Check2FlyEuropean drone flight rules at a glance

Southern Europe

North Macedonia

North Macedonia moved to a new regulatory model for drones on 1 January 2025, based directly on the EU UAS framework and EASA rules. In practice, however, before each flight you must check both the new UAS regulation and the local operational rules still published by the CAA, as well as the obligation to report flights via the national drone application.

Altitude: 120 m AGLRegistration: May be required depending on the operation or aircraft.

Flight rules

Quick overview for this country

This is a short overview of the most important requirements. Always confirm details and exceptions in official sources.

Registration requiredYes, depending on the operation or equipment.

Training requiredYes, often needed for compliance in the open category.

Maximum altitude120 m AGL

Camera / registration noteThe new Regulation on unmanned aircraft No. 115/24 refers to EU rules 2019/947 and 2019/945. The CAA runs a UAS operator registration system and was to issue an operator number to already registered natural and legal persons by 31 December 2024. In practice, the operator should assume that registration and marking are required in accordance with the new UAS framework.

Local points to double-check

Since 1 January 2025, Regulation No. 115/24 applies, which directly implements the EU rules 2019/947, 2019/945 and part of the U-space framework in North Macedonia. The reference point for operations in the open category is therefore essentially 120 m AGL, not the former national limit of 100 m.
The new regulation retains a transitional period for older drones: UAS not compliant with 2019/945, if placed on the market before 1 January 2026, may continue to fly under transitional rules, and legacy UAS in the open category may be used until 31 December 2026 in accordance with the conditions of Article 22 of EU 2019/947.
The CAA still publicly maintains a practical list of operational rules: do not fly directly over people or closer than 50 m to them, and do not come closer than 100 m to objects important for security and to state authorities.
The CAA page also still shows practical guidance to fly within visual line of sight, up to 500 m horizontally and 100 m vertically from the surface, and a ban on approaching commercial airports closer than 8 km; it is worth treating this as a local operational minimum of caution until the CAA publishes a more detailed guide under the new framework.
In the zone of sport airfields and airfields, flying a drone up to 1000 ft (300 m) AGL within 1 km is permitted only with the airport operator's consent and after prior notification of air traffic control about the drone activity.
The CAA explicitly requires reporting the drone flight via the national drone application, even after the new regulation came into force.
Entities holding old operational certificates or training certificates from the previous regime had to apply for the appropriate certificates under the new regulation by 31 December 2025.
The U-space rules of Regulation 2021/664 will in principle start to apply from 1 March 2027, so until then the system is still transitional and more procedural than fully digital.

Pre-flight checklist

Check everything before takeoff

Tick off the steps to verify the most important points before the flight.

0/6 done

Step 1Check whether the operator and drone require entry in the CAA register and whether the drone has a correct registration marking or operator number.Step 2Confirm the current training and certification requirements arising from the UAS regulation applied since 1 January 2025, based on the EU rules 2019/947.Step 3Report the flight via the national drone application and check that the flight location is not near an airport, airfield, state facility or another sensitive zone.Step 4Take 120 m AGL as the baseline limit for the open category, but at the same time respect the local CAA instructions on 50 m from people, 100 m from sensitive objects and 8 km from commercial airports, where published for the given flight location.Step 5If you are flying an older drone without a Cx class, check whether you fall within the transitional legacy rules in force until 31 December 2026.Step 6If the flight plan goes beyond the basic open-category profile or concerns a certified, training or commercial operation in a broader sense, contact the CAA before the flight, because the country is still in the phase of practically implementing the new UAS framework.

Official sources

Where to confirm current information

Open the authority or official flight map to confirm zones and current restrictions.

Authority websiteCivil Aviation Agency of North MacedoniaOpen source Flight mapCAA drone application / national UAS frameworkOpen source

Information sources

CAA North Macedonia: aircraft without crew CAA: Aviation Act 2024 PDF CAA: Regulation on unmanned aircraft 115/24 (English)CAA: working meeting on new regulatory framework, 27 Dec 2024 CAA: flight operations regulations

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Important

Check2Fly provides a simplified overview and does not replace official aviation regulations or current airspace data. Always verify local restrictions in official sources before flying.