What to do
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Do not fly from an evergreen yes or no
A Pattaya drone decision cannot safely be answered from a city name alone. Registration, the current national-security announcement, ordinary airspace controls, the exact coordinates, date and time, the operator and drone facts, insurance and site permission can all affect the planned operation. Do not launch until every applicable official step permits it.
This page has not checked a reader's drone, pilot, coordinates or flight time and cannot grant permission. Use it as an order-of-operations guide. The final decision belongs in the current CAAT UAS process, the separate NBTC process where applicable, and any responsible site, landowner or security authority.
Read Announcement No. 16 narrowly
As checked on 2026-08-14, CAAT lists Announcement No. 16 as in force. It cancels Announcement No. 15 and does not list Bang Lamung among its named border districts. That is a statement about this announcement's current district list only, not a general declaration that Pattaya is unrestricted.
No. 16 still describes conditions for civilian operations outside the listed districts, and another announcement can replace it. Other airspace, airport, security, event, emergency, crowd, site or property controls may still prohibit or condition a flight. Never market a Pattaya location as legal or drone friendly from this district-list fact.
Complete every applicable CAAT step
CAAT's current guidance describes applicable pilot and drone registration and use of the UAS Portal, with insurance and operational information in the official materials. Start with the drone and operator facts, then follow the current portal sequence rather than a third-party screenshot or an older registration tutorial.
Confirm the current insurance condition, registration validity, required documents and operation details in the official system. A profile, registration number, uploaded document or submitted request is not the same as authorization for a specific flight. Save the actual registration and operation result returned by CAAT.
Handle the separate NBTC requirement
The Office of the NBTC has a separate radio-communication and UAV-equipment registration role. Do not treat CAAT registration as automatic NBTC registration or the NBTC step as permission from CAAT. Identify the exact equipment and ask the regulator which current radio requirement applies.
Use the official NBTC service route and retain any result it issues. This page does not publish a fee, office, processing time or equipment exemption because those details were not established for every drone and operator. A seller's statement does not replace confirmation from the responsible regulator.
Check the exact operation and the site
Enter or identify the exact planned coordinates, date, time, altitude and operation through the current official process. Check for current announcements and any permission or notification returned for that operation. Weather is a separate safety question and must be checked after legality, not used as proof that a flight is permitted.
Obtain any required landowner or site consent and verify local operating restrictions. A beach, island, viewpoint, hotel, condominium or attraction can have property or safety controls even when the district is absent from No. 16's list. Do not infer consent from public access or from seeing another drone fly.
Use a strict no-go decision
Do not fly if registration is incomplete, the UAS result is absent or unclear, the NBTC requirement is unresolved, insurance or an operating condition is unmet, the exact area is restricted, site consent is missing, or people, security activity, an event, emergency response or changing conditions make the operation unsafe.
Recheck CAAT's announcement status, UAS Portal guidance, exact coordinates and the NBTC service by 2026-08-21 and again immediately before every planned flight. This guide does not summarize penalties or provide individualized aviation/legal advice; ask CAAT, NBTC and qualified counsel when the operation is unclear.
Evidence
Sources
4 dated records support the material facts on this page.
- CAAT Announcement No. 16 (2026), current drone controls during the Thailand-Cambodia border situation (opens in a new tab)
Civil Aviation Authority of Thailandprimary documentChecked
- Guidelines for UAS Service Applicants (opens in a new tab)
Civil Aviation Authority of Thailandofficial governmentChecked
- Important things to know before using drones (opens in a new tab)
Civil Aviation Authority of Thailandofficial governmentChecked
- NBTC radio-communication services, including UAV radio-equipment registration (opens in a new tab)
Office of the NBTCofficial governmentChecked