New regulations on conditions for registration and use of unmanned aerial vehicles

The Government issued Decree No. 288/2025/ND-CP dated November 5, 2025 regulating the management of unmanned aircraft and other flying vehicles.

This Decree consists of 8 chapters and 35 articles detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on People's Air Defense on import, export, temporary import for re-export, temporary export for re-import; research, manufacture, testing, production, repair, maintenance, and trading of aircraft, aircraft engines, aircraft propellers, and equipment and devices of unmanned aircraft and other flying vehicles; conditions for registration, exploitation and use, provision of registration information; exploitation and use; training and granting of licenses to operate unmanned aircraft and other flying vehicles.

The Decree applies to Vietnamese and foreign agencies, organizations and individuals with activities related to unmanned aircraft and other flying vehicles in Vietnam.

Conditions for registration of unmanned aerial vehicles

Regarding the conditions for registration of aircraft, the Decree stipulates:

1. Have documents proving legal ownership of the aircraft, including:

a) Import license and Customs declaration (for imported aircraft);

b) Invoice of the unit qualified to do business in aircraft or decision of competent authority or transfer document or financial document as prescribed by law.

2. Aircraft must meet technical standards and regulations as prescribed by the Ministry of National Defense or technical standards and regulations recognized by the Ministry of National Defense.

Farmers visit a demonstration of a drone model fertilizing and spraying pesticides on rice plants in a field in Thoai Son district. (Photo: Cong Mao/VNA)

3. Solve some specific cases:

a) In case the aircraft is self-assembled or manufactured before the effective date of this Decree; the aircraft is in the research, manufacture or testing stage, there must be a manufacturing or assembly unit or an organization with legal status recognized by a competent state agency to inspect, evaluate, and issue a Certificate of technical condition of the aircraft that meets the conditions for operation, recording the basic information of the aircraft; there must be documents proving the legal ownership of the aircraft or a Commitment of the owner to take full responsibility before the law for the legality of the aircraft, then the registration or temporary registration must be processed;

b) In case an aircraft is registered for the first time in Vietnam, there must be a certificate of confirmation from the Customs Authority permitting the import or a legal entity recognized by a competent state agency to manufacture and assemble that type of aircraft, then the aircraft registration will be processed.

This condition does not apply to aircraft of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security .

Conditions for exploitation and use of unmanned aerial vehicles

Decree regulating conditions for exploitation and use of aircraft, specifically as follows:

1. Aircraft must have a valid Certificate of Registration or Temporary Registration Certificate.

2. The person directly controlling the aircraft must be 18 years of age or older, except in the case of the person controlling the aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of less than 0.25 kg; and must have no alcohol, drugs, sedatives, or substances prohibited by law in their blood or breath.

The National Remote Sensing Agency (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) has deployed drones to monitor some areas at risk of straw burning. (Illustration photo. Source: VNA)

3. A person directly controlling an aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 0.25 kg or more must have a Visual Observation Flight Control License; in the case of controlling an aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 2 kg or more, flying beyond visual sight, or flying according to a pre-installed program through a central controller, he/she must have a Instrument Observation Flight Control License issued by a competent authority or an international certificate recognized by the Ministry of National Defense.

4. In case a person simultaneously controls two or more aircraft, in addition to meeting the conditions specified in Clauses 1, 2 and 3 above, he/she must demonstrate the ability of the technology to meet the requirements to ensure flight safety, as shown in the technical specifications of the aircraft operating system; flying in formation, forming letters, performing artistic light shows in the air must be agreed or approved by a competent state agency.

5. Persons directly operating other flying vehicles serving sports activities, in addition to meeting the conditions specified in Clauses 1 and 2 above, must meet additional conditions as prescribed by law in the field of physical education and sports.

6. Foreigners who directly operate aircraft in Vietnam, in addition to meeting the conditions specified in Clauses 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 above, must have a sponsor from a representative of a Vietnamese agency, organization or individual.

Flight permits in no-fly zones only apply to official flight operations; must meet requirements on national defense, security, flight safety, and social order and safety.

This Decree takes effect from November 5, 2025./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/quy-dinh-moi-ve-dieu-kien-dang-ky-su-dung-phuong-tien-bay-khong-nguoi-lai-post1075697.vnp