Create23 resources · Austria & Vienna
Almost all of Vienna is a restricted area for drones. Your drone’s weight and the height you need decide whether you can fly without a special permit. Here are the Austrian rules, the Vienna layers on top and where to check the exact spot.
A planning overview, not legal advice or a flight authorisation. Austro Control’s live DroneSpace map is the binding source.
The short version
Austria follows the EU drone rules and adds its own registration, insurance and zone requirements. These are the figures that decide most flights.
- 250 gThe main threshold
From 250 g you need operator registration and the A1/A3 pilot certificate. A camera drone under 250 g still needs registration.
- €46.80Operator registration
Online at Austro Control's DroneSpace, valid for three years. The operator number goes on every drone you fly.
- 750,000 SDRMinimum insurance
Registration needs aviation liability insurance with at least this cover. Check that your policy explicitly covers drones.
- €0A1/A3 certificate
The official online course and 40-question exam are free. The certificate is valid for five years.
- 120 mMaximum height
The Open-category ceiling, with the drone always in direct sight. No flights over crowds, ever.
- 16 · 18Minimum ages
16 for the pilot certificate. 18, with your main residence in Austria, to register as an operator.
- 30 mVienna without a permit
The height limit for drones under 250 g in Vienna's restricted area. Anything heavier or higher needs a permit.
- €22,000Maximum fine
Under the Austrian Aviation Act. Serious cases can add detention of up to six weeks, and since September 2026 the drone can be confiscated.
Flying in Vienna
In Vienna the rules stack up. The EU and Austrian basics apply everywhere; the restricted area, the airport and local zones come on top. A flight is only possible when every layer is clear.
- EUEvery flight
The Open category
Every hobby and most small commercial flights: no higher than 120 m, the drone always in direct sight, under 25 kg and never over an assembly of people. Your drone's class decides the subcategory: A1, A2 or A3.
Categories explained ↗ - AustriaMost camera drones
Registration, insurance, certificate
Register as an operator from 250 g, or below 250 g if the drone has a camera. Registration needs aviation liability insurance. From 250 g the pilot also needs the A1/A3 certificate.
Registration & insurance ↗ - ViennaAlmost all of Vienna
Restricted area LO R 15
Almost all of Vienna lies within restricted area LO R 15. Without an individual Austro Control permit, only drones under 250 g may fly there, and only up to 30 m. Permits are only granted for purposes such as commercial aerial photography, surveying, inspection or research, and every permitted flight also needs air traffic control consent. A DroneSpace flight activation does not replace the permit.
Restricted areas (DroneSpace) ↗ - AirportAround the airport
Vienna Airport zones
Right by the airport, its own drone zone needs a permit even for drones under 250 g. In the airport's control zone, flights with 250 g or more, or above 30 m, need air traffic control clearance.
Check the zone in DroneSpace ↗ - LocalChanges daily
Helicopter sites & temporary zones
Helicopter landing sites, for example at hospitals, have protection zones of about 1.5 km during operating hours, even for drones under 250 g. Events and state visits can add temporary restrictions.
Open the live map ↗ - GroundEvery take-off
Take-off spot & privacy
Airspace rules do not give you the ground. Parks, palaces and private property have their own rules, and filming people who can be identified needs a data-protection basis.
The Open category
Across the EU, most flights fall into the Open category. It has three subcategories, and the class label on your drone (C0 to C4) decides which ones you can use.
- A1
Over people
- Drones
- C0 (under 250 g), C1 (under 900 g), and older drones under 250 g
- Distance
- C0 drones may fly over uninvolved people. C1 drones should not. Never over a crowd.
- Certificate
- A1/A3 certificate for C1. Not needed under 250 g.
- A2
Close to people
- Drones
- C2 (under 4 kg)
- Distance
- At least 30 m from uninvolved people, or 5 m in the drone's low-speed mode.
- Certificate
- A2 certificate: A1/A3 plus practical self-training and a theory exam at Austro Control.
- A3
Far from people
- Drones
- C2, C3, C4, and older drones from 250 g to under 25 kg
- Distance
- At least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas, with no uninvolved people in the area.
- Certificate
- A1/A3 certificate.
All three: max. 120 m, always in direct sight, max. 25 kg, never over a crowd. Since 1 January 2024, drones without a class label fly in A1 only if they weigh under 250 g, otherwise in A3. Class C1–C3 drones broadcast Remote ID: enter your operator number in the app.
Places people ask about
The most photographed places in Vienna are also the most restricted. Check the live map for the exact spot on the day, because zones and temporary restrictions change.
- Not allowed
Schönbrunn Palace & park
The palace's park and house rules do not allow drones.
Official rules ↗ - Not allowed
Lobau · Nationalpark Donau-Auen
Drones of any kind are banned across the entire national park, including the Vienna part.
Official rules ↗ - Restricted
Stephansdom & the Innere Stadt
Inside LO R 15. Crowds are almost constant, so even a sub-250 g flight rarely fits the rules. Check DroneSpace on the day.
- Restricted
Donauinsel, Prater & city parks
LO R 15 applies. The city's park rules do not mention drones, but a commercial shoot that uses park ground can need a city permit.
- Check first
Near hospitals
Many have helicopter landing sites with protection zones during operating hours, even for drones under 250 g.
- Check first
Around the airport
Right by the airport, its own drone zone needs a permit even under 250 g. The control zone adds air traffic control clearance from 250 g or above 30 m.
Aerial content for websites
An aerial shot earns its place when it makes scale, access or layout easier to understand. In Vienna it also has to be worth the permit, so a rooftop or a low sub-250 g flight is often the better answer.
- 01 · Scale
Show the whole setting.
Useful for a property, grounds, several buildings or a site whose size is hard to understand from street level.
- 02 · Orientation
Explain where things are.
Show the approach, access, surrounding streets or how the important parts of a location relate to each other.
- 03 · Movement
Add motion only when it helps.
A short aerial sequence can establish a place quickly. It should support the page, not become a decorative background.
Decide the shot first. Then check if it can fly.
- 01Define the purpose.
What should the aerial view explain that a normal camera cannot?
- 02Choose the exact location.
Fix the real take-off spot, flight area and intended viewpoint.
- 03Check DroneSpace live.
Review the zones, the airspace and any permit the location needs.
- 04Check the ground.
Confirm take-off, landing, access and any property or production permit.
- 05Plan the capture.
Only then decide the stills, sequences, timing and crops the website needs.
Official sources
This page organises the questions. Austro Control, the Austrian government and EASA publish the rules themselves, and the DroneSpace map is the check that counts on the day.
- Live mapDroneSpace mapAustro Control's official map: zones, restricted areas and flight activation. The binding check.
- Austro ControlRestricted areasDroneSpace information on restricted areas such as LO R 15 Vienna and how to apply for a permit.
- GovernmentOperator registrationWho must register, the fee, validity, insurance and the operator number.
- GovernmentDrone licenceThe A1/A3 certificate, the A2 certificate and recognition across the EU.
- GovernmentOpen, Specific, CertifiedThe three categories, the A1/A2/A3 subcategories and Remote ID.
- TrainingA1/A3 online courseAustro Control's free official training and online exam.
- EUEASA Open categoryThe European rules behind the Open category and its subcategories.
- LawAustrian Aviation ActThe Luftfahrtgesetz, including the penalties in § 169.
- LawAir traffic rules (LVR 2014)The legal basis for LO R 15 Vienna, the control zones and the helicopter-site zones.
- Local rulesSchönbrunn park rulesThe palace's park and house rules, which do not allow drones.
- Local rulesNationalpark Donau-AuenThe national park's code of conduct, including its drone ban for the whole park.
- EU · proposalEASA Opinion 06/2026EASA's September 2026 proposal for the next update of the EU drone rules.
After a consultation in June 2026 (NPA 2026-103), EASA sent the European Commission Opinion No 06/2026, a security update to the EU drone rules. Reported proposals include operator registration and Remote ID from 100 g, and drones that cannot take off without a valid operator number. It is not law yet: the Commission still has to adopt it, and the first changes are not expected before 2028.
A planning overview, not legal advice or a flight authorisation. Rules, zones and fees change. The live DroneSpace map and Austro Control decide the actual flight.
Drone rules FAQ
Short answers to the questions we hear most. The linked official sources have the binding wording.
Only within tight limits. Almost all of Vienna lies within restricted area LO R 15. Without an individual Austro Control permit you may fly a drone under 250 g up to 30 m, following the Open-category rules and outside local zones such as helicopter landing sites. Heavier drones and higher flights need the permit, which is only granted for purposes such as commercial aerial photography, surveying, inspection or research, so hobby flights generally do not qualify.
If it has a camera, yes: register as an operator with Austro Control, unless it is a toy under the EU Toy Safety Directive. You do not need the A1/A3 certificate for it, although the free course is worth doing.
€46.80 for three years, online via DroneSpace. You need aviation liability insurance with at least 750,000 SDR, must be 18 and must have your main residence in Austria. The operator number goes on every drone.
If you are registered in another EU or EASA country, that registration and your A1/A3 certificate are valid in Austria. If you live outside the EU and the other EASA countries, you register in the first EU or EASA country where you plan to fly. The Vienna rules on this page apply to everyone.
Schönbrunn: no, the palace rules ban drones. Lobau: no, drones are banned in the entire Nationalpark Donau-Auen. Donauinsel: LO R 15 covers almost all of it, so check DroneSpace and stay away from crowds.
No. Activating a flight in the DroneSpace app does not replace the individual Austro Control permit that LO R 15 requires, and neither of them gives you the right to use the ground.
Through Austro Control's free online course and 40-question exam on DroneSpace, from age 16. It is valid for five years and recognised across the EU. The A2 certificate adds practical self-training and a theory exam at Austro Control.
Violations of the Aviation Act can be fined up to €22,000, and in serious cases detention of up to six weeks can be added. Since September 2026 the drone can also be confiscated. Privacy violations are handled separately under data-protection law.
When the higher viewpoint adds information: scale, access, surroundings, orientation or a real sense of place. If it only adds spectacle, it usually does not need to be there. In Vienna that decision also includes whether the permit is worth it.
From rules to the right shot
For Create23 website projects we decide early whether an aerial view adds real information, and which Vienna rules apply, before anyone books a flight.