Drone photo & video

Mexico’s drone standard, NOM-107-SCT3-2019, does not allow foreign operators or foreign-registered drones to fly in Mexico unless a bilateral agreement covers them, and a visitor on tourist status may not do paid work under the Ley de Migración. That is why every drone photo and video session booked here is flown by a local pilot working in Mexico. If you plan to fly a drone of your own, check with the Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (AFAC) before you travel.

Under NOM-107-SCT3-2019 a drone stays at least 9.2 km from any aerodrome without special authorisation, flies no higher than 122 m, only between sunrise and sunset, and always within the pilot’s sight. Drone flights inside archaeological zones need prior authorisation from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), and inside federal protected areas they generally need authorisation from the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP).

Wind and rain can ground a drone on the day even when the sky looks fine from the ground, and the pilot makes that call for safety. Whether a grounded drone session moves to a new date or changes shape is agreed in writing before booking; if lightning or a hurricane or tropical storm warning makes the location unusable, the terms move the session to a new date at no charge.

A drone pilot in Mexico may not fly over people who are not part of the shoot, and NOM-107-SCT3-2019 keeps a small drone at least 10 m from them horizontally. On a crowded beach that means filming from the water side, at an early hour, or at a quieter stretch of sand, which is why drone photo and video sessions are usually planned for sunrise.

Cenotes in Mexico are mostly run by private owners or ejidos, and each operator sets its own rules on drones, tripods and professional cameras, sometimes with a separate camera fee. A drone flight over a cenote is planned only after the cenote has confirmed it in writing, so name the cenote when you book and the pilot will check before promising the shot.