Line of sight (1500feet)
Register over 250g
No landing in cities
Don't fly over people/animals
Mexico Drone Laws in 2020 (Ultimate Guide)
I will cut to the chase. Yes for a Mexican national and No for a foreigner. Legally you must be a Mexican citizen to get a drone license to operate. There are few cases where the rules may be relaxed, for instance in a case where bilateral agreements between the respective agencies are involved.
In this article, I share an overview of the most recent drone laws in Mexico. Some new changes were introduced back in November 2019 and kicked in this January. If you traveled to Mexico before 2020, a few rules might have changed.
Who do I contact?
If you have any burning questions on drone use in Mexico, contact the Civil Aviation Federal Agency, AFAC. The new body replaced the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil, DGAC following a decree passed on 16 October 2019 but still shares the same website for now. You can inquire in English or Spanish. To get a quick reply, send your message during office hours. AFAC will remain in charge of drones, drone registrations, drones policymaking, and enforcement.
Here is the contact information:
Tel +52 5 687 7660
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Line Of sight
If your drone weighs over 250 grams, it must be registered with the AFAC. The process will require proof of Mexican citizenship.
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No landing in Cities(flying is allowed)
You aren't allowed to launch or land your drone in urban areas (Cities) (but that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to fly within, as long as you don't land it there.
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No flying over people
It is prohibited to fly over animals or people.
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400feet height limit
Maintain a height of 400 feet or 121 meters when flying upwards.
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250g weight limit (for registration
If your drone weighs over 250 grams, it must be registered with the AFAC. The process will require proof of Mexican citizenship.
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Only Day flight
You are only authorized to fly your drone during the day.
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Speed limit
Drones weighing over 2 Kg should not exceed 161 Km/hr
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Keep off historical sites and landmarks
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Don't fly near airports
Maintain 9.2 kilometers away from any aerodrome, seabase or land port
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No dropping objects
Drones should not drop objects from above that could damage property or injure people.
The new laws classify drones into 3 categories:
- Micro weighing less than 2 Kg
- small between 2 Kg and 25 Kg
- large drones weighing over 25 Kg
Turns out there is no medium-sized category for now.
If you do not have a Mexican ID, you do not qualify. As a Mexican national you only need:
- Proof of person
- Attached ownership documents for the drone
- The Registration RPAS form
If all goes well, the process should be done in 5 days. You can complete the RPAS form here.
- Have your drone ID attached to its case.
- Maintained a record of the drones serial numbers
- Have a plan B on where you can store your drone in case the hotel denies its entry. Your concierge should know a place.
- no need to pay the tax or wait for registration
- smaller in size, so you'll draw much less attention to yourself
- easier to carry around as a traveller
- will be able to fly in many other countries that also have similar weight limits
1.Dji Mavic Mini - The best international travel drone (under 250g)
2.7k
30min battery
4km
No follow me
I have covered it much more in depth in my article review and even compared it with the DJI Spark and Mavic Air.
Advantages
- 30 min battery life
- under 250g
- super portable
- 4km range
- can edit videos in the app
DISAdvantages
- no obstacle avoidance
- no settings for iso and shutter speed
