PulveCast

Agricultural drone spraying rules in Brazil

What you need to spray crops with a drone in Brazil: legal status, authorities, permits, requirements and operating limits, with links to the official sources.

Last updated:

Allowed with authorisation. Spraying pesticides, fertilisers and seeds with drones is legal in Brazil. The operator must be registered with the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) under Portaria MAPA nº 298/2021, the drone must be in good standing with ANAC under RBAC nº 100 (in force since 16 June 2026), and every flight needs DECEA airspace authorisation.

Who regulates it

  • Portaria MAPA nº 298/2021: Rules for operating remotely piloted aircraft that apply pesticides, adjuvants, fertilisers, inoculants, soil correctives and seeds: operator registration, the CAAR course, safety distances, application records and monthly reports. In force since 1 October 2021.
  • Decreto nº 86.765/1981 (Decreto-Lei nº 917/1969): General rules for agricultural aviation. Breaches of Portaria 298/2021 are penalised under this decree.
  • RBAC nº 100 (Resolução ANAC nº 805/2026): ANAC's general rules for civil unmanned aircraft, in force since 16 June 2026. It fully replaced RBAC-E nº 94 and sorts operations into open, specific and certified categories.
  • ICA 100-40 (DECEA, 2026 edition): Airspace access rules for unmanned aircraft, in force since 1 July 2026. No unmanned aircraft may use Brazilian airspace without authorisation, requested through SARPAS.
  • Lei nº 14.785/2023 (art. 39): Federal pesticide law. Pesticides are sold to users only against an agronomic prescription (receita agronômica) issued by a qualified professional.

What you need

  • Operator registration with MAPA through SIPEAGRO. This applies to farmers, companies, cooperatives and service providers, whether they own or lease the drone (Portaria 298/2021, art. 3). (gov.br)
  • Every remote aerial applicator must pass the CAAR (Curso para Aplicação Aeroagrícola Remota), a 28-hour course run by a MAPA-registered school. The applicator may also be the pilot. Holders of an agricultural aviation coordinator or técnico executor course are exempt (arts. 4 and 5). (gov.br)
  • Companies (legal entities) need a responsible technician (responsável técnico): an agronomist or forestry engineer registered with their professional council (art. 4). (gov.br)
  • Each drone must be registered with ANAC (SISANT) and linked to a person or company with a Brazilian CPF or CNPJ. Registration is valid for 24 months and the registration number must be marked on the drone (RBAC 100.301). (pergamum.anac.gov.br)
  • Every remote pilot must pass ANAC's theoretical knowledge exam (RBAC 100.13(b)). This requirement is waived until 31 December 2026 (Resolução ANAC nº 805/2026, art. 2). (anac.gov.br)
  • Drones heavier than 25 kg in flight fall into ANAC's specific category (RBAC 100.5). They must follow an ANAC standard scenario (cenário padrão) or hold an ANAC operational authorisation (RBAC 100.103). (pergamum.anac.gov.br)
  • Airspace authorisation from DECEA through SARPAS before every flight, for every drone regardless of weight (ICA 100-40, art. 19). (sarpas.decea.mil.br)
  • The drone's radio equipment must be certified (homologated) by Anatel. (gov.br)
  • Use products as the label (bula) and the agronomic prescription allow: MAPA treats drone and manned aerial application as equivalent (art. 25). Keep the prescription with the application record. (gov.br)
  • Record every application: start and end time, coordinates, crop, area, product, volume and dose, flight height, weather (temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction), drone ID and nozzle type, plus the application map. Keep records for at least 2 years (arts. 10 and 19). (gov.br)
  • Send a monthly activity report to MAPA through SIPEAGRO by the 15th of the following month (arts. 11 and 19). (gov.br)
  • Third-party liability insurance is required for drone operations under RBAC 100. VLOS/EVLOS agricultural application up to 120 m (400 ft) over uninhabited areas is exempt (RBAC 100.37). (pergamum.anac.gov.br)

How to get authorised

  1. Complete the CAAR at a MAPA-registered school (or hold an agricultural aviation coordinator or técnico executor certificate). (gov.br)
  2. Register the drone in ANAC's SISANT and check its category: up to 25 kg is the open category, above 25 kg is the specific category. (anac.gov.br)
  3. Make sure every pilot passes ANAC's theoretical exam before it becomes mandatory on 1 January 2027. (anac.gov.br)
  4. Apply for ARP operator registration in SIPEAGRO. Attach the company contract or proof of land tenure, the CAAR certificates, the responsible technician's council registration (companies) and proof that the drone is regular with ANAC. (gov.br)
  5. Before each job: get the agronomic prescription, check that the label allows aerial application, and request SARPAS authorisation. (sarpas.decea.mil.br)
  6. After each job: complete the application record and map. Report the month's work in SIPEAGRO by the 15th of the following month. (gov.br)

Operating limits for spraying

  • No drone application within 20 m of towns, villages, neighbourhoods, isolated houses, groups of animals, public water-supply sources, legal reserves and permanent preservation areas (APP), unless they are the target. Registered biological or organic-farming products are exempt (Portaria 298/2021, art. 9).
  • Distance limits on the product label also apply, on top of the 20 m rule (art. 9).
  • A loaded drone must not fly over populated areas, houses or groups of people (art. 9).
  • At the site: a sign reading "CUIDADO! OPERAÇÃO COM DRONE", a fire extinguisher for electronic equipment, soap, water, a first-aid kit, hospital and poison-centre phone numbers, PPE and high-visibility vests (art. 9).
  • The federal rule sets no fixed wind or temperature limit. Weather must be assessed during the operation and recorded for each application (Portaria 298/2021, arts. 9 and 10).
  • ANAC open category: up to 25 kg, VLOS or EVLOS, up to 120 m (400 ft) above ground, and never less than 30 m horizontally from people who are not involved and have not consented (RBAC 100.3 and 100.5).
  • DECEA: agricultural flights by drones over 25 kg, VLOS, up to 100 ft (30 m), over uninhabited areas and outside restricted areas may be requested in SARPAS 30 minutes ahead. Other flights over 25 kg need 8 days (ICA 100-40, art. 57).

Good to know

  • Farmers who own a drone may use it only on their own land and may not spray for others. Cooperatives may spray only their members' land (Portaria 298/2021, art. 21).
  • States can add rules. Ceará bans aerial spraying of pesticides but allows drones under Lei estadual nº 19.135/2024: agronomist guidance with an ART, at most 2 m above the crop canopy, wind below 10 km/h, and 30 m from schools, hospitals, squares, APA and APP. The law has been challenged before the Supreme Court (ADI 7794).
  • MAPA is preparing a new rule that will merge the drone rules (Portaria 298/2021) with the manned-aircraft rules (IN 2/2008). Its public consultation closed in January 2025. Portaria 298/2021 remains in force.

Checked against official sources on 2026-09-18. Rules change: confirm with the authorities before operating. This page is a planning summary, not legal advice. The product label and the official rules always prevail.

Other countries