Every international crew asks about drones, and most of the advice online is written for tourists. This is what a professional production needs to know about drone rules in Zimbabwe, from the application to the day you fly.
At a glance — Drone filming
To fly a drone for filming in Zimbabwe you need authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), the filming permit, a customs declaration on arrival, and the consent of whoever controls the ground. Start the drone application with the filming permit; it is usually the last approval back.
Last reviewed . Field figures are indicative and confirmed at recce. Rules and lead times change, and I check them for every production.
The rule — Two separate permissions
In Zimbabwe a drone, or remotely piloted aircraft, is regulated as an aircraft by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe. A filming permit lets you shoot; it does not let you fly. Commercial drone work needs its own authorisation, and each location may need another yes from whoever controls the ground: ZimParks in a national park, National Museums and Monuments at a heritage site, a council in town, an owner on private land.
Flying without clearance is the quickest way to lose a drone, a day, and sometimes the production’s goodwill. Police and park staff do stop unauthorised flights, and equipment is confiscated.
The process — In this order
A genuine sequence: each step depends on the one before. Send me the first two at brief stage and the rest follows.
Make, model, serial number and weight of each drone, with the pilot’s qualifications and insurance.
Coordinates or a map for each flight area, the dates, the heights, and what the shot is.
I lodge the application with CAAZ alongside the filming permit, because it usually takes the longest.
Parks, heritage, council or owner consent for each place you want to fly.
The drone is declared with the rest of the kit on your equipment list, with its serial number and value. Undeclared drones are held at the airport.
Permissions carried on set, a spotter, and flights only inside the approved area and height.
No-fly — Where the answer is no
Some places are closed to drones outright, and others need consent that is rarely given. Plan the aerials around these from the start.
Around Harare, Victoria Falls, Bulawayo and other airfields, flight is restricted or needs air-traffic coordination.
Government buildings, military and police installations, prisons, and key infrastructure such as dams and power stations.
Disturbing wildlife is the concern. Some parks allow flights with conditions; some do not.
Great Zimbabwe, Khami, rock-art sites and sacred places need heritage consent, and often the answer is no.
Flying over crowds, markets and gatherings raises safety and privacy objections, and draws attention fast.
By location — What to expect
What to expect at the locations that come up most often in briefs. Each links to its full field notes.
Scenic helicopters and microlights fly the gorge all day and the airport is close. Possible with conditions; helicopter aerials are the reliable option. Field notes
ZimParks decides, with conditions on height and on distance from wildlife. Hwange, Mana Pools
National Museums and Monuments consent on top of aviation clearance. Field notes
The border runs down the lake. Flights stay on the Zimbabwe side and well away from the dam wall. Field notes
Government and security buildings sit close together in the centre, with airport airspace to the south-east. City aerials need careful planning.
Weather and options — Plan B
The rains, roughly November to March, bring afternoon storms that ground drones for hours. Dry-season heat and dust are hard on batteries and motors. Plan flights for the early morning, and build spare days into an aerial-heavy schedule.
When a drone is not possible, helicopter charters at Victoria Falls and light aircraft elsewhere can carry a camera, and a lot can be done from high ground, camera cars and cranes. I would rather tell you early that a drone shot will not happen than let you find out at the airport. The rest of the paperwork is in the Zimbabwe filming permits guide.
Questions — Asked most often
Short answers to the questions that arrive in nearly every brief. For anything specific to your production, ask me directly.
Yes, with authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe and permission from whoever controls the ground, such as ZimParks in national parks. For filming you also need the filming permit, and the drone must be declared to customs on arrival.
Yes. The filming permit does not cover the drone. Commercial drone filming needs separate aviation authorisation, applied for in advance.
Only with aviation clearance and the parks authority’s consent, and usually with conditions, because helicopters and microlights share the airspace and the airport is close. Helicopter aerials are the dependable alternative.
It is usually the slowest approval in a production’s paperwork. Apply at the same time as the filming permit, weeks before the shoot.
An undeclared drone can be held. Declare it with the rest of the kit on your equipment list, and travel with the authorisation paperwork.
Field notes — Plan the route
Distances in Zimbabwe are long, so the locations you put together matter as much as the ones you pick. These sit well alongside this one.
Next — Your project
Tell me what you want to shoot here and when. You will get a straight answer on the permissions, the timing and the cost before you book anything.
