Singapore is a densely populated small island in the heart of Southeast Asia. It has some of the world’s most spectacular Architecture, including the Marina Bay Sands Resort or the historic Raffles Hotel. Parts of the island are still preserved in its natural state, with beautiful jungle vegetation, lakes and nature reserves.

It sounds like a pretty interesting place to fly, but is it permitted? Singapore is, coincidentally, also one of the most strictly regulated countries in the world, with hefty fines (or more) for seemingly small misdemeanors. Given the dense buildup and the many airports and government buildings, you want to be very considerate about flying in such an environment.

There have been numerous cases over the recent years where people got caught and convicted for flying drones in no-fly zones in Singapore, and the fines have been quite drastic. One example is the YouTube blogger Rahim, who posted a video recently of his court trial for violating drone laws in Singapore.

There are a number of rules to obey when you want to fly your drone in Singapore:

1. If your drone weighs 250 grams or more, you need to register your drone with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and put a registration label on the drone: https://caas.shop.singpost.com
2. Obey all no-fly zones and restricted zones that prohibit drone flying. An excellent map overview can be found at the Airport Authority of Singapore here: https://www.onemap.gov.sg/main/v2/dronequery
3. Make sure you never exceed a flight altitude of more than 60 meters
4. Always maintain your drone in visual line of sight and only fly during daylight hours
5. Do not fly over crowds of people or moving vehicles
6. Do not interfere with emergency responders or accident sites

The requirement to affix a pre-purchased label on your drone makes it quite difficult for visitors to Singapore to fly their drone legally, as you need to purchase your government-issued identification label BEFORE you can register your drone. As all of these processes may take a few days, it is advisable to plan ahead. You can only ship the label to Singaporean addresses, or purchase them in post offices in Singapore.