{"id":9840,"date":"2024-07-17T22:14:59","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T20:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relaxedcuracao.com\/en\/?p=9840"},"modified":"2024-07-17T22:46:14","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T20:46:14","slug":"flying-drone-in-curacao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relaxedcuracao.com\/en\/relaxed-travelling\/flying-drone-in-curacao\/","title":{"rendered":"Flying your drone in Curacao"},"content":{"rendered":"
C<\/span>an I fly my drone in Curacao? This is a question that is asked again and again, and I will answer it in this article, along with everything else you need to know about flying a drone to Curacao. Enjoy!<\/p>\n Or are they? In the EU, drones are assigned to certain categories and classes. Depending on their weight, speed and a few other factors, certain requirements (keyword \u201cdrone license\u201d) and strict restrictions apply to their flight. If you are interested in this somewhat dry topic, you can find out more on the website of the German Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics<\/a> or on Google\/YouTube.<\/p>\n The current situation in Curacao (July 2024): drones are drones and all rules apply equally to all drone pilots!<\/p>\n Picture of Willemstad and its Handelskade taken by a drone \ud83d\ude0e<\/p><\/div>\n I will discuss the topic of how you can legally take your drone to Curacao below. For now, let’s look at the rules for flying a drone in Curacao:<\/p>\n The official brochure \u201cBe safe – be legal<\/a>\u201d lists the applicable rules in detail.<\/p>\n There are some areas on Curacao that you are not allowed to fly over under any circumstances:<\/p>\n The no-fly-zones in Curacao<\/p><\/div>\n It is forbidden to fly around airports all over the world. You would quickly get into real trouble there. But please also respect the no-fly zones over the Salinjas with the beautiful flamingos and over the Christoffel National Park. If you want a great picture or video of the flamingos, buy the appropriate camera equipment, fight your way through the terrain, etc. But please just leave the animals alone with your drone! Thank you! #respect<\/p>\n You can find all no-fly zones in this pdf file<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Curacao, trade winds constantly blow from the northeast. You and your drone will feel this. Take this into account when flying. Otherwise, you could end up like me: I was flying far and high over the water in the far west of the island (Watamula). I was able to watch as the battery level dropped rapidly and the drone simply would not fly back. I was lucky and there were gusts with short breaks in between. So the drone managed to get back to me in the very last second. With less than 2 minutes of battery life left, it just barely avoided crashing into the sea. Phew!<\/p>\n In theory, your drone could be confiscated by customs if you try to \u201csmuggle\u201d it onto the island without registering it. You’d better not risk it. Especially since you can easily get a license for the drone before your trip.<\/p>\n Curacao travel tip: When you arrive in Curacao, your luggage is randomly checked again after you pick it up from the baggage carousel. We were chosen several times (even with two drones \u201carmed\u201d). So far, without any complaints and without anyone wanting to see my drone registrations. But it could certainly go the other way…<\/em><\/p>\n You can take your drone to Curacao legally by registering it before entering the country. To do this, send an e-mail to the Curacao Civil Aviation Authority<\/strong> and the Bureau Telecommunicatie en Post<\/strong>. You will receive your permit from both of them in a short time. They will provide you with forms, e-mail addresses, etc. You will need to submit a photo of the drone and your passport.<\/p>\n You need these two documents to register your drone<\/p><\/div>\n Download the two documents<\/p>\n Fill out both, take a picture of your drone (including the controller), your passport, put everything together as a pdf file and send it by email with some explanation to:<\/p>\n After a short time, you will receive the stamped authorization to fly your drone and to take it to Curacao.<\/p>\n I have repeatedly read reports on the internet that nobody has responded to a registration attempt or an e-mail. My experiences over many years and several drone registrations are quite different! The staff are extremely nice, communicative and fast. With me it was always \u201cquick as a flash\u201d and I had my documents stamped and approved back in my e-mail inbox in a few hours every time.<\/p>\n You have to register your drone what needed only some hours for me<\/p><\/div>\n My tip: Write one or two more nice sentences and explain what you plan to do with your drone on the island and why you want to fly there. Of course, I don’t know what those who didn’t get a reply wrote. Personally, however, I would rather reply to emails in which I am addressed nicely, receive a few additional pieces of information and am aware that the basic rules are known and will be followed. And you? It’s just a guess why things sometimes don’t go quite smoothly…<\/p>\n On Curacao, you can fly your drone without a lot of fuss. Completely legally! All you have to do is register it and yourself in advance. And of course, obey the rules on Curacao! So nothing stands in the way of your perfect vacation video with drone flights. Enjoy!!!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_trash_the_other_posts":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"home-article-highlight":[],"class_list":["post-9840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relaxed-travelling"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNot all drones are the same<\/h3>\n
What rules apply in Curacao?<\/h3>\n
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Prohibited areas (\u201cno-fly zones\u201d)<\/h3>\n
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Watch out for the wind<\/h3>\n
Taking your drone to Curacao legally<\/h3>\n
Step-by-step instructions<\/h3>\n
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It’s not what you say, but how you say it!<\/h3>\n
Conclusion<\/h3>\n