Drone footage in Nauru isn't always typical for a Pacific island
How To Get A Nauru Drone Permit
Flying a drone in the Pacific produces Instagram-ready footage that’ll make any friend envious. With stunning beaches, swaying palm trees and dazzling blue ocean, the Pacific is made for spectacular drone footage.
Nauru, however, is one of the most difficult Pacific countries in which to obtain a drone permit. In this article, I’ll explain how to get a Nauru drone permit.
Background on the Nauru Drone Permit
In 2018, Nauru passed a new, very strict drone law. From conversations with Nauru Customs officials, we discovered the law was primarily introduced to stop the press from flying drones over the Australian asylum centre on the island.
Nauru International Airport from outside
Since the 2018 law was introduced, the Customs department at the airport has taken drones seriously and is very likely to ask you if you have one when you arrive.
Getting a Nauru Drone Permit isn’t straightforward
Even though the law was introduced in 2018, upon our arrival at Nauru’s airport, it soon became apparent that no one really knew how to process the permit. As such, it turned into a full-day activity for us.
It should be much quicker to get the permit if you know the process before you arrive in Nauru.
Nauru Drone Permit Step 1: Print the Nauru drone permit form and complete the relevant section.
The Nauru drone permit form is provided online. Make sure to print the entire document in case the customs officials disagree with your designation. This includes multiple forms and the pricing sheet.
It is best to print and complete the paperwork before boarding your flight to Nauru, as it’s unlikely that they will have the forms available at the airport on arrival.
It's best to print the Nauru drone permit forms before arrival in Nauru
Nauru Drone Permit Step 2: Declare your drone to customs on arrival in Nauru
After arriving in Nauru, you should declare your drone verbally at customs. They will then confiscate it and keep it in a locked drawer until your permit is approved.
It is against the law to fly a drone in Nauru without a permit, and the punishment is a fine of AUD 5,000 and/or 12 months’ imprisonment.
However, another traveller staying at our accommodation didn’t declare his drone. Customs officials didn’t discover it, and he got to walk away with it.
Nauru Drone Permit Step 3: Get approval from the Customs department at the airport
Provide the completed and signed drone permit paperwork to a customs worker at the airport. Once the paperwork is complete, the ‘boss’ at the airport customs department will stamp it with their approval.
Nauru International Airport arrival hall where the Customs Office is located
Be aware that the ‘boss’ is only available during the day on weekdays. Our flight arrived at 4 am, so we had to leave the drone at customs and return during business hours to obtain the approval. Even so, when we returned during business hours, the ‘boss’ was out and had to be called in to approve our Nauru drone permit.
Nauru Drone Permit Step 4: Get approval from the Secretary of Finance
Once Customs approves your permit, you’ll be instructed to go to the Secretary of Finance’s office for final approval.
The Secretary of Finance is located in the Government Building on the other side of the runway. To get there, you have to go around the runway; it’s a short five-minute drive, but a long hot walk if you don’t have transport.
The office of the Secretary of Finance in Nauru is in the Government Building across the runway from the airport
We didn’t have a car, so we asked the customs officer if he could drive us. Thankfully he agreed, as it was nearly 5 pm on a Friday.
By some miracle – this is the Pacific after all – the Secretary of Finance was still at work, and she signed our paperwork with no questions asked. If you were planning to fly a drone for commercial use, you’d also pay your fees here.
Nauru Drone Permit Step 5: Retrieve your drone from customs
Afterwards, the Customs officer drove us back to the airport. He scanned the forms and gave us our drone. It took us around 3.5 hours to get the Nauru drone permit approved.
In a random twist, the Customs officer also offered to drive us back to our accommodation, to which we gladly agreed.
Getting a Nauru Drone Permit may be quicker in future
We later found out that Nauru Tourism, situated in the Civic Centre, may be able to help with the process.
TOP TIP: Get a Digicel SIM card in the Civic Centre. Due to Nauru’s size, the majority of the island lies in a zone that can only be flown over if you’re connected to the internet.
As we later learned, the woman at Nauru Airport who normally approves the Nauru drone permit was on holiday, so it might not take you as long as it took us. Even so, it’s best to arrive prepared, understand the process, and have the form printed and completed before arriving in Nauru.
Visited: July 2024