Short answer: Register any drone over 250 grams, including battery and payload, with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. The one-time registration fee is around PHP 1,000 and the portal accepts foreign passport numbers, so there is no local ID or phone number requirement. Fly below 400 feet, in daylight, within unaided visual line of sight.
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Search on Trip.comFor visitors bringing a consumer drone for personal photography, not for commercial operators or survey work. Registration threshold, fee and operating limits last checked 30 July 2026. CAAP is rolling out GPS logging and electronic tagging during 2026, so expect the registration record to become more detailed rather than less.
| Requirement | Rule | Applies to | Checked |
|---|
| Registration threshold | Over 250 g including battery and payload | All operators, residents and visitors | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Registration fee | Around PHP 1,000, one-time | Per aircraft | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Maximum altitude | 400 feet (122 m) above ground level | All recreational flights | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Time of day | Sunrise to sunset unless permitted | All recreational flights | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Visual contact | Direct, unaided line of sight at all times | All recreational flights | 30 Jul 2026 |
The 250-gram line decides whether you register
The threshold is total take-off weight, including the battery and anything you attach. Sub-250-gram travel drones fall below the registration requirement, which is a large part of why that weight class exists at all.
Go over it and registration with CAAP is mandatory, and it is mandatory for visitors as much as residents. The fee is a one-time charge around PHP 1,000 per aircraft rather than a recurring permit.
Weigh your actual configuration rather than trusting the marketing figure. A drone advertised at 249 grams can cross the line with a heavier third-party battery or a filter attached, and the number that matters is the one at take-off.
Registering with CAAP as a foreign visitor, step by step
- Weigh the aircraft as you will fly it, battery and payload included. Under 250 grams, skip to the operating rules below.
- Gather the aircraft details: make, model, serial number and take-off weight. The serial is usually inside the battery bay or on the airframe.
- Create an account on the CAAP registration portal using your passport number. There is no requirement for a Philippine phone number or address, which is what makes this workable for tourists.
- Submit the application with a copy of your passport bio page and the aircraft details, and pay the registration fee.
- Keep the registration confirmation on your phone and a copy offline. Signal is poor in exactly the places worth flying.
- Check the site before each flight. Registration authorises the aircraft, not the location - restricted airspace overrides it.
There is no pre-arrival registration requirement and no import bond for a personal-use drone, which makes the Philippines one of the more straightforward destinations in the region for this.
Where you cannot fly regardless of registration
Airport surroundings are the hard boundary. Controlled airspace around any aerodrome is closed to recreational drones without specific coordination, and the Philippines has a dense network of regional airports - including on islands where you would least expect one.
Military installations and government facilities are closed. So, in practice, are many protected areas: a national park or marine protected area can prohibit drone use under its own management rules even where aviation law would allow the flight. The Chocolate Hills protected landscape and several marine sanctuaries are examples where local rules bite before CAAP rules do.
Private property and resorts set their own conditions, and crowded beaches are a poor idea on both safety and courtesy grounds. Flying over people who have not consented is the fastest route to a confrontation that no registration document resolves.
The altitude and visual-line-of-sight limits in practice
Two limits do most of the work. The ceiling is 400 feet, about 122 metres, above ground level. And you must keep direct, unaided visual contact with the aircraft at all times - unaided meaning your own eyes, not the camera feed and not binoculars.
Visual line of sight is the rule most casually broken, because the whole appeal of a drone over an archipelago is flying out across water toward something. At a kilometre out over open sea a small aircraft is not visible, and the flight is outside the rules whatever the app shows.
Flights are limited to daylight, sunrise to sunset, under visual meteorological conditions unless a specific night permit has been granted. In the tropics that is a shorter window than visitors from higher latitudes expect - roughly 06:00 to 18:00 year round, with fast dusk.
Bringing the drone through customs
A personal-use drone is ordinary accompanied baggage and does not require an import bond. Declare it if asked, carry it in hand luggage, and be ready to state that it is for personal use and leaving with you.
Lithium batteries are the practical constraint rather than the drone. Airline rules require them in the cabin rather than the hold, with terminals protected, and they cap both watt-hour rating and quantity. That is an airline and international aviation rule rather than a Philippine one, but it is enforced at check-in.
The Bureau of Customs publishes guidance on regulated items for travellers, and it is the right reference if you are carrying something unusual alongside the aircraft.
What most guides get wrong about drones in the Philippines
The most common error is stating that tourists cannot register at all and must operate through a local company. The registration portal accepts foreign passport numbers, and that has made a large amount of older advice wrong. Visitors register in their own name.
The second is treating registration as permission to fly anywhere. Registration is an aircraft record. It does not open controlled airspace near an airport, and it does not override a protected area's own prohibition on drones - a distinction that lands people in trouble at exactly the scenic sites they came for.
The third is silence on the 2026 direction of travel. CAAP is introducing GPS logging and electronic tagging for registered aircraft, creating a digital trail of flights in the way remote identification works elsewhere. Guides written before that describe a lighter-touch regime than the one now taking shape.
Frequently asked questions
Do tourists need to register a drone in the Philippines?
Yes, if it weighs over 250 grams with battery and payload. The CAAP portal accepts foreign passport numbers, so no local ID or phone number is needed, and the fee is around PHP 1,000 one-time.
How high can I fly a drone in the Philippines?
Up to 400 feet, about 122 metres, above ground level. You must also keep the aircraft in direct unaided visual line of sight and fly only between sunrise and sunset.
Can I fly a sub-250-gram drone without registering?
Yes, the registration threshold is over 250 grams. Weigh your actual setup though - a heavier battery or an attached filter can push a nominally 249-gram aircraft over the line.
Are drones allowed in national parks and marine sanctuaries?
Often not. Protected areas set their own management rules, and several prohibit drones regardless of CAAP registration. Check the site's rules separately from aviation rules.
Do I need to declare a drone at customs?
Declare it if asked. A personal-use drone is ordinary accompanied baggage with no import bond required. The stricter constraint is lithium batteries, which airlines require in the cabin with terminals protected.
