What are some drone Tips/Laws in the Philippines?

tml4191 · Jun 3, 2017

Do I have to register before I fly a drone in the Philippines?

With The Birds · Jun 3, 2017

Forget registration. Leave your UAV at home. It will likely be seized at the airport before you clear customs and immigration.

tml4191 · Jun 3, 2017

With The Birds said:
Forget registration. Leave your UAV at home. It will likely be seized at the airport before you clear customs and immigration.

I always see a lot of drone videos on youtube in the Philippines. What's the problem? Have you had any personal experience with drones in the Philippines?

With The Birds · Jun 3, 2017

No personal experience. Know of others who had issues carrying a UAV into the country. This was probably two years ago now.

tml4191 · Jun 3, 2017

With The Birds said:
No personal experience. Know of others who had issues carrying a UAV into the country. This was probably two years ago now.

I think it's safe now. I'll still bring it! Thanks for the tip though. Hopefully I can get some nice shots there.

Does anyone have any personal experience wtih drone flying in the Philippines?

RGL.ddiver · Jun 7, 2017

Hi, im just wondering did you get any trouble bring you drone to the Philippines, customs wise? because i have sent a letter to the CAAP and they haven't replied to me... so im wondering if it worth the risk? ... hope to here back soon.

tml4191 · Jun 7, 2017

RGL.ddiver said:
Hi, im just wondering did you get any trouble bring you drone to the Philippines, customs wise? because i have sent a letter to the CAAP and they haven't replied to me... so im wondering if it worth the risk? ... hope to here back soon.

I took all the batteries out and took it with me as a carry on in my backpack. The dji phantom 4 pro and its stock case was checked in. Tsa left a brochure , so they must have taken a look. Other than that, it went smooth. It's currently rainy season, so be careful when you fly since it can rain whenever. The sunset/ golden hours are amazing though because of the multi colored sky. I just saw it today, but I didn't fly the drone. Have fun!

RGL.ddiver · Jun 7, 2017

tml4191 said:
I took all the batteries out and took it with me as a carry on in my backpack. The dji phantom 4 pro and its stock case was checked in. Tsa left a brochure , so they must have taken a look. Other than that, it went smooth. It's currently rainy season, so be careful when you fly since it can rain whenever. The sunset/ golden hours are amazing though because of the multi colored sky. I just saw it today, but I didn't fly the drone. Have fun!

Awesome, great, Im carrying the drone in my carry on so I guess that isn't a problem. So I'm guessing no problem at customs.... But anyways, thank you for responding very quickly, have a great rest of your holiday happy flying

tevek · Jun 7, 2017

RGL.ddiver said:
Hi, im just wondering did you get any trouble bring you drone to the Philippines, customs wise? because i have sent a letter to the CAAP and they haven't replied to me... so im wondering if it worth the risk? ... hope to here back soon.

I just spent 16 months working in the Philippines with no issues with my P3 and P4. Customs couldn't care less and I managed to fly in metro Manila in a couple of spots and even taught one of the local PNP guys how to fly in a small park. Most of my time was spent in north Quezon and you could guarantee a crowd whenever you unpacked the drone, particularly in some of the rural areas. Obviously use your common sense in some of the touristy places and if challenged by the PNP, do as you're told and pack up immediately. There are rules and regulations that differ on the day and the area where you fly. If you want to fly commercially, forget it as the paperwork and beaurocracy is a nightmare.

tml4191 · Jun 8, 2017

tevek said:
I just spent 16 months working in the Philippines with no issues with my P3 and P4. Customs couldn't care less and I managed to fly in metro Manila in a couple of spots and even taught one of the local PNP guys how to fly in a small park. Most of my time was spent in north Quezon and you could guarantee a crowd whenever you unpacked the drone, particularly in some of the rural areas. Obviously use your common sense in some of the touristy places and if challenged by the PNP, do as you're told and pack up immediately. There are rules and regulations that differ on the day and the area where you fly. If you want to fly commercially, forget it as the paperwork and beaurocracy is a nightmare.

Thank you! How about night flights? Are night flights ok?

RGL.ddiver · Jun 8, 2017

G

tevek said:
I just spent 16 months working in the Philippines with no issues with my P3 and P4. Customs couldn't care less and I managed to fly in metro Manila in a couple of spots and even taught one of the local PNP guys how to fly in a small park. Most of my time was spent in north Quezon and you could guarantee a crowd whenever you unpacked the drone, particularly in some of the rural areas. Obviously use your common sense in some of the touristy places and if challenged by the PNP, do as you're told and pack up immediately. There are rules and regulations that differ on the day and the area where you fly. If you want to fly commercially, forget it as the paperwork and beaurocracy is a nightmare.

Cool, that puts my mind at ease. Thank you very much, the both of you

happy flying

tevek · Jun 8, 2017

tml4191 said:
Thank you! How about night flights? Are night flights ok?

Dependent on where you are, if it's a high density tourist location, I would be a bit cautious as most of the 'looks' I got were from non Filipinos who saw me as a nuisance. The locals however, would offer me a San Miguel and stand next to me and giggle. There are many places to fly if you poke around and the scenery is beautiful and I was never bothered by a single soul, particularly the further north you travel.
I'd suggest Mindanao is off limits due to the troubles at the moment.

tml4191 · Jun 9, 2017

tevek said:
Dependent on where you are, if it's a high density tourist location, I would be a bit cautious as most of the 'looks' I got were from non Filipinos who saw me as a nuisance. The locals however, would offer me a San Miguel and stand next to me and giggle. There are many places to fly if you poke around and the scenery is beautiful and I was never bothered by a single soul, particularly the further north you travel.
I'd suggest Mindanao is off limits due to the troubles at the moment.

No worries... Have fun!

magicj23 · Jul 6, 2017

tml4191 said:
Do I have to register before I fly a drone in the Philippines?

I got auth to fly in the philippines from the CAAP, got the email today saying i was approved

maxheadspace · Nov 24, 2017

magicj23 said:
I got auth to fly in the philippines from the CAAP, got the email today saying i was approved

Magicj23, where did you submit to get authorization? I tried sending an email to CAAP information, but it keeps getting kicked back as undeliverable. I'm headed to the Philippines in April/May 2018 and want to bring my Mavic. I'd feel a lot more comfortable traveling with my drones if I have a piece of paper saying I'm authorized. When I checked out the CAAP rules, it seems to apply more to commercial type flying, but laws are sometimes tricky to read. Thanks!

MarcA · Jan 23, 2018

magicj23 said:
I got auth to fly in the philippines from the CAAP, got the email today saying i was approved

Do you have the email address for CAAP. Been trying always fail. Please ty

tml4191 · Jan 23, 2018

I don't, but you can honestly just go and ask the locals if they allow it. Most people were more thrilled to see a drone. Not once was I stopped, but I often asked if I allowed to use the drone. They also have an offical DJI store out there in Manila. Since drones are being sold there, you can also ask them about it if you still want to make sure.

maxheadspace · Jan 23, 2018

They don’t require registration. Not since about six months ago. Their rules are similar to the US: don’t fly over people, fly line of sight, etc.

blackcrusader · Jan 25, 2018

With The Birds said:
Forget registration. Leave your UAV at home. It will likely be seized at the airport before you clear customs and immigration.

Why do people with no knowledge write such rubbish. I take my P3S to Cebu and never have an issue. In fact tourists are allowed to bring drones in.

With The Birds · Jan 25, 2018

blackcrusader said:
Why do people with no knowledge write such rubbish. I take my P3S to Cebu and never have an issue. In fact tourists are allowed to bring drones in.

Good for you. Things may be different now however you needed written approval to operate the drone prior to entering the country on earlier occasions or they wouldn’t let you leave the airport with it. You also faced the prospect of being charged duty on entry. Perhaps you were just lucky?