How to Get a Drone Permit for Komodo National Park

How to get a drone permit for Komodo National Park? Komodo National Park is one of the most stunning natural landscapes I have ever been to. And it is even more spectacular from the air. But, the Indonesian government has introduced a permit system for flying a drone there, in order to protect this stunning region of Indonesia. But don’t fret, getting a permit is actually quite easy. Read on for how to get a drone permit for Komodo National Park.

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Read: How to Visit Komodo National Park and Padar Island, Indonesia

Why fly a drone in Komodo National Park?

Komodo National Park is a protected area encompassing three islands: Komodo, Padar and Rinca. You can reach it from the large neighbouring island of Flores. The natural beauty of these islands is incredible, with clear aqua marine seas, dense jungle and well as white, black and pink(!) sand beaches. Padar Island has a famous viewpoint where you can see three different coloured beaches all at the same time! There are also at least 3 pink beaches that I am aware of, and the contrast between the pink of the sand and the blue of the sea is remarkable from above – the perfect drone spot!

How to get a drone permit for Komodo National Park?

If you’re visiting Komodo National Park, the most common place to base yourself is Labuan Bajo, on the neighbouring island of Flores. To get a drone permit, you have two choices. Either i) ask your accommodation or tour provider if they will do it for you. Or, ii) go to the “Kantor Balai Taman Nasional Komodo” office yourself in Labuan Bajo. This is what I did, and the process was very easy.

Location of Kantor Balai Taman Nasional Komodo, Labuan Bajo

The “Kantor Balai Taman Nasional Komodo” office is located in the centre of Labuan Bajo here.

Drone permit process at Kantor Balai Taman Nasional Komodo, Labuan Bajo

Get IDR 1,000,000 (price at the time of writing) out in cash as they do not accept card
Also bring some small cash notes (IDR 15,000) to buy the stamp
Arrive at the Kantor Balai Taman Nasional Komodo, Labuan Bajo and walk around the side of the building to the entrance
When I arrived they had a reception table outside
Tell reception you would like to purchase a drone permit
Complete a basic form (hotel address, name, passport number, citizenship, drone model)
Provide your drone certificate (or tell them that you do not need one if your drone weighs less than 250g)
Wait while they write up the permit. They will then stick the postage stamp on that and ask you to sign the form.
Go to a room for a short presentation on how to fly your drone responsibly in Komodo National Park and they will show you a map of the prohibited areas.
Go to the accounts room to pay (in cash).
Receive your drone permit in an envelope. Keep this with you when you go to Komodo National Park to show the rangers.

Drone Permit in Padar Island

When you go to Padar Island, I recommend climbing to near-ish the top of the viewpoint and then finding one of the slightly quieter spots. Then show your drone permit to the nearest ranger. I did not have any problems. The ranger was very friendly and just checked the document and gave me the thumbs up to fly. Note that Padar Island can get quite crowded, so don’t fly your drone directly over where the people are.

Drone Permit on Pink Beach

I did not see any rangers when I was on Pink Beach so I just kept the permit in my bag in case someone came over to ask. You do still need a permit here so I do not recommend flying without one. If you are caught flying without a permit you can be fined.