Flight permit, exemption, special use permit
On Sylt the question is not whether a drone can fly, but whether it is allowed to take off there. If you are thinking about flying a drone on Sylt, this page explains who decides, how long it takes and what we need from you. And if in the end you would rather not deal with letters from the authorities: that is exactly what we take care of.
Reply within 24 hours · assessment of your location usually the same day
Four cases
On Sylt, the responsibilities lie close together. Two streets further on, a different authority may decide.
Here flying is permitted with the necessary certificates. You need the written consent of the owner, for hotels and holiday resorts that of the management, and for filming in public spaces a special use permit (Sondernutzungserlaubnis) from the municipality of Sylt (Gemeinde Sylt).
The control zone (Kontrollzone) of Sylt Airport covers a considerable part of the centre of the island. Within this zone, take off is only permitted with the consent of air traffic control, and clearance depends on current flight operations. For Westerland and Tinnum we plan for this in advance.
These include the Listland, the Braderuper Heide, the Morsum-Kliff, Baakdeel-Rantum, the Rantumer Dünen, the Rantumbecken and Nielönn, among others. Taking off requires permission from the responsible nature conservation authority; the legal basis is, among other things, Section 21h of the German Air Traffic Regulations (Luftverkehrs-Ordnung).
The entire Wadden Sea east of the island lies within the national park (Nationalpark Schleswig-Holsteinisches Wattenmeer). Operating drones there is prohibited in principle, regardless of weight, so also under 250 grams. An individual permit (Einzelgenehmigung), subject to a fee, is possible in individual cases; over protection zone 1, seal resting sites and moulting areas, no permits are granted.
From the address to the clearance
The address or land parcel, the purpose of the footage, the desired period and, for private land, the name of the owner or the management. That is enough for a first assessment. You sign nothing and apply for nothing.
This overview is a guide based on our best knowledge and does not replace legal advice. The information from the responsible authority and the current details on dipul.de are binding.
Costs
Individual permits from the authorities are subject to fees. We pass these fees on at cost and list them separately, without any mark up. Our work for checking, applying and coordinating is listed as a separate item next to it, so you can see what you are paying for.
If you are planning a shoot anyway, the permit simply becomes part of the quote. What a complete flight session costs is explained on the page Drone filming on Sylt.
FAQ
That depends on where you want to fly, and it is often several authorities at once. Over nature reserves on land, the responsible nature conservation authority decides; over the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, the national park authority; in the control zone of Westerland airport, air traffic control; and in public spaces, the municipality of Sylt with a special use permit (Sondernutzungserlaubnis). On private land you also need the written consent of the owner, and for hotels and holiday resorts the consent of the management.
For areas without protected status you usually do not need an individual permit at all; what counts there is coordination on site, and we can often be ready to fly within a few days. As soon as an official exemption is needed, allow two to six weeks of lead time. If you have a fixed shoot date, you should enquire early, not in the week before.
Individual permits from the authorities are subject to fees, and the amount depends on the case. We pass these fees on at cost and list them separately in our quote, without any mark up. Our own work for checking, applying and coordinating is listed as a separate item next to it, so you can see what you are paying for.
The address or land parcel (Flurstück), the purpose of the footage, the desired period and, if private land is involved, the name of the owner or the management. Nothing more. Everything else, meaning remote pilot certificate, operator registration, insurance and the applications themselves, is handled by us.
You can, but the authority grants the permission to the operator and the remote pilot, not to the client. If we fly, the documents therefore have to be in our name. That is why it is quicker if we organise the whole package.
Taking off without the necessary permission is an administrative offence (Ordnungswidrigkeit) and in serious cases can result in a very high fine. On top of that comes the practical trouble: you should not publish footage from an unauthorised flight, and a cancelled shoot day costs more than the lead time would have.
Why so much of Sylt is closed to drones is explained in detail in our magazine (in German): Drohnenverbot auf Sylt. What a flight session includes and costs is explained on Drone filming on Sylt.
You do not need a finished concept or a budget figure in mind. One sentence is enough. We will get back to you within 24 hours and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.
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