Flying Drones in the Azores: Laws, Wind, and How to Return Home with Your Drone
Flying Drones in the Azores: Laws, Wind, and How to Return Home with Your Drone
I've been photographing the Azores for years. And I'll tell you something about this archipelago: it looks gentle from the ground. Green hills, still calderas, the occasional cow. Then you launch a drone and realise the Atlantic has been waiting for you at altitude.
Flying here is genuinely one of the best experiences you can have as a photographer. But there are a few things worth knowing before you go, so you spend your time chasing light instead of chasing paperwork. None of it is complicated. You just need to do it in the right order.
The Rules, Kept Simple
Portugal follows European EASA regulations, with a couple of local additions that catch people off guard. Here's what actually matters.
Step 1: Set Up Your ANAC Account
Head to uas.anac.pt and create your account. Fill in all your personal details accurately, as this information will appear on your operator certificate.
Once your account is set up, two quick steps to complete:
Register as an Operator. Click "Operator Registration" and complete the form. Once approved, you'll receive your REPIF code, your official operator ID. This needs to be displayed on every drone you fly.
Register your drones. Click "Register UAS" and add each drone you're planning to bring to the Azores. You'll need the model name and serial number for each one.
Step 2: Apply for Your AAN Aerial Imagery Permit
This is the step most guides don't mention. In Portugal, capturing aerial footage, even for personal use, requires a free permit from the AAN (Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional), the military authority that oversees aerial imagery. It's done entirely online at imagensaereas.aan.pt, and valid for a specific area and date range.
Here's how it works: register on the AAN platform and add your drone under "RPAs." Then go to "Areas" and create a new application for each location or region where you plan to fly. You'll need to fill in the district, municipality, your drone, dates, time period, and type of collection.
For the "Purpose" field, be specific. Something like "Aerial photography for travel and editorial content during a photography workshop in the Azores" works well. A vague answer like "professional use" is likely to be rejected.
Allow at least 10 days for approval. If you're joining a workshop, your local guide will advise on locations and dates so you can complete this accurately before you travel.
Step 3: Insurance
If you're bringing a larger drone such as a DJI Mavic 4 Pro, third-party liability insurance is mandatory in Portugal. Smaller drones are exempt, but coverage is recommended regardless.
The Wind Will Surprise You
This is the thing I tell every photographer who visits. At ground level, near the coast or tucked in a valley, you might feel almost nothing. At 50 metres up, gusts can hit 40 km/h without any warning. The Azores look calm. They are not always calm up there.
I was once guiding a client near Pico Dona Joana, a volcanic cone here on Terceira. She was flying a DJI Mavic 3 Pro, a serious machine. The launch was fine. But when it came time to bring it home, the upper wind simply wouldn't let it descend. It hovered there, fighting the gusts, battery ticking down.
Because I know that landscape, I made a call: let the wind take it. I told her to command a slow descent and controlled drift, we got in the car, and I guided her around the cone. We met the drone on the road on the other side, about 300 metres from where it launched. Clean landing. Great story. But it could have gone differently.
The rule I fly by: if you're in doubt, land. The Azores will still be here tomorrow.
One practical note on smaller drones: if you're flying a DJI Mini, never let the battery drop below 40% before starting your return. Headwind on the way home takes more than you think.
Watch Out for the Locals (The Feathered Ones)
I thought I knew this spot well, a small volcanic islet just off Terceira, one of my favourite places to fly. What I didn't expect was finding dozens of seagulls resting silently on the rocks.
I moved in low and slow, the way I shoot with a camera. Within seconds they were all airborne, and I had one of the most unexpected shots of my career. A vertical panoramic with dozens of gulls filling the frame, wings spread, passing right in front of the lens. Beautiful chaos.
One bird was less enthusiastic. She followed the drone for the rest of the flight, diving and passing, making her feelings very clear. She never made contact. But she meant business.
If a bird starts following your drone, fly straight up. Birds struggle to climb vertically. Don't try to outrun them horizontally, they're faster than you think. Climb, stabilise, come home.
Spring and summer nesting season is when this is most relevant, particularly in coastal areas like Praia dos Mosteiros in São Miguel.
A Few Small Things That Help
Bring a car charger. You'll be moving between locations all day. Charge between spots.
Ask at lunch. Most local restaurants in the Azores are genuinely welcoming. Ask politely and they'll usually let you plug in a battery while you eat. It's that kind of place.
Don't hover at viewpoints. Places like Vista do Rei are about silence and space. Get your shot and land.
Give the cows some distance. They're everywhere, and a drone overhead genuinely stresses them.
Flying with a Local Makes All the Difference
Knowing the rules is one thing. Knowing where to actually fly is another.
The Azores change. Spots that were accessible two years ago may now be restricted. Some of the most photogenic locations require permits that take weeks to process. Keeping up with all of this as a visitor, on top of planning a trip, is genuinely difficult.
I've been flying these islands for years. I know which coastal cliffs are worth the AMN paperwork, which calderas you can approach legally and at what altitude, and which spots don't appear on any list because I found them myself, on foot. That knowledge means every battery you charge goes towards a shot that's actually worth getting.
If you want to fly the Azores properly, legally, and with local insight that makes the difference between a good trip and a great one, join me on one of my photography workshops. Small groups, all permits handled, locations chosen for the best light at the best time of year.
See upcoming workshops at brunoazera.com/photo-tours
This article was written with the help of Claude AI, shaped entirely by real field experience, my own, and a few stories from fellow photographers who fly these islands. The laws are real. The wind stories are real. The seagull that followed my drone is very real.
