Flying a drone in Mexico: the rules for tourists and for hired pilots

Flying a drone in Mexico is regulated by the Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-107-SCT3-2019, a federal standard in force since January 2020 that sets weight classes, registration with the Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (AFAC), distances from airports and people, and limits on foreign operators. It is the standard in force as of October 2026, and it applies to a tourist's travel drone as much as to a professional pilot's. This guide sets out what it says, what is still unclear, and why a drone session booked here is always flown by a local pilot.

The standard and who enforces it

The full text of NOM-107-SCT3-2019 was published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 14 November 2019. AFAC, the civil-aviation authority under the Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes (SICT), registers drones and grants operating authorisations. The standard covers airspace only: archaeological zones and protected areas add their own restrictions, set by other agencies, which are covered further down.

Weight classes

NOM-107 sorts every drone by maximum take-off weight, and each class has a recreational, a private non-commercial and a private commercial use.

Most travel and wedding drones fall in the first two rows. A Micro drone flown commercially at night, near an aerodrome or in a restricted operation is treated like a Pequeño one and needs the same operating authorisation.

Registering with AFAC

A drone over 250 g needs an AFAC registration folio before its first flight in Mexico. According to AFAC's drone page, the registration is requested by e-mailing the Apéndice K form with a digitised official ID and proof of ownership to rpas@afac.gob.mx, and AFAC answers within 10 business days. The pilot keeps a copy of the folio at the control station during every flight. The AFAC page does not say whether a visitor without a Mexican tax ID can register a drone, so check with AFAC before you travel if you plan to bring one.

Where and when you may fly

Every row comes from the NOM-107 text in the DOF. Even with an authorisation, a flight within 3.7 km of an aerodrome is prohibited. The pilot also checks NOTAMs and the restricted areas of the aeronautical publication before every flight, and stays out of published helicopter corridors.

The 9.2 km ring matters more on the coast than inland. The Cancún hotel zone, Tulum and San José del Cabo all have international airports within driving distance of the venues couples choose, so a flight plan starts with a map, not with the view.

The 250 g exception

A drone of 250 g or less needs no AFAC folio and, under the note to the people-distance rule, may fly over people. It still follows the airport distances, the height limit, daylight and line of sight, and it still needs insurance for commercial use.

Tourists with their own drone

The standard's numeral 4.10.16 says that a drone with a foreign registration, or one operated by a foreign operator, may not be operated in Mexico unless there is a bilateral agreement between AFAC and the civil-aviation authority of the drone's country. How that line applies to a tourist's sub-250 g or recreational drone has not been clarified on any AFAC page found, and no such agreement was located. The safe reading is the narrow one: Mexico's drone standard restricts operation by foreign operators and foreign-registered drones, so a visitor who wants to fly should ask AFAC first and should never treat a holiday flight as a paid job.

Why a hired session uses a local pilot

Two separate rules point the same way. NOM-107 restricts foreign operators, and the Ley de Migración, article 52, defines tourist status as a stay of up to 180 days without permission for paid activities. A foreign photographer on holiday therefore cannot legally sell a drone flight in Mexico, whatever the drone weighs. Every drone photo and video session booked here is flown by a Mexico-based pilot with the drone registered with AFAC and covered by third-party liability insurance, which is what the standard asks of commercial Micro flights.

Archaeological zones

NOM-107 does not mention archaeological zones; the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) does. INAH requires prior authorisation from its legal office, the Coordinación Nacional de Asuntos Jurídicos (CNAJ), for professional cameras, tripods and drones inside its zones. During the 2026 spring equinox at Chichén Itzá, INAH's operating bulletin banned drone flights and ceremonies of any kind outright. Professional filming inside a zone goes through the INAH-01-001 permit, applied for at least 10 business days ahead, with a 2026 fee of MXN 15,916 per day for filming. A drone shot of a coastal ruin such as Tulum is therefore planned from outside the zone, over the sea or a private property, never over the monuments.

Protected areas and turtle beaches

No nationwide visitor drone rule from the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) has been published. Drone flights inside Mexican federal protected areas generally need CONANP's prior authorisation, and some areas, such as turtle-nesting beaches, do not allow them. That covers places couples ask about often, including the reefs of Cozumel, Sian Ka'an, Holbox and the Islas Marietas. The pilot confirms with the area's CONANP office before a session there is promised.

Resorts, cenotes and private land

A resort or a cenote can forbid a drone that the standard would allow. Many cenotes restrict professional cameras, tripods and drones, or charge a camera fee, and the rules are set by each operator. The outside-vendor guide lists what to ask a hotel.

The local pages for drone sessions in Tulum, drone wedding coverage in Tulum and drone wedding coverage in Los Cabos set out where flights are planned around the ruins, the reef and the airports of each place.

What a booked drone session includes

Each one includes the flight check against airports, the venue's rules and the protected areas nearby. See the Tulum, Los Cabos and Cancún pages for where those flights happen, or book a session with your date and location.