Drone Regulations

9. Are there any kind of taxes or fees regarding the licensing procedure?

Bahamas

At the date of this publication the only fees payable are in connection with the commercial use of a RPA. Fees are fixed at $80.00 per RPA and $80 per location of use for each RPA.

Bolivia

Only for UAS that have a weight equal or above 6 kg. up to 10Kg must pay a fee.

Brazil

Local nominal fees apply for the issuance of the certificates required to license RPAS (UAS) and to remote pilots certification.

Canada

There is currently no fee for an SFOC.

Colombia

According to the regulation, no payment is requirement for this authorization.

Costa Rica

The fees that have to be paid are the following:

Description	Amount
UAS’ Certification for commercial operations	US$1.874.02
Pilot’s Certificate of Suitability	US$94.00

El Salvador

According to AAC the following are the current fees:

Description	Amount
Registration of UAS	$20,00
Registration of UAS operators (per UAS).	$20,00

Germany

There are several providers who are recognized as an agency by the Federal Aviation Office. Costs for the licensing procedure vary depending on the provider and on the type of course (online or personal presence). Currently prices are between 200 and 500 Euro.

Authorizations to fly according to section 21a (1) German Air Traffic Regulation (Luftverkehrs-Ordnung/LuftVO) are issued by the competent local authority of the respective federal state. Therefore, the fees vary depending on the federal state the owner has his place of residence.

As an example, the following fees would occur in North Rhine-Westphalia:

• General authorization: EUR 300.0
• Recognition: EUR 00
• Specific case by case: EUR 100.00 or more

Once an authorization has been issued in one federal state, it can be recognized by the other states so that the owner does not have to apply for it in every single state. However, so far it is not certain how certain federal states will handle authorizations issued by another state.

Guatemala

UAS operators must pay the following fees:

Description	Amount
Issuance of first certificate	Q. 1,000.00 (One thousand Quetzales)
Registration before the Aeronautic Registry	Q. 1,000.00 (One thousand Quetzales)
Reservation of plate number	Q. 105.00   (One hundred five and Quetzales)

India

Yes. The fees payable for obtaining the UAOP is as follows:

• For fresh UAOP:- INR 25,000/- (Indian Rupees Twenty Five Thousand) [approx.$360]
• For renewal of UAOP:- INR 10,000/- (Indian Rupees Ten Thousand) [approx. $145]

 

Israel

Regarding the issuance of a UAS operating permit – a fee is payable for undergoing both the written test (in the amount of NIS 360 (about USD 115 in December 2021) and the practical exam (in the amount of NIS 2,370 (about USD 750 in December 2021). An additional fee will be payable for issuance of a certificate of health compliance. Pilots wishing to renew an existing permit, or seeking to expand the scope of their current permit (for example, from a VLOS permit to an outdoor permit), will need to pay a reduced fee.

Italy

ENAC charges Euro 90 per hour to process a licensing application (usually it takes 4-5 hours to complete the procedure). In addition, ENAC fees in relation to flight operations range from € 94 for non-critical operations to € 309 for critical operations and research or development flights.

Kenya

KCAA does not prescribe taxes or fees for the licencing procedure of operators of UAS. However, we note that The Civil Aviation (Regulatory Fees and Charges for RPAS Services) Regulations, 2017 (Fees Regulations) published in December 2017 were not annulled by Parliament during the annulment of the RPAS Regulations.  The Fees Regulations provide for the fees and charges in respect of UAS but since the RPAS Regulations and Draft Regulations are not in force, the Fees Regulations are currently not being implemented by the KCAA.

Mexico

Yes. There are fees for licensing and registration.

Nicaragua

If a UAS is authorized to operate it must pay the following fees:

Description	Amount
Permit for introducing remotely controlled UAS	$50
Permit for inspecting remotely controlled UAS	$50

Norway

Fees payable to the NCAA may apply, cf. Regulations FOR-2017-03-03-286. There is a fee for the processing of applications for approval as RPAS-operator. Licensed operators within the RO2 and RO3 category must also pay an annual fee.

Pakistan

Yes, fees and other relevant requirements are prescribed by each concerned directorate of the CAA. The owner shall make an application to the CAA for the registration of the drone and obtain a certificate of registration by paying a prescribed fee of $60. Unless an exemption as set out in our response to question 10 below is obtained for the application of a certificate of airworthiness, the applicant shall pay a fee of $250.

Panama

The registration of the RPAS cost US$5.00 dollars, except for the micro RPA which is free.

Philippines

Yes. A registration fee of Php36,400 shall be paid to obtain a certificate to operate (i.e. Operator Certificate), while each RPA to be registered shall have a registration fee of Php1,680.   

Portugal

No.

Puerto Rico

There is no special drone taxation in Puerto Rico.

Romania

Yes, the cost for obtaining the identification certificate is 90 EUR + VAT, while the flight permit is 540 EUR + VAT. For the identification certificate to be prolonged, an additional 300 EUR + VAT fee must be paid.

South Africa

Yes. An application for the issuing or renewal of a letter of approval must be accompanied by a fee of R300.00.

Spain

As of the date of this report, no taxes or fees are required for the communication or performance of activities notwithstanding their MTOW. With respect to authorisations or certifications, certain taxes and administrative fees are involved, not for the authorisation process itself but for other procedures before applying for the authorisation, such as the airworthiness certificate procedure or the Registrar fees of the Spanish Aircraft Registry.

Switzerland

The fees for the permits of the FOCA of certain operations of UAS below 30kg or any operation of UAS above 30kg (see Question 8 above) are charged on a time spent basis, depending on how much processing is required by the FOCA and may vary between 90 and 5,000 Swiss francs. Taxes and fees for UAS above 150kg are to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

As of June 2020, the relevant weight classification as per the New EU Drone Regulations will apply (see Miscellaneous and Most Recent Changes below) but the impact on the fees of the FOCA is at the date of this publication not yet clear.

Turkey

No, CAA doesn’t charge any taxes or fees for pilot registration or licenses. However there might be training and course fees for pilot license.

United Kingdom

United States of America

Owners of UAS which are subject to the FAA’s registration requirements must pay the $5.00 registration fee.

The Knowledge Testing Centers that administer the aeronautical knowledge test required for obtaining a remote pilot certificate charge approximately $150.00 for the initial aeronautical knowledge test.

The cost of obtaining and maintaining the license required by a Section 333 exemption (including training) varies depending on the type of license required.