getting stricter!
How People Have Taken Their Drones To India
We are aware of a number of successful and, unfortunately, unsuccessful drone stories in India! We will summarise them here to help you make your decision!
Story 1
Perhaps the most successful stories occurred over a year ago now, and we think the rules have tightened a lot since then, but we will mention it. Our friend was able to take their drone through Delhi airport in their carry-on luggage, and no one questioned it! Once in India, they were able to get some stunning footage in more rural areas but were careful flying in busier and more touristy areas.
Their drone was unlocked, so they did not have to worry about certain features limiting take-off. This may be something you want to think about! They also mentioned that, at times, local children would threaten to get the police when they saw the drone and offered their silence in exchange for money, so that is also more food for thought haha!
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Story 2
We have several more friends who were able to get their drone into India by taking it in their checked luggage, but some of them were questioned about their drone batteries in their hand luggage! Likewise, once in India, their drone would either not take off due to zone restrictions, or they reported nearly all the places they would want to fly were strictly no drone zones! This is quite common for all of the tourist attractions!
Story 3
Lastly, and most unfortunately, there are now many stories of drones being confiscated at Delhi airport! You can read a couple’s first-hand experience of this here. Unfortunately, this seems to be quite a common situation now as Delhi airport seems to class you bringing your own drone to India as ‘importing’ a drone, which is prohibited. Thankfully, this couple were able to get their drone back on their way out of India, but this is not the case for everyone, so it’s something to take seriously!
The reality, it seems, is that some get lucky and some do not! However, it seems the chances of getting lucky are reducing over time!
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Our Experience In India
After many days of research, reading about many experiences, and speaking to local friends from India, we made the decision not to take our drone to India! It was a tough decision because we absolutely love getting drone content, but the risk involved felt far too stressful and highly likely to impact the enjoyment of the trip!
That being said, we went through airport security without our checked bags being scanned or so much of a hint of an issue, so it may well have been fine; we will never know!
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Where You Should NEVER Fly Your Drone!
If you decide to take the risk and make it through customs, there are a few places where you absolutely should not fly your drone in India! The most obvious one being the Taj Mahal! If caught, you could end up with a heavy fine at best and, at worst, prosecution! In fact, drones are forbidden at nearly all the main monuments and tourist attractions in India, even for locals who are legally registered and able to fly their drones!
There are places in the world where you might chance it when a sign says no drones, but trust us, India is not one of them! There are multiple stories of people being arrested for flying their drones in prohibited zones in India; they do not play games when it comes to this, so be aware!
Conclusion – Can You Take Your Drone To India?
Officially no, you cannot take your drone to India! Is it practically possible, maybe yes, certainly others have been successful but you will be taking quite a big risk! This was a risk that we were not willing to take! But, if you decide to give it a go, let us know how you get on! It will be interesting to see if things change over time!
Don’t hesitate to let us know any questions you might have in the comments below!
Big Love
Beth and Denz