Since 1 January, flying without a drönarkort is a crime
Sweden turned the drone card from paperwork into criminal law this year. Which builds it touches is decided by one number on the scale.
What this is written from: Written from Transportstyrelsen's announcement of 4 December 2025, the Swedish Police's notice of the same month, Transportstyrelsen's drone pages and EASA's published FAQs and Opinion No 06/2026, all read on 29 September 2026. Not legal advice, and not from a courtroom.
What changed
Until this year, flying a drone in Sweden without the competence the rules asked for was a breach you could mostly ignore. From 1 January 2026 it is a crime. Transportstyrelsen announced it in December: flying a drone of 250 g or more without a drönarkort is punishable with day-fines, and in serious cases with up to six months in prison.
The same change made several other things punishable: flying in controlled airspace without permission, flying above 120 metres, flying over crowds, and careless or reckless conduct in the air. The Police published the list in their own notice, which is a fair sign that it is meant to be enforced rather than admired.
What applies to you, in Sweden, today
From Transportstyrelsen's drone pages. Fees are the published 2025 rates.
| Drönarkort (the A1/A3 test) | Required from 250 g. Flying without it is now a crime |
|---|---|
| Operator registration | Required from 250 g, OR with a camera or other sensor, whatever the weight |
| Registration fee | 190 kr to register, then 250 kr a year if registered on 1 January |
| Height | 120 metres, and above it is now punishable |
| Self-built drone under 250 g | May fly in subcategory A1 |
| Self-built drone of 250 g or more | Subcategory A3 only: far from people and buildings |
The number that decides it is the one on the scale
Everything above turns on 250 g, and 250 g means the aircraft as it takes off: frame, electronics, camera, propellers and the battery you strap on. A 65 mm whoop is nowhere near it. A 5-inch freestyle quad is two to three times over it before you add a GoPro. The interesting class is in between, the 2 and 2.5 inch builds, where the choice of battery alone can move a quad across the line.
That is exactly what the take-off weight check in the planner adds up: every part with a recorded weight, battery included, against 250 g. Where a weight is missing it says so rather than guessing, because an estimate that lands at 245 g is not a defence anybody wants to try.
Note what the line does not do. Under 250 g you still register as an operator if the drone carries a camera, and every FPV quad carries a camera. The line decides the drönarkort and the subcategory, not whether you appear in the register.
Where this goes next
- How the rules are structured Weight, camera, self-built: the three things the rules hang off.
- Complete drones, with their weights Every ready-built drone, and which side of 250 g it lands.
What Buildlas checks for you here
Every rule is published, with what it reads and what it does when a specification is missing.