What You Need to Know About Flying a Drone in Tonga

Should You Take Your Drone to Tonga?

Tonga has many stunning landscapes and wildlife to admire from an aerial view. However, after seeing the time-consuming process for registration for drones in Tonga, you might want to consider whether taking a drone to Tonga is really worth it. To legally fly a drone in Tonga, you need to register your drone. This involves a bit of a search around Nuku’alofa to find the right government buildings to register your drone. In some cases, drones are even confiscated at Customs where owners will have to go back to the port it was confiscated at with a drone permit to retrieve the drone. Still want to fly a drone in Tonga? Find out more about the drone arrival and registration process in the guide below!

For more information on what to expect when you arrive in Tonga, see Arrival at Nuku’alofa Airport: Step-by-Step and Everything You Need to Know About Arriving in Tonga.

Tonga Drone Flying Rules

You need to abide by specific rules when flying a drone in Tonga. They are outlined on the Drone Registration Form and a Civil Aviation Division (CAD) officer will go through them with you to make sure you know them. The rules include:

Give way to all manned aircraft
Do not operate an aircraft that is 25kg (55lbs) or larger
Fly the aircraft so it isn’t a hazard to other aircraft, property and people
Fly only in daylight
Be able to see your aircraft with your own eyes (not through binoculars, a monitor or smartphone) or have a second person with you as an observer
Fly your aircraft no higher than 120m (400ft) above ground level
Have knowledge of the airspace and restrictions applied to the area you want to operate
Fly no closer than 4km (2.5 miles) from an uncontrolled aerodrome
When flying in a controlled airspace, obtain air traffic control clearance issued from the Air Traffic Control Tower
Have permission from the administering authority (such as the army) to fly in a special used airspace
Have consent from anyone you want to fly above
Have consent of the property owner or person in charge of the area you are wanting to fly above.

What You Need to Know About Flying a Drone in Tonga

Declaring Your Drone on Arrival

When you arrive at Fua’amotu International Airport or Lupepau’u International Airport, you should declare your drone to Customs officers. Drones are not listed on the Tonga Passenger Arrival Card so you will need to verbally declare that you have a drone while you are getting your passport checked. You will be given instructions on what to do next.

You might be free to keep your drone but told to register it at the Civil Aviation Division (CAD) in Nuku’alofa (more on that below). On the other hand, Customs have been known to confiscate drones until you can provide them with a copy of your drone registration. You may also be requested to pay a 50% deposit of the drone, which you will get back from the CAD when you do the Drone Registration Form.

See what else you need to declare on arrival to Tonga here.

How to Register Your Drone in Tonga

We have a complete guide on How to Register a Drone in Tonga. In short, you need to register your drone with the CAD at the Ministry of Infrastructure building in Nuku’alofa.

At the CAD office, you will be given a Drone Registration Form to complete, which requires the following information:

Name of the owner and/or operators and their ID number (can be a passport number)
Citizenship
Contact phone number
Certificates/licences held for drone
Address in Tonga (can state accommodation you are staying in)
Email address
Drone manufacturer
Model of the drone
Serial number of the drone (can usually be found on the drone underneath the battery)
Equipment installed
Maximum operational height
Maximum operational distance
Battery life
Total weight
Locations of where you intend to use the drone
The purpose for using the drone (can be recreational if just taking holiday photos or state otherwise)
Place of residence
Departure date from Tonga

Once you have completed the Drone Registration Form, the CAD officer with go through the Tonga drone rules (same as the ones stated above) with you. You will then sign and date the form, as will the CAD officer. The officer will also stamp the form if approved. If you had to pay a deposit at the airport for your drone, you will be refunded at the CAD office.

You can now legally fly your drone in Tonga.

How to Get Your Drone from Customs

If your drone was confiscated on arrival at Customs, then you should retrieve it from Customs after you have had your Drone Registration Form approved. This means you will have to go back to the Customs office where your drone was detained, most likely Fua’amotu International Airport. Present your copy of the Drone Registration Form and the receipt given to you by Customs on arrival for the drone and you should receive your drone back.

Note that you can only retrieve items from the Customs office during the opening hours of 8.30am-4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Check out more information about Customs in Tonga in Arrival Advice: Biosecurity and Customs in Tonga.

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Author

Robin C.

This article was reviewed and published by Robin, the co-founder of Tonga Pocket Guide. He has lived, worked and travelled across 16 different countries before settling in the South Pacific, so he knows a thing or two about planning the perfect trip in this corner of the world. Robin works and consults regularly with the Ministry of Tourism of Tonga. Robin is also the co-founder of several other South Pacific travel guides and is a regular host of webinars with the South Pacific Tourism Organisation.

Contact Robin via our contact page