Copenhagen Police have introduced a temporary drone ban over large parts of Copenhagen and all of Amager, running from 7 p.m. on Monday, November 9, to 7 a.m. on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
The restriction means that nobody may fly a drone inside the zone without written permission from Copenhagen Police. TV 2 reports that the police announced the temporary restriction zone in a press release on Monday afternoon.
According to TV 2, the police did not give any reason for the ban. The force stated only that violations will be prosecuted.
What the zone covers and who else is affected
B.T. confirms the dates, the area and the warning about prosecution. The paper also reports that Copenhagen Police declined to tell it why the zone was created.
The Copenhagen Post adds that smaller aircraft are affected as well. Per that report, smaller aircraft may only enter the restricted area with permission from the control tower at Copenhagen Airport.
The Copenhagen Post also directs drone operators to the official drone zone map to check whether a specific location falls inside the restriction. As noted by the same outlet, police gave no explanation for the measure.
What the drone ban means for internationals in Copenhagen
The Danish term used by police is a midlertidig restriktionszone, a temporary restriction zone in the airspace. It is issued by Københavns Politi, the Copenhagen Police district, and applies to everyone inside the area, regardless of nationality or residence status. The requirement is a written permission from Copenhagen Police, which means verbal or informal clearance does not count.
For foreign residents, the practical effect is the same whether the flight is a hobby flight or paid work. Anyone planning aerial photography, property filming, inspection work or a recreational flight over central Copenhagen or Amager between Monday evening and Thursday morning is covered by the ban. That includes areas such as Amager Fælled, because the restriction applies to all of Amager.
Both B.T. and TV 2 report that breaches will be prosecuted, so the consequence of flying without written permission is a criminal matter, not an administrative one. Internationals holding an EU drone operator registration from another country should note that the restriction is territorial and applies inside the zone regardless of where the operator is registered. Whether an existing insurance policy responds to a flight made in breach of a police restriction is not addressed in any of the reporting on this zone.
None of the outlets covering the ban has published a reason for it. That means the question of what prompted the three-day zone remains unanswered publicly, and readers planning flights can only work from the dates, the area and the permission requirement that Copenhagen Police have published. Earlier drone incidents at Danish airports have drawn criticism of the police response, but no named source has linked those events to this specific restriction.
The zone lifts automatically at 7 a.m. on Thursday, November 12, according to the published times. Until then, the only lawful route into the airspace for a drone is a written permission from Copenhagen Police, and for smaller aircraft, clearance from the Copenhagen Airport control tower as reported by The Copenhagen Post.
