Poland is preparing a major overhaul of its drone regulations, slashing fines that were introduced only last year. The government has acknowledged that penalties, such as 10,000 zł for failing to register a drone, were excessive. A draft law from the Civil Aviation Authority proposes reducing that fine to around 250 zł.
The 2025 amendment to Polish aviation law, aligned with EU rules, imposed draconian fines for even minor infractions. Operating a drone without the proper license could cost 12,000 zł, while violating flight conditions carried a 3,000 zł penalty. The new rules also required liability insurance for drones over 250 grams, with a 4,000 zł fine for non-compliance.
According to the Polish Civil Aviation Authority (ULC), over 410,000 people are officially registered as drone operators in the country, with about 100,000 new operators joining each year. Drones are now widely used in industry, logistics, surveying, agriculture, and by emergency services.
Draconian penalties introduced in 2025 sparked outrage
The rapid tightening of rules caught the drone community off guard. The police were even given powers to shoot down drones posing a threat. But the main concern was the financial burden. The 10,000 zł penalty for failing to register as an operator was widely seen as disproportionate for what is often a minor oversight.
– This sanction system was too restrictive – admitted Jadwiga Żandarska, director of the Aviation Department at the Ministry of Infrastructure, during a parliamentary subcommittee meeting. She confirmed that the ministry received a draft bill from the ULC on 5 May, which is a response to social demands and problems emerging on the drone market.
Paweł Szymański, director of the ULC’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Department, added that the project is a broad deregulatory and ordering response. He noted that feedback covered many areas: penalties, insurance, mandatory check-ins, protection of critical infrastructure, and anti-drone systems.
Planned cuts in fines and mandatory insurance for all drones
– Deregulation focuses largely on this aspect. We are ready for a significant reduction of fines and a change in the penalty catalogue – said Szymański. He explained that the proposed changes would make penalties a tool that is much more socially fair than the current high sanctions.
As a concrete example, he cited the fine for failing to register an operator. – Currently it is 10,000 zł. In the draft, this penalty has been reduced to about 250 zł, so the differences are significant – he pointed out.
At the same time, the deregulation may be accompanied by a new universal obligation: all drones flying in Poland will likely have to be insured. Żandarska stressed that the final shape of the insurance rules is not yet decided and will require negotiations with the Ministry of Finance and further consultations, balancing deregulation with the safety of people who could be harmed by drones.
Consultations and timeline for the new law
Officials have promised that this time the draft will be broadly consulted with the drone community. The hope is to implement the changes before the end of 2026. The new law aims to reduce excessive burdens, clarify problematic provisions, and introduce a penalty system that is proportionate to the actual risks.
While the previous regulations were meant to bring order to the rapidly growing drone sector, the backlash from operators and industry showed that the rules had gone too far. Now, with half a million Poles potentially affected, the government is taking a step back.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Hafiz Johari/Shutterstock
