Can you bring a drone to Malaysia?

• Drones

  depends on specifics

  Under regulation 140 of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016, anyone intending to operate an Unmanned Aircraft System must obtain prior authorisation from CAAM. For low-risk operations (visual line of sight, under 400 ft above ground, no spraying) that authorisation is an Authorisation to Fly (ATF) permit, applied for by email to drone.atf@caam.gov.my at least 14 working days before the flight; flying without the required permit is a violation penalised under regulation 206(3).

  This is a flight-operation requirement, not a customs import ban. CAAM's notice says nothing about a tourist or recreational exemption, so plan on an ATF permit for any flight. Widely reported figures — a RM250 permit fee, registration of drones above 250 g, a RM50,000 maximum fine — appear only in secondary sources and were not confirmed on a CAAM page in this pass; whether importing a consumer drone needs a separate approval (e.g. radio-equipment certification) was also not confirmed.

  Also covers: drone, uav, quadcopter, unmanned aircraft, rpas, dji

  Checked 2026-09-21 — Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) — Safety Information 01/2025: Authorisation to Fly (ATF) application for UAS operations

Check your specific trip →|Compare a drone in every destination →|Full Malaysia guide →

Informational only — not legal advice. Customs rules change; confirm with the official source above before you travel. See update history