Costa Rica tourist

[kimyfa]

Hi
I am looking to travel to Costa Rica over the summer and take my m4p with me, I have Wait on a number of websites that I need to register as a tourist, I have tried going through to the DGAC website but it keeps blocking me.
Does anyone on here have any details about Costa Rican law as a tourist, a <250g flier and how do I register?
Thanks.

 

[GFields]

General Rules for Flying a Drone in Costa Rica​

Based on our research and interpretation of the laws, here are the most important rules to know for flying a drone in Costa Rica.

• All drones in Costa Rica must be registered with the DGAC. The DGAC registration portal can be found here.
• 
  
• Fly only during the day and with clear weather conditions.
• Keep the drone within your visual line of sight.
• Do not fly in cities, communities, and crowds unless you have special permission from the DGAC.
• Do not fly closer than 30 meters (98 feet) from buildings.
• Do not fly closer than 8 kilometers (miles) from airports or airfields.
• Do not fly in specific No Fly Zones, including the following: Arenal Volcano, La Palma passage, Zurqui Tunnel, el Murcielago Police Training Center, La Reforma Prison, The Presidental House, El Ministerio de seguridad publica.

For more information on Costa Rica’s drone laws, see this link.

 

[kimyfa]

General Rules for Flying a Drone in Costa Rica​

Based on our research and interpretation of the laws, here are the most important rules to know for flying a drone in Costa Rica.

• All drones in Costa Rica must be registered with the DGAC. The DGAC registration portal can be found here.
• 
  
• Fly only during the day and with clear weather conditions.
• Keep the drone within your visual line of sight.
• Do not fly in cities, communities, and crowds unless you have special permission from the DGAC.
• Do not fly closer than 30 meters (98 feet) from buildings.
• Do not fly closer than 8 kilometers (miles) from airports or airfields.
• Do not fly in specific No Fly Zones, including the following: Arenal Volcano, La Palma passage, Zurqui Tunnel, el Murcielago Police Training Center, La Reforma Prison, The Presidental House, El Ministerio de seguridad publica.

For more information on Costa Rica’s drone laws, see this link.

Many thanks, sadly the

 

[kimyfa]

Many thanks for the links, sadly no matter where I try and access the Costa Rican Gov site from I get this same error page.

 

[waynorth]

I also get blocked, have tried several browsers, even Tor.
This is the first website I have met this message.

 

[Zbip57]

Many thanks for the links, sadly no matter where I try and access the Costa Rican Gov site from I get this same error page.

I get the same error page when trying to access the site from Canada. But if I use a VPN to redirect, making it look like I'm accessing it from Washington DC, the Costa Rican site works fine.

This is the direct link to their Costa Rica drone info.

Aeronaves no tripuladas Drones – Aviación Civil

 

[Zbip57]

If you can read Spanish, here's a copy downloaded from their website of the regulations concerning operation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Edition #4, dated August 2023. Also attached is a Google translation to English.

 

[GFields]

No problems for me

 

[GFields]

It may be that they have certain IP address Range or country blocked from accessing their site. You can use VPN as a go around.

 

[JoelP]

I recently went to Costa Rica, but didn't bring my drone and regretted it. I am a Part 107 pilot and try to comply with all regulations even when outside the US. I learned that it was necessary to register my drone as stated above for commercial photography, but it was not necessary as a hobbyist. Please continue for yourself to check it to get comfortable that what I said is true.

 

[kimyfa]

Thanks everyone, I did manage to get to the DGAC site via a VPN from the UK to the US.
I ended up emailing the Contralor Servicios at the DGAC and was informed that as a tourist and recreational flier I did not need to register my drone in order to fly in Costa Rica which was a nice surprise, also included a PDF as to operating restrictions which is basically the same as on a number of 'drone law' websites.
I will obviously be printing out the email and taking it witt me just incase I get questioned by anyone.