Understanding Taiwan's drone licensing system

The legal basis for drone regulation in Taiwan is Chapter 9-1 of the Civil Aviation Act and the Remote-Controlled Drone Management Regulations, with the Civil Aeronautics Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications as the competent authority. The core logic of the system is simple: the heavier the drone and the greater its kinetic energy, the higher the risk to others, and the more obligations the operator must bear — from no registration, to registration, to a licence, and then to professional certification and airframe inspection, step by step upwards.

Weight classes and corresponding obligations

Three-level operating permit

Note stepwise system: to sit the professional-level test, you must first have held the general operator certificate for 1 month; the professional practical test has additional physical examination requirements. In other words, no matter how high your goal is, the general operator certificate is the first certificate you must obtain.

The pilot licence tests knowledge only, not practical skills, and uses a public question bank — the Civil Aviation Administration publishes the entire question bank on its official website, and questions are drawn from it in the test. This means the preparation direction is very clear: understand the concepts behind the question bank, and passing the test is a stable, achievable goal.

Quiz specification

Application process

1. 註冊系統帳號
   於民航局遙控無人機管理資訊系統建立帳號並完成身分驗證。
2. 報名學科測驗
   選擇考場與時段,繳交報名費新臺幣 200 元。
3. 應試
   線上題庫測驗,20 題、30 分鐘,80 分及格。
4. 查詢成績與領證
   於系統查詢成績,合格後依系統指示完成操作證申請。

With a standard operator certificate, you may legally operate a remotely piloted aircraft weighing over 2 kg and under 15 kg (with navigation equipment) for leisure and entertainment purposes. But the certificate is not a free pass — operating restrictions still apply in full:

• The actual flight altitude must not exceed 400 ft above ground or water
• Within line of sight operation, limited to 1 aircraft at a time
• Flying from sunrise to sunset
• Keep away from airports and prohibited airspace and restricted airspace, and comply with the activity areas announced by the local city and county governments
• Keep a safe distance from buildings and obstacles; do not fly over crowds

If you want to move into a professional route (agricultural spraying, commercial drone photography, inspection work), the next step is a professional operations licence: after holding a general operations licence for 1 month, you may sit the professional-level written exam, then complete the practical assessment in sequence.