This Blog Post helps you to get the Drone Registration in Thailand as smoothly as possible. It contains also some information which is not on the official websites. Things that I had to learn the hard way. But worry not, I will pass on all my knowledge I have gathered with registering my drone.
Contents of this post:
- Who has to do Drone Registration in Thailand?
- How to register with CAAT?
- How do I know if my CAAT application for Drone Registration in Thailand is approved?
- What does the CAAT Document for Drone Registration in Thailand look like?
- How to register with NBTC?
- How to pay for NBTC Drone Registration in Thailand?
- Why it is worth it?
Who has to do Drone Registration in Thailand?
For the drone registration in Thailand you need to consider two authorities.
NBTC
NBTC stands for National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission and is the equivalent to a “car registration”.
You need this registration because of the frequencies used from the drone and the controller.
Every single drone needs to be registered with NBTC. According to the official NBTC website there are no exceptions.
CAAT
CAAT stands for Civil Aviation Authority Thailand and registering the drone with CAAT is compareable with a “drivers license”.
You register with this authority as the operator.
According to the official CAAT website of the CAAT all drones where one of the following statements is true, the drone has to be registered with CAAT and NBTC
- The drone has a camera / recording equipment
- The drone weighs more than 2kg
- The drone weighs more than 25kg, then it also needs to get permission of Minister of Transport
So if your drone does not have a camera / recording equipment and weighs less than 2kg, you do not have to register with CAAT. Nevertheless, you still have to get the registration document with NBTC.
How to register with CAAT?
You can / Should do the Drone Registration in Thailand for CAAT before entering Thailand, because the process takes around 15 business days.
This graphic shows the Steps from the official website:
- Register here, choose which applies to you either The Foreigner or Thai Nationals, fill out the whole registration form and proceed to the next step.
- Download Self Declaration Form for foreigners here and fill out and sign
- Upload Certified Copy of National ID card and House Registration: I uploaded a picture of my passport and a screenshot of my hotel booking for 3 nights.
- Upload Third Party insurance: In English or Thai and states the limit of liability.
If any of those documents are missing, you will receive an Email that tells you to go check your application status. If you login and head to Menu > History you will see that the status says Invalid document in red and it tells you to start all over again.
How do I know if my CAAT Application for Drone Registration in Thailand got approved?
In contrast to when something is wrong with your application, once CAAT approves your application, you will not get an Email notification to check the status of your application. So I would advise you to check once a day if the approved document is there.
Now the interesting thing or let’s say the confusing thing is that even when CAAT approves your application, the status says “Requested approval”. But it will show the symbol of a printer for you to print your registration.
What does the CAAT Document for Drone Registration in Thailand look like?
The CAAT registration document has 2 pages and they look like this:
How to register with NBTC?
These are the 5 steps to get your registration certificate with NBTC for the Drone Registration in Thailand:
- Submit Registration Request
- Document Verification
- Pay the fee
- Document processing
- Approval of registration and getting the certificate
Submit Registration Request
If you have to get a visa for Thailand you can register as soon as the visa is in your passport. If you do not have to get a visa in advance (e.g. visa on arrival) then you can only register online AFTER you entered Thailand, because you have to upload a picture of the entry stamp. In 2023 the NBTC registration is ONLY possible ONLINE. Do NOT walk to their office!
When we tried to get our NBTC Registration in Bangkok every source of information for drone registration in Thailand said that you have to do it in person. But this information is NOT up-to-date! We walked to the NBTC office in Bangkok and all they did was giving us a QR code to scan to get to this site: https//:www.anyregis.nbtc.go.th. Here you register, confirm your account, fill everything out and make sure to remember which of your phone numbers you fill in the form.
Spoiler: When you receive the Email with your approved NBTC Registration Document, it is secured with a Password and the needed Password is sent to that very phone number you entered in the form.
The following you need at hand when filling out the registration request:
- Picture of passport
- Picture of visa (if applicable)
- The Owner’s Declaration of Conformity (ODoC) Form
- Picture of the drone
- Clear picture of drone serial number
- Clear picture of controller serial number
- Picture of entry stamp in passport
How to pay for NBTC Drone Registration in Thailand?
After filing the registration request it takes a few days for NBTC to check your documents. If your documents are ok, they send you a payment slip to pay the 214 THB per Email. It indicates at which bank you have to pay it. In our case no other bank than Krungthai Bank (marked in the red circle) was able to process this payment slip. So make sure to not waste your time and go directly to the Bank indicated on your payment slip. Krungthai Bank charged a 10 THB service fee on top. Spoiler: From the minute we walked into Krungthai Bank and out, 45 minutes passed and we spent 30 minutes at the counter. I don’t know if it is the case everywhere but in AoNang it really took the bank employee quite long.
Why is it worth it?
If they catch you flying a drone and you have not registered your drone with either NBTC or CAAT despite the obligation, you risk serious fines. The consequences for not registering with CAAT either a imprisonment for up to 1 year or paying a 40.000 THB fine or both. Getting caught with not registering with NBTC can cost you up to 100.000 THB and up to 5 years in prison or both. I do not want to threaten anybody, this is just what is stated on the websites. And I have met people who have not registered their drone at all and nobody ever checked them.
However here are some photos I took using my drone on Koh Phi Phi, Thailand.
