Registration, no-fly zones, and the coastal viewpoints that don't need a drone at all.
Thailand regulates drones, and Phuket is one of the least forgiving places in the country to get it wrong: an international airport in the middle of the island, military areas, national parks, and beaches full of people who did not consent to being filmed.
Registration is not optional
Drones in Thailand must be registered with the authorities, and the requirement applies to visitors as well as residents. Registration involves the national broadcasting and telecommunications regulator and the civil aviation authority, and it is not something you complete at the airport on arrival.
Insurance covering third-party liability is also part of the requirement for registration. Rules, thresholds and processes change — check the current requirements with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand before you travel, not after you land.
Flying an unregistered drone carries real penalties under Thai law, including fines and potential imprisonment. Customs can and do ask about drones on arrival.
Where you cannot fly in Phuket
Phuket International Airport sits on the north-west coast, and its controlled airspace covers a large area including some of the best-known beaches near it. Do not fly there. The famous shot of aircraft over a beach on the approach path is exactly the shot that gets people arrested.
Also off-limits without specific permission: military installations and naval areas, government buildings, national parks including the marine parks around Phuket, and any area with a temporary flight restriction.
Beyond that, keep clear of crowds. Flying over people who have not agreed to it is both a legal problem and the fastest way to a confrontation on the sand.
General rules that apply everywhere
Keep the aircraft in visual line of sight, fly in daylight, stay below the legal altitude ceiling, and keep the distances the regulations require from people, vehicles and buildings you do not control.
Do not film into hotel rooms, over private villas, or at anyone close enough to identify without asking. Thailand's personal data rules apply to footage of identifiable people.
The viewpoints that need no drone
Half the shots people want a drone for already exist from the ground. Karon Viewpoint looks down the length of three bays. Promthep Cape at the southern tip is the classic sunset position. Windmill Viewpoint above Nai Harn gives you the coastline from a height a drone would need altitude clearance to match.
Go at first light instead of sunset and you get the same coast with a fraction of the people.
Before you pack it
Confirm current registration requirements and no-fly boundaries yourself, from the official source, close to your travel date. This area of Thai law has changed several times and enforcement in Phuket is active.
