DJI geo zones vs the official France drone map

For many drone pilots, the drone map of France is the one shown in the manufacturer's app: a red zone blocks take-off, a button unlocks it, and no colour looks like a green light. That reading is wrong both ways, and even more so since DJI turned most of its locks into mere warnings. Here is what is legally binding in France, what a drone's geo-awareness is supposed to do, and how a professional operator and their client should use it.

Published on 2 October 2026, reviewed on 22 September 2026 — regulations in force as of September 2026.

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Two maps that do not play the same role

The map that states the law in France is neither a manufacturer's map nor, strictly speaking, the Géoportail one. The reference text is the order of 3 December 2020 on the use of airspace by unmanned aircraft, supplemented by the aeronautical publications of the SIA, France's aeronautical information service (AIP, supplements, NOTAMs). To make these rules machine-readable, Article 15 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 requires every State to publish its UAS geographical zones in a common digital format. In France this is the SIA's "UAS geographical zones" dataset, updated every 28 days on the AIRAC cycle, and it is the source of official maps such as the one covered in our guide to the Géoportail drone zone map.

A manufacturer's map plays a different role: it is an on-board aid. It takes all or part of that data, sometimes with a delay, sometimes enriched with the manufacturer's own choices, and turns it into aircraft behaviour: a message, an audible warning, a refusal to take off, an enforced ceiling. It has no legal value. The SIA says as much about its own data, which is intended for "geo-awareness" and "cannot be used on its own for activities directly affecting flight safety". If the source data itself is not enough, its reuse inside a third-party app is even less so.

This is the whole point for a client: when a contractor justifies a flight with "the app didn't block me", they are relying on a tool that was never meant to state the law. The only acceptable justification is an analysis built from official sources, dated and kept in the mission file.

What changed at DJI between 2024 and 2026

DJI's zone system, called Fly Safe and later GEO, has existed since 2013. For years it relied on the manufacturer's own zone database, with "restricted zones" that prevented take-off and an online service to request an unlock. That model was dismantled in three steps. In Europe, an update rolled out in early 2024 began integrating data published by national authorities, with France among the first countries covered. In the United States, the update of 13 January 2025 replaced DJI's database with FAA data and reclassified restricted zones as "Enhanced Warning Zones": the aircraft warns, it no longer blocks. On 17 November 2025, DJI announced the extension of this approach to all remaining international markets, and the retirement of its unlock request service in early 2026.

On the European side, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) stated on 22 January 2026 that DJI products carrying a class label (C1, C2, C3…) now rely exclusively on official data published by national authorities, the old Fly Safe datasets having been removed "to avoid misunderstandings". The Agency took the opportunity to remind all operators, whatever the brand of their aircraft, to consult the official zones of the country where they fly; it maintains a page linking to each member State's map.

The practical consequence is twofold. On the one hand, the gap between the app map and the official map has narrowed for recent aircraft. On the other, the last automatic barrier has largely gone: a pilot who relied on a take-off refusal to "know" they were in a prohibited zone no longer has that safety net. For older aircraft without a class label, behaviour depends on the model and software version; nothing guarantees they show the same data.

Why an unlock has never been an authorisation

EU law clears up the confusion. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 defines geo-awareness as a function that, based on data provided by the States, detects a potential breach of airspace limitations and alerts the remote pilot so they can act. It is required on classes C1 to C3. The verb matters: the regulatory function is an alert, not a lock. The same text provides that if an aircraft also has a function preventing it from entering certain volumes, that function must simply work without degrading safety and clearly inform the pilot. Blocking is therefore a manufacturer's option, and unlocking a manufacturer's decision, inside its own tools.

French authorisations come from elsewhere. To fly in a CTR above the published ceiling, you need the agreement of the air traffic control unit, often formalised in a protocol (see our guide on drone missions inside an airport CTR). For a restricted area, it is the manager designated in the AIP; for the core of a national park, the park authority; for a zone where aerial data capture is prohibited, the prefect or the Ministry of the Armed Forces. None of these authorities grants clearance through a manufacturer's app. Unlocking the zone in the app without holding the matching clearance does not make the flight legal: under Article L. 6232-4 of the French Transport Code, flying over a prohibited zone is punishable by six months' imprisonment and a €15,000 fine through negligence, and one year and €75,000 if deliberate.

The reverse is just as true. A blank zone in the app may be prohibited or restricted: a temporary restriction published by NOTAM, the day's activation of a military sector, a zone where aerial data capture is prohibited, a prefectoral order, flying over public space in a built-up area, or simply an AIRAC update the aircraft has not yet downloaded. Work by Torens, Nikodem, Dauer, Schirmer and Dittrich, published in 2020 in the CEAS Aeronautical Journal, sheds light on the difference: it shows that a proper geofence is defined from each mission's operational volume and the risk analysis that goes with it, with its own reliability requirements, not from a generic zone database (see the study).

Method for the operator, questions for the client, and prices

For a professional operator, good practice is to reverse the usual order. First, the analysis based on official sources: SIA dataset or official map, the AIP for the zones concerned, the day's NOTAMs and supplements, the AZBA map for the military very-low-level network. Next, the requests to the authorities that are actually competent, with their lead times. Only then, the aircraft set-up: updating its zone data before departure, checking that the app shows the same thing as the analysis and, if they differ, deciding on the basis of the analysis, never the app. In the specific category, the geofence the operator configures around its operational volume is a safety measure in its own right, distinct from the manufacturer's zones. A foreign operator coming to work in France must do the same work with French sources, even if their app shows a familiar-looking map: our guide on foreign drone operators working in France covers the formalities that remain national.

On the client side, three questions are enough to tell practices apart: which source was the airspace analysis based on, and on what date? Which authorisations were obtained, from which authority, and under what reference? What happens if the app shows a restriction the analysis did not pick up? An answer that cites the manufacturer's app as the main source should raise a flag. For an overview of the applicable rules, our complete guide to French drone regulations 2026 covers every zone type, category and procedure.

Price ranges observed in France in 2026, excl. VAT: an airspace check for a simple site is included in the preparation package; a documented analysis for a site under a CTR or near a sensitive zone, identifying the authorities to contact, costs €150 to €400; preparing a clearance or protocol request, €200 to €600 depending on the number of parties and lead times. For a mission in a zone your current contractor describes as "unlocked", request a quote stating the site's exact address: the analysis based on official sources always comes before the price.

Frequently asked questions

My DJI drone lets me take off in a red zone on the official map: am I breaking the law?

Yes, unless you hold the agreement of the competent authority. Since DJI turned most of its locks into warnings, the absence of a lock says nothing about whether the flight is legal. Only the order of 3 December 2020, SIA publications and any agreement from the zone's managing authority count.

Where can a foreign operator find the official drone zone map of France?

The SIA publishes the "UAS geographical zones" dataset free of charge; the Géoportail map "Restrictions UAS catégorie Ouverte et aéromodélisme" renders it visually. EASA also maintains a page linking to each member State's official map, France included.