Drone insurance. Protection when flying drones.

Q: Do I need a drone licence in Switzerland?

Depending on the type of drone you have, you may need to complete training and an online exam. More information on this is available from the Federal Office of Civil Aviation FOCA at this website .

Q: Which drones need to be registered in Switzerland?

All pilots must be registered on the UAS.gate platform. The only persons who are exempt from this are persons who fly a drone weighing less than 250g that is not equipped with a camera, microphone or other sensors suitable for recording personal data.

Q: I have an older drone that doesn’t have any class identification information. What rules do I need to comply with?

The Federal Office of Civil Aviation has introduced the transitional category to cover this. You can find the various requirements here .

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Today, even powerful drones are very affordable. But what few people know is that there are various rules that have to be complied with when operating drones. Before sending your drone up, you should look into the insurance situation too.

How do I insure my drone?

If you want to fly a drone and protect yourself against the financial consequences should something go wrong, two policies are important: private liability insurance and household contents insurance.

Private liability insurance: protection should your drone cause any damage

Just imagine: You’re out flying your drone. It clips the branch of a tree and spins out of control. It then hits a car, damaging it. If your drone damages other people’s property – or even injures someone – your private liability insurance covers the costs. But this applies only to aircraft with a maximum weight of 250 grammes. Above this weight, supplementary insurance is required.

Important: For all drones weighing 250 grams or more, liability insurance with a sum insured of at least 1 million francs is required by law. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) recommends taking out liability insurance even for lighter drones.

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Private liability insurance: protection should your drone cause any damage

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Calculate premium

Household contents insurance: protection if your drone is damaged

If your drone is damaged due to fire, water ingress or a storm, or if it is stolen during a break-in, your household contents insurance covers the costs. If it gets broken following a crash, however, all-risk supplementary insurance is necessary for the costs to be covered. The deductible specified in your household contents policy will apply.

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Household contents insurance: protection if your drone is damaged

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Calculate premium

Companies can insure their drones with Helvetia too

Drones are being increasingly used not just by private individuals but by companies for commercial purposes as well. Companies have the option of including liability claims in their business liability insurance and of covering further risks such as theft, fire and collision in other policies. This is generally fairly straightforward.

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What laws apply to drone flying in Switzerland?

As of 1 January, Switzerland adopted the European Union legislation that covers drones. The most important change is no doubt the registration requirement for pilots. This requirement does not apply to persons who fly a drone weighing less than 250g that is not equipped with a camera, microphone or other sensors suitable for recording personal data. In addition, all pilots with drones weighing more than 250 grammes need to complete free training and an online exam.

Different requirements apply to different aircraft, however. The most important categories as specified by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation are:

A1 – less than 250g
A1 – less than 90g
A2 – less than 4 kg
A3 – less than 25kg
Transitional categories

Failing to comply with the requirements means breaking the law, with the result that insurers could reduce or even refuse benefits in the event of a claim. The rules set out here apply to Switzerland. If you fly your drone abroad, be aware that different rules often apply. For this reason, Helvetia recommends checking out the situation with regard to licensing and authorization in advance.

Drone insurance. Insure your drone online now.

Combine your private liability insurance and household contents insurance to get the best possible protection against any financial repercussions from flying your drone.