A lot of places (for example Morocco) even having a drone is illegal without the right Permits. Chap got caught with a smuggled drone earlier this year and was facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison

Who is Chap? Links?

I think we have to make the difference here:

- is legal to carry a drone (luggage, or back of the car)
- is legal to fly a drone

In my example from egypt, they went to jail for bring a drone by car.

Surfy

In Morocco its illegal to have or operate a drone without a permit, by taking one in you risk upto 10 year in prison in a worst case situation.

Last year overlanders were put in prison in Iran for using an illegal drone. Plenty of info on drine sites about the rules in different countries. Best to read those and stay legal or accept you need to face the consequences if caught :nono:

It would be useful to this discussions, to provide the links to the travellers, like i did try it. So other travellers can easily can put the informations together.

https://www.theguardian.com/australi...ng-mark-firkin

I strongly suggest to know local rules. That Aussies, UK or US based people had a harder life in some countrys - has not to be written down I guess, a point who should also get rated here.

I do follow severall Bloggers through the Iran. No one did use the Drone as they thought someone could see it, many did not use it in that country. Less risk but not riskless I think.

Youtube is there too a source of informations, with the right keywords.

@TheWarden: Maybe you are able to provide links to maroc? There is just known a decent fine for droning as I did see. 1.165 Dihrams thas 110 Euro - guess not tho value who will avoid most tourists for doing it, specially in a Country where most Police guys want 50 USD$ and not want to fill a receipt.

Surfy

You information about Morocco is wrong, maximum fine for having a drone without permit is 2500euro, and upto 10 years in Prison. Marrakech airport has a room full of confiscated drones from tourists and they also ask at the ports but the search isn't always very good, can't beat the x-ray machine though. they introduced that at the end of 2019 for arrivals and 2012 for departures.

I've met a few overlanders there who got caught at the border now and 1 who was arrested in front of me in Zagora for illegally using a drone. Rules got a lot tougher in 2015.

A google search will find you the relevant Moroccan government information.

(if your paying $50 baksheesh in Morocco, the police have found a good ATM, thats more than the standard fines for motoring offenses doh I haven't paid once in over 20 years of visiting).


Laws on drones are the same in Mauritania I believe

I did never bribe in Africa. But that 50 bucks is what the police offers in Maroc ^^

Sometimes the storys smell a bit after "pushing too much", like that about maroc.

That many countrys had some restrictions against drones - fair enough.

So guys in northern africa who got the drone caught - didnt even try to hide, or did fly in the public. Or did use a hugh professional drone...

I dont want to say bring a drone in a country who it is not allowed. I just say that it is not easy to detect them. And it is very very unlikely, to get finded about 2500$ if you dont use it the very very wrong way.

You find several reports where the tourist was able to deposit the drone at the airport, and take them on the fly back...

https://www.diyphotography.net/how-i...-about-drones/

And yes, this was a professional big drone..

So let us do a fact check:

- Drones get collected at the airport: if detected
- The people get fined high: not known jet.
- Can the people collect their drone on the way home: yes
- Amount of Travellers in Jail: not known jet

I newer suggest to bring a drone to maroc. Just wants to clear, that this is not the Iran. Also Youtube shows enough newer drone stuff, to verify that is not so unlikely.

Didnt find a traveler who got a high fine, nor one who was in jail. Maybe you can provide any provement about.

As you may know, I still watch these travellers on the west, and yes, many of them did - guess what.

Surfy

The facts here are.

In Morocco (and Mauritania), possession and use of a drone without government permits is illegal, if you smuggle one in you have broken the law, if you use it, you have broken the law. End of story. The type of drone is irrelevant the law is the same for all drones.

People smuggling drones and/or using them illegally only end up making things harder for responsible travellers who respect and obey the laws of the country they are visiting.

The person I saw arrested in Zagora, I never saw again, so who knows what happened but he told the police he didnt have a permit and was arrested. Others I met had got caught at the border and were allowed to post their drones home or take them back to Europe before entry. The guy facing 10 years in prison was caught exiting Morocco with a drone when his vehicle was searched after being x-rayed. The press didn't report what the final outcome of his trial was

(The police in Morocco DO NOT offer to take bribes of $50)

Two Aussies were imprisoned in Iran for flying a drone.

Good people - just made a mistake.

Yes, I did link their story some postings before! Very very sad!

Maybe someone can tell me, what happens with these? The in the Guardian provided Blog adress - is a current story ongoing - did not find something about the Iran...

How long they had to stay in the Iran jail?

Because they did eat em up?

Not even one link? No Blog, no Website, no News Article? No Facebook or even Insta-Report where Friends and Family try to get attention?

--> He got released. No hassle. Or did something that bad, that noone want to get any further attention.

Otherwise you find that stuff somewhere. Because other people did care. Because public pressure helps to get the own gouverment in place at home. At least the Maroc News would wrote about.

Is it that easy.

Surfy

MWN reporting isn't very reliable.

It was a french guy, I spoke to that day and had passed on the pistes a couple of time, I had no need to find out more.

Not every traveller has a blog or social media feed to try and gain publicity to massage their ego.

The story with the ozzies in Iran is not a s straight forward as the press and their blog says it is

I cannot see what the attraction is flying drones and risking imprisonment and fines - sure the footage can be excellent - but not that good. In much the same way that we expect visitors to the UK to respect UK law we should expect to respect the laws of the countries we visit - or we have to be prepared to face the consequences.

The Aussies spent maybe six months in prison. It has been kept very low key for various reasons.

https://youtu.be/FDKh5LstI9A

I guess on a worldtrip - what count?

We mostly don’t talk here about tourists. We talk about travellers on their year off. Who had to fight 1-3 countrys who don’t want that stuff. Out of 20 countries.

If we hear on people who tell us what is possible, we still look.... the Earth is a flat Disc jet.

Anyone has to do his own risk calculation. For my anything is more risky than Maroc - on my way into south.


Surfy