Open category

In the open category, these standard rules apply:

• The drone must weigh less than 25 kg.
• The pilot must maintain a visual line of sight (VLOS) with the drone.
• The drone must always fly within 120 meters of the closest point of the earth.
• No carriage of dangerous goods.
• No dropping of items.
• The drone must be marked with the operator's registration number.
• All drones other than CE-marked toys must be insured. That means you must have third-party liability insurance covering at least 0.75 million SDRs (ca. 9.1 million NOK per 8.03.2022).

The open category is divided into three subcategories: A1, A2 and A3. These are the main differences:

A1 – Fly light drones with few distance limitations to uninvolved persons.
A2 – Fly drones in built-up areas with a minimum of 50 meters from uninvolved persons. (30 meters with a C2-class drone).
A3 – Fly drones up to 25 kg, at least 150 meters from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

Max altitude

The new regulations change the old rule of flying the drone maximum of 120 meters vertically from the ground. Instead, it is a maximum of 120 meters from the nearest point of the earth, which is the limit. It is also possible to fly even higher if you fly within 15 meters of an artificial object and have the owner's approval.

Night flying

You may fly at night as long as you can see the drone (VLOS). You must have a green flashing light mounted under the drone when flying at nighttime.

Operation manual requirement

If you are one person that acts both as an operator and pilot, no operation manual (OM) is required.

If you are an operator with several pilots, it is minimum required that you:

• Have procedures for the operations.
• Have a list of all personnel with responsibilities.