Over the past three years, I’ve had a chance to travel all across China, fly my drone and publish awesome drone videos. I’ve learned a lot about what I can and can’t do with my drone in China. Can I bring my drone into China in 2025? What are the China drone laws and regulations?
This can be quite confusing at times and what’s worse, sometimes the “regulations” and “reality” don’t always match up.
For that reason, I’d like to share with you the updated Chinese drone regulations as of 2024 and some stories of my experience flying a drone in China.
Below we’re going to cover the most important drone regulations, how to register your drone, as well as some tips for flying in China.
Note: This article may contain affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I will be compensated if you decide to use some of these tools.
Navigating the regulatory landscape for drone operations in China can be quite complex. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is the primary authority overseeing drone flights (equivalent to the FAA or EASA), ensuring that all operations comply with national safety standards.
As drone technology evolves, so do the regulations, making it crucial for drone operators to stay informed about the latest updates. Whether you’re flying for recreational purposes or commercial endeavors, understanding and adhering to these regulations is essential to avoid any legal complications.
We’ll start by looking at Chinas drone weight and classification system, followed by the regulations for usage and permitting.
In China, drones are classified based on their weight, which directly impacts the registration and permit requirements. The CAAC has established several weight categories for drones:
Understanding these classifications is essential for compliance with Chinese drone regulations, as each category has specific requirements for registration and operation.
Accurately weighing and classifying your drone is a critical step in ensuring compliance with Chinese regulations. The weight of the drone, including batteries and any payload, determines its classification and the corresponding registration requirements.
Additionally, drone operators must consider factors such as the drone’s speed and operational capabilities when determining its classification. By adhering to these guidelines, you can ensure that your drone operations are both legal and safe.
Using a drone in China is subject to specific rules and regulations, which include:
China has clearly defined no-fly zones and restricted areas where drone flights are either prohibited or heavily regulated. These areas include airports, military bases, and other sensitive locations.
Before planning any drone flight, it’s imperative to check the CAAC website or mobile app to see if your intended flight path falls within a no-fly zone or restricted area (any DJI-branded drone won’t even take off in these no-fly zones). Adhering to these restrictions is crucial to avoid penalties and ensure the safety of your drone operations.
When it comes to flying drones in China, the type of permit or license you need depends largely on the purpose of your flight. For commercial drone flights, obtaining a commercial drone license is mandatory. This involves registering your drone with the CAAC and securing a flight permit from the relevant authorities.
On the other hand, recreational drone flights typically do not require a permit, but operators must still follow general drone laws and regulations. Ensuring you have the correct permits and licenses not only keeps you compliant but also enhances the safety and legality of your drone operations.
As mentioned above, any drone over 250 grams (~.55 lbs.) is required to be registered through the CAAC. For those of you who know anything about drones, this weight requirement covers almost all of the best drones for travelers (the exception being the Mavic Mini).
What this means is that to legally fly your drone, you will need to register it once you arrive in China.
It’s not a difficult process, but it does require two important things:
For this reason, unless you have a contact in China with a Chinese phone number, it is quite difficult to register your drone before you arrive in China.
Otherwise, before you leave for China, you’ll either need to use a Chinese SIM card you bought to put in your unlocked phone or you’ll need to rent a China phone
As with governments all over the world, China is constantly trying to catch up with the rapid use of drones within the country. For this reason, things are always changing.
Below is a step-by-step guide to registering your drone on the Chinese language website.
New! English Language Registration 2025
It seems that you can now register your drone in China on an English-language CAAC site. If this doesn’t work, you’ll want to use the Chinese language version with step-by-step instructions below.
When it comes to drone name brands, the list on the CAAC website is super-long but of course the most popular is DJI.
It’s a challenge to find, so I recommend copying and pasting these characters into your browser search (深圳市大疆创新科技有限公司).
Those are the characters that you’ll want to look for when you register your DJI drone.
For those who are looking to use a drone in China for commercial purposes, China requires a commercial drone license. In addition to the license, operators must obtain a commercial drone flight permit, which involves meeting specific requirements such as having a legal business entity in China, owning a registered drone, purchasing liability insurance, and ensuring the drone operator is certified through a recognized training process.
Although this sounds simple enough – and truthfully China has simplified the process from what it once was – it’s still very hard for the average foreign company.
According to regulations that went into effect on June 1, 2018, there are a few things that you’ll need to have in order to apply for a commercial license to fly in China:
If it isn’t already apparent to you, unless you plan to set up a company in China, it’s often best to contract drone work to a local company when you want to film commercially in China.
I can tell you from experience that even if you’ve done everything right and registered your drone with the CAAC, that doesn’t guarantee that all will go well for you when trying to fly your drone in China.
I’ve run into a number of small problems along the way, but hopefully you can learn from my experience to avoid them.
Unfortunately there’s not much competition when it comes to a high quality drone for travelers. There’s DJI and then there’s, well…
…that’s about it.
You can talk to me all day about Parrot drones, Yuneec drones and other brands. They just don’t cut it.
This is especially true when you’re traveling internationally. You want to buy a travel drone where you can easily find parts and extra batteries when necessary.
If you’re in the market for a quality travel drone that is built for easy travel, you only have a few options to choose from, all from DJI.
Thankfully, they’re amazing drones.
The newer DJI Mavic Air 2 is the best overall travel drone for a number of good reasons.
It has the best flight time (34 min), best video capabilities (4k), the best CMOS sensor, etc., etc.
Not to mention how stinkin’ small it is!
The whole drone comes in at a whopping 20.1 ounces, which is incredible.
The good news is that a drone like this doesn’t break the bank and costs less than $1000. Give it a look for yourself:
If you’re looking for a drone that has the best available CMOS sensor (1″) and best control (omnidirectional sensors!)…
…the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the best consumer drone on the market right now.
It’s the largest of the three travel drones I’m mentioning here, but it’s also the fastest and easiest to control. If price is no object for you and you have the space in your luggage, this is a great option.
If you’re not particularly interested in 4k video resolution or the ability to fly the drone 10km away from your position, the best travel drone based on size is most certainly the DJI Mavic Mini.
The Mavic Mini has replaced the DJI Spark as the go-to for small drones (the Spark has been discontinued).
It’s so small, it basically fits into your pocket. You can still get amazing 2.7k footage and 12MP photos, which is more than enough for most travel videos and photos.
Best of all, it’s so darn cheap it’s hard to justify not having a drone while you travel.
So in conclusion, you can see that it’s quite easy to legally bring your drone and fly it in China. As long as you make sure that the drone has been registered through the CAAC website and you don’t fly in the No Fly Zones, you’ll be fine.
Mind you, once you’ve shot all the footage you want and transferred it to your computer, you’re still going to need a VPN in order to upload the video to YouTube.
Enjoy your drone in China!
You can watch the video below or read up on the drone regulations above.
Hopefully this video gives you a better understanding of what is required in order to fly a drone in China.
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