Everytime I travel abroad I check out the drone rules of that country in order not to get into any unecessary trouble.

For that reason, and having recently reading the trending topic #Dronestrategy here on the forum, I have resolved to do my part and contribute regarding my own country.

Disclaimer: As laws and rules may change and may not be available in English I may not update this post fast enough. I don't take any responsibility for anything written here.  You are the only one responsible for your actions and you  are the one who must check the (updated) rules, the laws and the context  (always use common sense) before flying your drone. So, go and check  the official links and ask more questions to the authorities if you are  unsure about something.  

Location: All over Portugal

Time: July 2017 to April 2019

Drones: DJI Spark and DJI Mavic Air
Instagram: @o_laparoto

Besides the general rules and regulations for recreational use (PT) or translated to EN via Google Translate, here are my recommendations:

• You must know how to fly safely and do it under supervision of an adult if you are under 18.
  
  
• Do not put others at risk or disturb them.
  
  
• The dissemination of images of people or private spaces requires proper authorisations.

  
  
• You are responsible for any damage caused by your drone. You are advised to apply for a third-party insurance.
  
  
• Inspect your drone before and after each flight, check the entire frame for cracks including the landing gear and props.
  
  
• Make sure you have sufficient GPS signal and wait for the "Home Point Recorded" message to avoid a fly away and do not forget to set adequate RTH altitude for a safe return to home.
  
  
• If you see a figure of authority, police, fireman, lifeguard etc approach them and ask if there is any special event going on in the area or if you are allowed to fly. Preventing any temporary ban,
  
  
• Always keep the drone in sight in a radius of 500m
  
  
• Don't fly near airports, airfields atc.
  
  
• Daytime flying with appropriate meteorological conditions (no fog, rain or wind)
  
  
• Night-time flying with appropriate meteorological conditions (no fog, rain or wind) with a drone of up to 2kg and going no  higher than 50m.- When flying with FPV goggles, you must be accompanied by an observer.
  
  
• Do not exceed a height of 120m (400feet) and or on the highest obstacle located within a radius of 150 m from the RPA- Never fly over sensible areas like prisons, military zone, etc.
  
  
• My checklist before every flight:
  
  • Is the wind good enough for a safe flight? Check the wind before leaving home and onsite. If the wind is strong your drone may fly away or even crash.
  • Is the drone in good conditions? Have you crashed before? You may have to reset/re-calibrate it before attempting  another flight. Fix it and perform a test, don't  just try to fly it after a crash or it might happen again.
  • Risks analysis: what can go wrong? If you  see trees nearby, or a big building the answer could be "1) possible  crash in the trees if I fly too close to them 2) possible loss of signal  if the drone goes behind the building". If I see more then 20 people I  change location or fly 100m away from them as precaution.
  • Are all the transmitter switches in the proper initial positions?  I think one of my first crashes happened because I took off the drone  with in a different mode than the one I wanted. The wind did the rest...
    
  Create your own checklist.
  
  
• Don’t fly without authorization:
  - Over buildings and people
  - At night
  - In controlled airspace, or in close proximity to aerodromes and heliports, adhering to the distances established by law.
  - In emergencies without being instructed by the public authority
  
  

Portugal is very similar to most countries throughout the  world, it might be complicated to fly your drone in major cities, in many cities you can fly under  strict rules like distance and height limits, etc.
Outside of cities drones are normally accepted,  provided you show respect for the area your flying in, asking for  permission if your not sure if it’s ok to fly.
If you offer to show what your doing or maybe even share some photos/videos, I'm sure you will be making some new friends.
Showing respect for people and property will only make your life easier.

Customs: There is no specific rules to take your DJI drone through customs in Portugal. You don't even have to take it out of your bag.

Application Process: Up until now we used to need to register via email or letter with the National Aeronautical Authority (AAN), but recenlty they have updated to a website where an Operator can register up to 15 pilots and drones.


To fly in Portugal I always use the AAN's VoaNaBoa App (available in the Apple Store and on Google Play) which is extremely helpful and I do recommend you install it yourself to know if you are near any restrictive areas.


I sincerely hope this information has been of good use to you during your visit to Portugal.


Here is one of my videos flying in Porto:
https://youtu.be/xdfZuONlxD4

Good work mate

Very cool strategy! Beside the strategy, you also put some nice tips for drone pilots! Nice done! Thanks for sharing.

Very nice information

A J Posted at 4-16 09:20
Good work mate

Thank you A J just sharing some knowledge ;)

DJI Panda Posted at 4-21 19:02
Very cool strategy! Beside the strategy, you also put some nice tips for drone pilots! Nice done! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, just trying to do my part ;)

jacksonnai Posted at 4-22 04:49
Very nice information

Thanks jacksonnai

o_laparoto Posted at 4-28 23:07
Thank you A J just sharing some knowledge ;)

Good for you

Nicely done! Thanks for sharing with us!

ParideM Posted at 4-29 00:42
Nicely done! Thanks for sharing with us!

You are welcome ParideM

o_laparoto Posted at 4-28 23:08
Thanks jacksonnai

You're welcome buddy~!

Thanks for sharing!

thanks for sharing

jameswdj96 Posted at 7-31 23:08
Thanks for sharing!

You are welcome jameswdj96  

G37 Mavic Pro Posted at 8-1 21:44
thanks for sharing

My pleasure G37 Mavic Pro

Thanks for sharing this great information again. Cheers!

DJI Tony Posted at 8-6 10:10
Thanks for sharing this great information again. Cheers!

Thank you for noticing DJI Tony

o_laparoto Posted at 8-6 15:41
Thank you for noticing DJI Tony

You're most welcome!

Mightye777 Posted at 9-19 22:58
Thankyou!

You are most welcomed Mightye777

was expected a little bit more detailed info, but its not bad either. Cheers!

DJDudu Posted at 9-28 10:33
was expected a little bit more detailed info, but its not bad either. Cheers!

Hi DJDudu,

What kind of details have I missed in this post?
Please contribute with some constructive criticism.

Thank you for your help.

o_laparoto Posted at 9-29 22:50
Hi DJDudu,

What kind of details have I missed in this post?

Hi, thank you for your response. I was wondering if every single drone needs to be registered or it depends on, for instance, its weight or non-commercial usage. Also would I need any specific authorization to fly in cities or maybe flying in cities is totally prohibited. If you have any additional materials to read (may be in Portuguese), I would appreciate your help.

DJDudu Posted at 9-30 10:26
Hi, thank you for your response. I was wondering if every single drone needs to be registered or it depends on, for instance, its weight or non-commercial usage. Also would I need any specific authorization to fly in cities or maybe flying in cities is totally prohibited. If you have any additional materials to read (may be in Portuguese), I would appreciate your help.

Hi DJDudu,

According to Voa na Boa website you need to register all drones independent of their weight or size.

You can check more detailed information here.

Regards,
António L.

o_laparoto Posted at 10-1 00:20
Hi DJDudu,

According to Voa na Boa website you need to register all drones independent of their weight or size.

Thanks, valeu mano!

DJDudu Posted at 10-1 07:46
Thanks, valeu mano!

Na boa DJDudu!

oh and I also just found the information that violation of these regulations can cost you 300 - 7,500 EUR and you can even lose your drone (crazy!)

Here is the link for further reading on Decree-Law No. 58/2018 (in Portuguese):
Approved law on drones

o_laparoto Posted at 2019-10-1 00:20
Hi DJDudu,

According to Voa na Boa website you need to register all drones independent of their weight or size.

I've registered with e-AAN portal my drone and myself as pilot.

But they want you to submit coordinates for each place you plan to fly.

Even in areas without apparent restrictions, such as the southern coastal areas such as in Lagres.

I've submitted some but am suppose to submit a bunch more and they will let me know before my April trip.

wco81 Posted at 1-16 00:23
I've registered with e-AAN portal my drone and myself as pilot.

But they want you to submit coordinates for each place you plan to fly.

And you should be fine with all of that ;)

Good information and a couple of useful tips too. It's the heavy fines which concern me the most.

Dorset_Horn Posted at 1-22 09:06
Good information and a couple of useful tips too. It's the heavy fines which concern me the most.

The goal is to help form a considerate drone pilot that can avoid the fines because the information was made available to him.

Thanks for the share.

Thanks for your post and additional information. I have already registered with e-AAN as I will be travelling to Lisbon on the 17th of September. I have a few questions on completing the section on adding a drone. Perhaps someone can help me.

I have a DJI Mavic Mini and the sections of the form that I am unsure about are as follows:

Number of engines
Collect data from another nature? Yes or No
GPS Altimeter Yes or No
Barometric altimeter Yes or No
Automatic flight capability Yes or No
Locking system (Geofencing) Yes or No
Flight capacity with an engine failure Yes or No
Onboard backup battery Yes or No
Backup flight control system Yes or No

Any help would be gratefully appreciated. This is my first drone and although some of these questions might be easy for the more experienced flyers, I am stumped.

Thanks in advance

UKSilverSurfer Posted at 9-12 23:53
Thanks for your post and additional information. I have already registered with e-AAN as I will be travelling to Lisbon on the 17th of September. I have a few questions on completing the section on adding a drone. Perhaps someone can help me.

I have a DJI Mavic Mini and the sections of the form that I am unsure about are as follows:

Number of engines - 4
Collect data from another nature? No
GPS Altimeter Yes
Barometric altimeter No
Automatic flight capability No
Locking system (Geofencing) Yes
Flight capacity with an engine failure No
Onboard backup battery No
Backup flight control system No

UKSilverSurfer Posted at 9-12 23:53
Thanks for your post and additional information. I have already registered with e-AAN as I will be travelling to Lisbon on the 17th of September. I have a few questions on completing the section on adding a drone. Perhaps someone can help me.

I have a DJI Mavic Mini and the sections of the form that I am unsure about are as follows:

Do not forget that orders must be at least 3 days in advance. But you can order up to 60 days for the same zone.

alex_alb Posted at 9-13 10:57
Number of engines - 4
Collect data from another nature? No
GPS Altimeter Yes

Thank you very much for that information.

I am trying to add an area on the e-AAN page to request permission to fly my drone in Sintra. Can anyone tell me what district I put in the form to coincide with the county Sintra?

UKSilverSurfer Posted at 9-15 07:35
I am trying to add an area on the e-AAN page to request permission to fly my drone in Sintra. Can anyone tell me what district I put in the form to coincide with the county Sintra?

District: Lisbon
County: Sintra.

Install the application "Voa na Boa", since Sintra has several parks that need specific authorizations.

https://www.voanaboa.pt/voa-na-boa