Drone Photography
Synonyms: Aerial Photography، UAV Photography، Aerial Real Estate Video
Last updated: 2026-09-25
Short Definition
Real estate drone photography is capturing aerial photos and video of a property and its surroundings with a small unmanned aircraft to show location, size, views and proximity to roads and services.
Overview
Legal Basis
Drone photography is governed by Part 107 of the General Authority of Civil Aviation regulations (GACAR Part 107, version 4.0): §107.8 (Privacy) requires operators of aircraft equipped with a sensor able to capture personal data through photos or video to be registered, and requires approval of the competent authority for taking photos and videos and collecting survey and geospatial data; §107.10 sets the Open-category limits (under 25 kg, visual line of sight, maximum 120 m by day, 30 m horizontally from uninvolved people, no flight over a populated area or within 8 km of a controlled aerodrome's movement area); §107.13 requires a remote pilot certificate; and §107.17 requires a permit to operate. Article 3 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law (M/17 dated 8/3/1428H) punishes invasion of privacy through camera-equipped devices, and the resulting ad is subject to the Regulation on Real Estate Marketing and Advertising.
Practical Example
An office in Buraidah markets a 25,000 m² plot on the city's outskirts at SAR 3,000,000 (SAR 120 per m²). It hires a GACA-registered aerial-photography provider for SAR 2,000; before flying, the provider confirms the site is outside airport vicinity and restricted areas and is not populated, and that the required approvals for photography are in place. The remote pilot, who holds a remote pilot certificate, flies by day, within visual line of sight and below 120 m, filming the plot's boundaries and surrounding roads without focusing on neighbouring homes. The office overlays the boundaries per the title deed and the ad licence number on the clip, and within a month receives 11 serious enquiries from investors in other cities who would not have travelled for a first viewing.
Common Mistakes
- ✗Flying a drone commercially without GACA registration, a remote pilot certificate or a permit to operate.
- ✗Filming over populated neighbourhoods or near airports and restricted areas under Open-category limits without additional approvals.
- ✗Showing neighbouring courtyards or people inside their homes — an invasion of privacy that may fall under the Anti-Cyber Crime Law.
- ✗Drawing plot boundaries in the clip that do not match the title deed, or presenting neighbouring facilities as part of the property.
- ✗Forgetting that the aerial clip is a real estate advertisement that needs an ad licence and its data.
International Differences
Commercial drone rules share common principles worldwide: registration of the aircraft or operator, a pilot certificate, an altitude cap of about 120 m (400 ft), visual line of sight and distance from airports. The US regulates this under FAA Part 107, the EU uses open, specific and certified categories, and Saudi GACAR Part 107 combines both concepts. The Saudi framework is distinctive in expressly requiring the competent authority's approval for photography and geospatial data collection, on top of privacy restrictions.
