Drone Approvals

Model Aircraft Flying

An individual or a member of flying club can send request for operational approval from CAASL.
You need to submit following information.

Part I - Security Clearance from the OCDS (Mandatory)

At first obtain the Security Clearance from the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (OCDS).
Submit your request to OCDS using attached sample letter via email.

Sample letter - (OCDS Sample request letter).

Contact details of OCDS:- Tel: +94 11 2674503; +94 11 2674506
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Part II - Complete CAASL form CAA/OP/079 together with;

List of model aircraft with the details of type, model, operating frequency, weight and fuel type (Attachment I)
List of members of the Club with their Full Names, NIC , Addresses and Contact numbers (Attachment II)
Operating area with GPS coordinates of corner points of the area
Consent letter from the location owner
Dates of intended operations

Insurance Requirement for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

Pursuit to the section 29 of the Implementing Standard SLCAIS-053 Rev. 03 issued by Director General of Civil Aviation on 06th January 2022, All Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) under mass category A, B & C shall not be operated without a valid insurance cover at least in respect of 3rd party injury and/or damage.

Minimum Third Party Liability Cover

Weight Category	Maximum Take-off Weight (MTOM) (kg)	Minimum Third Party Liability Cover in Sri Lankan Rupees
A	0.25 or below	Not required
B	Above 0.25 up to 0.9	100,000
C	Above 0.9 Up to 4	400,000
D	Above 4 up to 15	1,500,000
D	Above 15 up to 25	2,500,000
F	Above 25	2,500,000 + Each additional Kg of Maximum Take-off Weight, the liability will be increased by Rs 100,000/=

Restricted Areas

How to Import a Drone into Sri Lanka

Kindly be advised that the following procedure is exclusively relevant to drones imported into the country for permanent use. For drones brought in by visiting tourists for temporary use within the country, there is no need to adhere to the outlined process. Instead, for such visitors, please proceed to submit a request for flying approval through our online portal (Click Here to Visit Online Portal).

Please note that, prior to import a drone into the country, you are required to obtain necessary permission/no objections from the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL), Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) and Import & Export Control Department.

If you are engage in drone importation as a business you are required to obtain a permit from CAASL. To obtain a permit please click here.

The following steps describes the drone importation process.

Step 1 (Check the Drone Type is Approved or Not)

Check whether your drone type which is to be imported to the country is in the approved list. (Approved Drone Type List)

If the type is not in the approved type list, you need to apply for type approval from CAASL using following application CAA/OP/078.

(Please note that it may take up to 7 working days and you should submit any details upon the request of CAASL)

Once you obtained the permission for your drone type from CAASL, you may apply security clearance from MOD and follow the rest of the steps as per the flow chart above.

If your drone is in the Approved list, no objection from CAASL is not required. You may apply for the security clearance from MOD and follow the rests of the steps as per the flow chart above.

Step 2 (Obtaining Security Clearance from the Ministry of Defence)

Apply for security clearance from the Ministry of Defence to import a drone in to the country using below contacts;

Email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website - http://www.defence.lk

Step 3 (Obtaining Spectrum Clearance from Telecommunication Regulatory Commission)

After obtaining the MOD security clearance apply for spectrum clearance from Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka.

Email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Telephone Number – 0112 689 345 or short code 1900; Extension: 4102
Contact Person – Mr. Pamoad Dharmasena
Website - http://www.trc.gov.lk/

Step 4 (Obtaining Import Control License)

After obtaining above approvals you are required to obtain Import Control License to clear your units from the Sri Lanka Customs

Website - http://www.imexport.gov.lk/index.php/en/

Step 5 (Collect your item from SL Customs)

You may clear your items from Sri Lanka Customs upon completion the above steps.

CAASL Approved UAS Importer, Manufacturer Assembler Designer or Maintenance & Repair Organizations

Register as an Unmanned Aircraft Training Provider

Pursuant to the Implementing Standards (IS) SLCA-IS053 titled as “Requirements for the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Remotely Piloted Aircraft) issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), all Unmanned Aircraft training organization shall require to obtain a permit from the DGCA.

There are two types of permits for this purpose,

1. Issuance of Permits for UA Basic Training Organization (UABTO)
2. Issuance of Permits for UA Training and Assessment Organization (UATO)

All the information and requirements regarding the permit are described in the Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Publication (SLCAP) 4600 Manual. (Click here to download)

Requirements for Unmanned Aircraft Pilot License - SLCAP 4610 Manual (Click here to download)

Applications

1. Application for UA Basic Training Organization (UABTO). (Click here to download)

2. Application for UA Training & Assessment Organization (UATO). (Click here to download)
2.1 Attachment I (Click here to download)
2.2 Attachment II (Click here to download)

3. SIS Clearance Application. (Click here to download) (Please make sure to submit three (3) separate copies for each required personal to this office through registered post or by hand.)

Register as an UAS Importer, Manufacturer/ Assembler/ Designer or Maintenance & Repair Organization

Pursuant to the Implementing Standards (IS) SLCA-IS053 titled as “Requirements for the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Remotely Piloted Aircraft) issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), all organizations which Manufacture/ Assemble/ Design Unmanned Aircraft Systems or carryout Maintenance & Repair as a business in Sri Lanka, shall require to obtain a permit from the DGCA.

To obtain a permit please email your request using the form CAA/OP/081 with all relevant documents.

Bellow flowchart shows the process of issuing a permit.