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Guyana

South America

GCAA — Directive GCAA/ASR/DIR/2017-01 R1

Guyana regulates drones under a GCAA directive (2017, revised 2020). Recreational model aircraft up to 7 kg without a camera or data transmission are exempt from a permit, but any drone that transmits images — meaning almost every camera-equipped tourist drone — loses the exemption and needs a written GCAA permit.

Max altitude

150 m

General limit of 150 m above the ground; the drone must stay within 500 m of the pilot.

Operator registration

Yes, required

No permit is needed for recreational model aircraft ≤7 kg without a camera or data transmission; any drone that transmits images instead needs a written permit from the GCAA (letter to the Director General + drone information sheet + ID/passport for foreign applicants, typically around 29 days). There's no online registration portal: the process is by letter/email to dronesunit@gcaa-gy.org.

Pilot license

Yes, required

A recognized training certificate is required (or demonstrating competency directly to the GCAA) for anyone outside the 'model aircraft' exemption above; the GCAA also accepts certificates issued by other ICAO states.

Insurance

Recommended / conditional

Required only for commercial operations; not for exempt recreational flying.

Zones to avoid

Forbidden within aerodrome traffic zones without GCAA and air traffic control permission. Approval is required within 150 m of public gatherings, 100 m of vehicles/structures not under the operator's control, and 50 m of people; at least 30 m from anyone other than the pilot during take-off/landing. Forbidden within 1 km of restricted zones, official residences, military bases and police headquarters, and within 1 km of helipads. Forbidden at night, in low visibility, and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) without specific written authorization; written permission from the property owner is also required to fly over private property.

What isn't 100% confirmed yet

Data verified against the full text of the official GCAA/ASR/DIR/2017-01 R1 directive (revised 2020), downloaded from the GCAA website.

Verify officially before flying

Source: GCAA — Guyana Civil Aviation Authority

Open official site

Last checked: 2026-08

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Informational content, not legal advice. Zones and rules change constantly: always check the country's official website before every flight.