India's Sky Is Yours — Protect Every Drone, Every Flight, Every Mission — Agricultural· Commercial· Recreational —
Drone Insurance Policy, the insurer

the insurer's Drone Insurance Policy follows the 4-section structure mandated by IRDAI Circular IRDA/CIR/MISC/031/02/2021:

Section I — Legal Liability to Third Party (MANDATORY): Covers injury/death/property damage to third parties caused by your drone. Includes defence costs. Mandatory for all drones above 250g under DGCA Rule 33.

Section II — Physical Damage to Drone/Hull (Optional): Covers repair/replacement of the drone body, payload (camera, sprayer, sensors), and ground handling equipment on Agreed Value basis. Covers crashes, fire, disappearance during flight.

Section III — Personal Accident to Operator (Optional): Covers bodily injury to the drone operator/pilot anywhere in India during operations — Death, PTD, PPD, TTD benefits.

Section IV — Medical Expenses to Operator (Optional): Reimburses hospitalization expenses if the operator is hospitalized due to injury from drone flight — expense reimbursement (vs. lump sum PA of Section III).

Plus 9 optional endorsements including BVLOS, Cyber Liability, Night Flying, Privacy Cover, Transit, and War Liabilities — all defined in the IRDAI circular.

Yes — for all drones above 250g under DGCA Rule 33 (Drone Rules 2021)

By category:
→ Nano (≤250g): EXEMPT under 2021 rules — but Civil Drone Bill 2025 may change this
→ Micro (250g–2kg): Third-Party Liability MANDATORY
→ Small (2–25kg): Third-Party Liability MANDATORY
→ Medium (25–150kg): Third-Party Liability MANDATORY (higher limits)
→ Large (>150kg): Full aviation insurance framework applies

What "mandatory" means:
You cannot legally fly a Micro/Small/Medium/Large drone without a valid Third-Party Liability insurance certificate linked to your UIN on the eGCA platform. Flying without it is illegal and risks fines of ₹50,000–₹1,00,000 plus full personal liability for any damage.

Civil Drone Bill 2025 (Draft, September 2025):
Section 9 makes TP insurance mandatory for ALL UAS operations. Minimum cover: ₹2.5L (death/grievous injury), ₹1L (other injury). Once enacted, this replaces Drone Rules 2021.

Hull (Section II) and operator PA (Sections III/IV) are optional but strongly recommended for any drone worth more than ₹25,000 and for all commercial operators.

Section I is the mandatory foundation of the Drone Insurance Policy. It protects you against the consequences of your drone causing harm to others.


"Indemnify the insured against its legal liability (including Defence Costs) to pay Damages, for third party civil claims arising out of bodily injury or death or property damage, by an accident or a handling error on part of the authorized operator."

Why it's critical — real scenarios:
→ Drone crashes into a person at a wedding photoshoot → Third-party injury claim for ₹5–25L → Section I pays
→ Agricultural drone sprays wrong field, destroys a neighbour's crop → Property damage claim → Section I pays
→ Delivery drone drops a package on a car → Property damage claim → Section I pays
→ Construction site monitoring drone falls on a worker → Serious injury claim → Section I pays

Key features:
→ Defence costs included — legal fees to defend the claim are covered
→ Strict liability under Civil Drone Bill 2025 — no need to prove fault
→ "Handling error" covered — not just mechanical failure, but pilot errors too
→ Minimum ₹2.5L (death/grievous), ₹1L (other injuries) under Civil Drone Bill 2025

DGCA basis: TP cover for drones is offered "in line with Aircraft/Aviation Liability" standards.

Section II covers the physical loss or damage to your drone — the machine itself, not third-party damage.

What is covered (IRDAI circular):
"Indemnify the insured in respect of repair/replacement of the insured RPAS. RPAS means an Unmanned Aircraft System including payload, ground handling tools and/or equipment on Hull Agreed Value basis."

What RPAS means for insurance:
→ Drone body (frame, motors, ESCs, flight controller, battery)
→ Payload: camera, gimbal, sprayer tank, LiDAR, thermal sensor
→ Ground handling tools and equipment

Covered perils:
→ Crash into buildings, trees, power lines (even by pilot error)
→ Crash landing on rough terrain
→ Fire, overheating-related damage
→ Disappearance if drone is unreported after commencing flight
→ Propeller strikes during launch/recovery

What is "Agreed Value"?
At policy inception, you declare the drone's current replacement value. This becomes the "agreed value" — the maximum the insurer will pay on total loss. Unlike depreciated value, Agreed Value gives you the declared replacement amount without depreciation arguments.
Example: If you declare ₹2,00,000 for your drone + ₹75,000 for the camera = ₹2,75,000 total Agreed Value. If the drone is completely destroyed, the insurer pays up to ₹2,75,000.

Only if you have the Cyber Liability Cover endorsement.

Standard drone insurance does NOT cover cyber attacks, GPS spoofing, signal jamming, or drone hijacking. These are specifically listed as optional endorsements in the IRDAI circular.

What Cyber Liability Cover adds:
→ Coverage for losses from cyber attacks on drone control systems
→ GPS spoofing — adversary feeds false GPS signals causing drone to fly away or crash
→ Signal jamming — blocking control signals causing loss of control
→ Hacking of drone firmware or control app
→ Third-party damage caused by a cyber-compromised drone

Why this is growing in importance:
BVLOS drones rely on telemetry links, satellite GPS, and network connectivity — all potential attack vectors. As India's drone ecosystem matures, cyber risks are increasing significantly. The 2024 Kerala BVLOS trial incidents highlighted the importance of cyber security for long-range drones.

Who needs it:
→ Delivery drones (BVLOS) — GPS spoofing risk during autonomous flight
→ Surveillance drones — signal jamming by adversaries
→ Military-adjacent operations — drone hijacking risk
→ Any BVLOS operation where loss of link means loss of control

Without Cyber Liability endorsement: Your standard policy covers mechanical accidents but not cyber events.

For a ₹10 lakh agricultural spraying drone (Small or Medium category), the recommended coverage stack is:

MANDATORY:
→ Section I — TP Liability: Minimum ₹5–10 lakh TP limit (agri drones spray chemicals near people and crops)

ESSENTIAL (strongly recommended):
→ Section II — Hull: Agreed Value = ₹10L (drone) + Sprayer payload value = Total SI. Agri drones fly in challenging terrain and weather — crash risk is significant.
→ Alternate Hire Charges endorsement: If your ₹10L drone is being repaired for 2 months during harvest season, you need a replacement. Alternate Hire Charges covers rental of a replacement agri-drone.

CONSIDER (based on operation):
→ Section III — Operator PA: Agri drone operators are exposed to propeller injuries, chemical exposure incidents
→ Section IV — Medical Expenses: If injured during operations in remote areas
→ BVLOS endorsement: If operating long-range field surveys
→ Drone in Transit: Agri drones travel between fields and farms regularly

NaMo Drone Didi note: Women operators under the Drone Didi scheme are commercial operators — all mandatory insurance applies plus it's wise to have full coverage for a government-funded ₹10L asset.

Call 022 4302 0000 for exact the insurer premium for your agri-drone model, spray system payload, and operational geography.

BVLOS = Beyond Visual Line of Sight

Standard drone operations require the operator to always have visual contact with the drone. BVLOS allows the drone to fly beyond the operator's visual range — controlled via telemetry, camera feeds, and GPS.

Why BVLOS is the future of commercial drones:
→ Food/e-commerce delivery: Dunzo, Zomato, Amazon delivery requires BVLOS for practical range
→ Medical supply: Delivering medicines to remote areas — drones must fly beyond visual contact
→ Pipeline inspection: 100km gas pipeline can't be inspected WLOS — must be BVLOS
→ Long-range agricultural surveys: Large farms require BVLOS for efficient coverage


InsurTech Tribe newsletter (2020): "'s 2nd product (this time with the insurer) is for BVLOS flight." the insurer partnered with — India's drone insurance InsurTech — to offer BVLOS coverage when DGCA first granted BVLOS trial licenses to SpiceJet, Dunzo, and Swiggy.

What the BVLOS endorsement provides:
→ Extends standard policy to cover BVLOS operations
→ Hull (Section II) claims valid even when drone is beyond visual range
→ TP (Section I) claims valid for BVLOS incidents
→ Higher premium due to higher risk profile

Critical requirement: BVLOS endorsement is only valid if the operator holds a valid DGCA BVLOS authorization. Operating BVLOS without DGCA permission voids the endorsement entirely.

A drone causing injury during a commercial shoot triggers Section I (TP Liability) of the Drone Insurance Policy. Here's exactly what happens:

Scenario: Your DJI Phantom 4 (750g — Micro category) is filming a wedding. It loses stability and hits a guest, causing a head injury. The guest is hospitalized for 10 days. Medical bills: ₹2.5 lakh. The guest's family sues for ₹15 lakh compensation.

What Section I covers:
→ the insurer defends you legally in court (defence costs included)
→ the insurer pays the third-party compensation up to your SI (e.g., ₹25L TP limit)
→ You are not personally liable for amounts within the SI

Additional endorsement to have — Privacy Cover:
If guests object that drone footage captured them without consent — Privacy/Advertising Injury Liability covers resulting legal liability.

What strict liability means:
Under the Civil Drone Bill 2025, strict liability applies — the guest doesn't need to prove you were negligent. If your drone caused the injury during your operation, you are automatically liable. Section I pays regardless of whether you were at fault.

Important:
→ Make sure you have a valid UIN and RPC before the shoot
→ Fly in Green Zone or have Yellow Zone permission if near a venue with controlled airspace
→ Flying in a Red Zone or without proper authorization = policy does not respond

Call 022 4302 0000 to ensure your TP limit is adequate for the scale of your commercial photography operations.

Since July 2025, India's drone registration system has moved from Digital Sky to the eGCA (e-Governance for Civil Aviation) platform at egca.gov.in.

Step-by-step registration process:
1. Create account on eGCA with Aadhaar/PAN verification
2. Register as UAS Operator — provide personal/company details
3. Add your drone — enter: make, model, serial number, maximum AUW, category, photos
4. Pay registration fee (category-dependent; Micro approx. ₹100)
5. Receive UIN (Unique Identification Number) — typically 2–5 business days
6. Display UIN on the drone (engraved plate or permanent label — clearly visible)

Linking insurance:
→ Obtain your the insurer drone insurance certificate
→ Upload insurance details during eGCA registration (policy number, validity period, insurer name)
→ Insurance is digitally verified by DGCA as part of registration
→ Without valid insurance certificate linked, your UIN registration may not be completed

NPNT (No Permission — No Takeoff):
For flights in Yellow Zones: Apply for permission via eGCA before each flight. The NPNT system prevents the drone from taking off without DGCA clearance — enforced at firmware level in NPNT-compliant drones.

Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC) for commercial use:
1. Enrol at DGCA-approved Drone Training School (DTS)
2. Complete theory + practical + examination
3. Obtain RPC from DGCA — valid 10 years
4. Link RPC to eGCA operator profile

Call 022 4302 0000 — our specialists can guide you through the eGCA registration process and ensure your the insurer insurance certificate is correctly formatted for digital verification.

Penalties under current Drone Rules 2021 + Civil Drone Bill 2025:

For Micro/Small/Medium drones (above 250g) without TP insurance:
→ DGCA fine: ₹50,000 (first offense)
→ Repeat/severe: Up to ₹1,00,000 fine + operational suspension
→ Severe breaches: Up to 3 years imprisonment (Civil Drone Bill 2025, Section 34–40)
→ UIN suspension or cancellation
→ Full personal civil liability for ALL damages caused — no cap

Real-world financial exposure WITHOUT insurance:
→ Drone hits a person: ₹5–50 lakh personal liability
→ Drone damages a vehicle: ₹2–20 lakh personal liability
→ Agricultural crop damage: ₹1–10 lakh per crop-season loss
→ Structural damage (drone into building): ₹5–50 lakh personal liability
→ All paid out of YOUR personal assets — savings, property, salary garnishment

DGCA enforcement is increasing:
→ 2024: 500+ drone incidents reported, 30% commercial
→ 2025: DGCA audits ramping up significantly post-Civil Drone Bill 2025 draft
→ Kerala (2025 case): Survey drone fined ₹75,000 for no insurance — avoidable with ₹3,000/year basic policy

The math:
A Micro drone TP insurance costs ₹2,000–₹5,000/year. One uninsured incident can cost ₹5L–₹50L. The premium is 0.4%–1% of your total liability exposure. The only rational choice is insurance.