I Got My Camera Drone Confiscated in Nicaragua. Lesson Learned.

Sep 04, 2025

Ben Pipe

A rural landscape at sunrise with a tree beside a wooden fence, a field in the foreground, and a distant volcano partially covered by clouds under a colorful sky. — View of Concepcion Volcano at sunset, Ometepe Island, Rivas State, Nicaragua, Central America

As I passed through the airport security in Managua, Nicaragua, on December 30th, 2024, my heart sank — the LowePro camera bag had been flagged and was being taken aside for checks. The handler found what he was looking for: my DJI Mavic Pro Drone.

He removed it from the bag and pointed to the sign on the wall behind, clearly stating that drones are prohibited in Nicaragua. The drone was taken away and I was given a ticket, which I could apparently use to reclaim the drone when I was leaving the country.

This was a blow because my original plan was to travel overland through Nicaragua and enter Costa Rica at its northern border. However, it was better than being told the drone was confiscated permanently!

A street vendor stands beside baskets of fruit and vegetables in front of a small, rustic market stall with a corrugated metal roof and weathered walls. The stall displays pineapples, papayas, citrus fruits, and more. — Municipal Market, Granada, Nicaragua, Central America

This was all down to a lack of full planning on my part, and I’m writing this so hopefully other photographers don’t make the same mistake when entering Nicaragua, or another country with similar regulations. While at the airport, I did see other travelers having the same issue.

I’d recommend that when planning a trip, you always do the research into the current rules for drones. A couple of handy websites you can bookmark and use are Drone Safety Map and Country Drone Laws.

And it is also worth checking Reddit and TripAdvisor to find people with recent experiences of bringing drones into destinations, because rules might have changed.

Here is the (surprisingly) long list of countries that restrict or prohibit drones from being brought in:

Algeria: Complete UAV ban; drones confiscated at entry.
Antarctica: Drone use fully prohibited—protected for wildlife conservation.
Barbados: Once banned, now requires a temporary import licence, applied for six weeks in advance.
Bhutan: Strict prohibition; drones confiscated at customs.
Brunei: Drones are banned; customs will seize them.
Cuba: Importing drones is forbidden; they’ll be confiscated and possibly returned only upon exit with a hefty fine.
Egypt: Flying requires near-impossible permission from civil aviation—drones often seized.
Ethiopia: No clear laws exist, but without prior clearance from aviation authorities, bringing a drone is risky.
India: Foreigners face confiscation unless navigating a complex approval process involving licensing and dealing with telecom/aviation authorities.
Iran: Unauthorised drones are banned; confiscated at customs; some areas like Mazandaran have region-specific bans.
Iraq: Drone import and use banned, typically confiscated.
Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire): Drones banned; likely to be seized on arrival.
Kenya: Effective ban remains for most visitors due to stringent permissions needed from defense and aviation authorities.
Kuwait: Drones are banned; entry often leads to confiscation.
Kyrgyzstan: Prohibited; drones confiscated upon detection.
Madagascar: Outdoor drone use and import strictly forbidden without a special commercial permit.
Morocco: Drones are outright banned. Import and private use usually result in immediate confiscation.
Nicaragua: Zero tolerance policy—drones confiscated on entry.
North Korea: No published guidelines, but strict controls and an extreme security environment make it virtually impossible to bring a drone.
Saudi Arabia: Previously banned, now allowed only via a tightly controlled permit system through GACA. Still risky for tourists.
Senegal: Drones are illegal; confiscation likely.
Syria: Drone import/use banned.
Tunisia: No clear regulations—but travellers report confiscation of drones on arrival.
Uzbekistan: Prohibited; could result in legal penalties.

I was not on assignment in Central America, but was using free time in January to shoot personal work and explore the two countries for the first time, also with the aim of selling the work later on for editorial or stock.

A man in a boat taking a picture of the sunset. — Sunset over Lake Nicaragua, Ometepe Island, Rivas State, Nicaragua, Central America

A young man wearing a white tank top and blue patterned shorts sits outdoors, smiling at the camera with sunlight and green trees in the background. — Managua, Nicaragua

A woman hands food to a customer at an outdoor street food stand in front of a large yellow colonial-style church, while a man with a bicycle stands nearby. The sky is partly cloudy. — Tortilla stall outside Granada Cathedral, Granada, Nicaragua, Central America

A man walks on a sunlit sidewalk past a bright yellow corner building with a "Claudia’s Fashion" sign. A motorcycle is parked nearby, and a yellow awning shades the entrance. — Street scene, León, León Department, Nicaragua, Central America

A man wearing a cap and a t-shirt rides a brown horse along a sandy beach beside the water, with trees and greenery in the background under a clear sky. — Horserider on San Fernando Beach, Ometepe Island, Rivas State, Nicaragua, Central America

A baseball player in a blue uniform and cap prepares to throw a baseball, with his arm cocked back and intense focus on his face, set against a dark, blurred background. — Baseball game near Escameca, Rivas, Nicaragua, Central America

Three people—one adult and two children—stand on a sandy beach near the shoreline, looking toward the ocean. Rocky cliffs and waves are visible in the background under a clear sky. — Playa el Coco, Rivas, Nicaragua, Central America

A man wearing a red shirt shapes clay on a pottery wheel in a rustic room with a metal gate and weathered walls. Sunlight streams in from the right, illuminating his workspace. — Portrait of Alfredo at work in Pottery, San Juan de Oriente, Maseta Central, Nicaragua

A colonial-style church with red and white twin bell towers stands amid trees and rooftops, with lush green hills and a distant volcano in the background under a hazy sky. — Exterior of Calvary Church with Momotombo Volcano in background, León, León Department, Nicaragua, Central America

I had plans to use the drone for pictures of the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua; this was the main photograph I had come to the country to capture, so obviously, a massive disappointment to have this setback upon arrival. It is one of the few places in the world where you can see a live volcano with lava flowing.

A glowing volcano crater emits bright orange lava and thick smoke at dusk, with a mountain silhouette and a colorful sky in the background. — 15 secs at f/4.8 and ISO 125

I used a Nikon Z8 Camera with an older F-mount Nikon 19mm PC lens, and I shot 3 images and then stitched them together to achieve this very wide view showing the crater and horizon. I timed my visit to coincide with twilight, when I knew the best lava colours would come out, but wanted to keep some ambient light.

About the author: Ben Pipe is a travel, landscape, and portrait photographer. You can find more of his work on his website and Instagram.