Drones are gaining in popularity all the time in Switzerland. But even the most skilful pilot can make a mistake from time to time. What if your drone crashes into a parked car or becomes tangled up in a power line and breaks? Drones and insurance is an increasingly topical issue in Switzerland. Read on to find out everything you need to know about drone insurance.
Guide
Drone insurance – three things to bear in mind
1. Liability insurance for drones
Personal liability insurance covers financial losses that you inflict on others with your drone. In Switzerland, liability insurance is compulsory for drones that weigh 250 g or more. For that reason, our private liability insurance already covers drones weighing less than 250 g. If your drone is heavier than that, you need additional insurance cover for at least CHF 1 million. Your insurance policy serves as proof in this regard. It is essential to clarify which type of liability insurance you need for your drone – to ensure that all losses you can cause with it are covered.
2. Drones in household contents insurance
Drones are part of your household contents – just like your bike, sofa and mobile phone. Your drone is insured against fire and water damage and theft via your household insurance. With the "theft outside the home" component, your drone is also insured if it gets stolen while you are out and about. It is essential to check the sum insured and update it if required.
Looking for supplementary insurance for your drone? In this case, in this case, an object insurance is just the thing for you. With this cover, your beloved drone will usually be insured against damage and destruction if you drop it or accidentally dash it against a wall.
3. Where am I allowed to fly my drone?
In principle, drones weighing less than 25 kg can be flown over open terrain without authorisation. However, they may not be operated at more than 120 metres above the ground. In addition, there are certain situations in which you also need advance authorisation to fly smaller drones. It is therefore essential to clarify beforehand whether you are really allowed to fly at this location.
Be careful not to intrude on other people's privacy – for instance by flying low over private properties. You must also comply with the Data Protection Act: espionage and voyeurism will be punished. This means that you must not fly your drone over military facilities or company premises or close to emergency service deployments and that you also must not operate it within five kilometres of airports or heliports without authorisation. The same applies to controlled airspace – i.e. zones near airports and airfields that are monitored by air traffic control. Be considerate and do not endanger anyone or anything, including animals. In other words, do not fly your drone over nature reserves, bird conservation zones or hunting areas.
If your drone weighs 250 g or more and you want to fly it over a crowd, you need authorisation and compulsory liability insurance. You also need authorisation if you want to fly within 30 metres of groups of people (see Open category admin.ch). The same applies to private birthday and wedding parties. And for drones with a flying weight of more than 25 kg, prior authorisation must be obtained from the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) in all cases.
The general provisions vary from canton to canton and from municipality to municipality. The best place to get more information on this is the FOCA website. If you want to fly a device outside Switzerland, you should find out about the regulations in the country in question and whether you have sufficient insurance cover in advance.
Conclusion
- Drones weighing less than 250 g are covered by our personal liability insurance.
- If your drone weighs between 250 g and 25 kg, you need additional insurance.
- Damage to your drone is partly covered by your household contents insurance.
- It may be worth taking out comprehensive insurance for your drone.
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