Rwanda
Rwanda bans photography of government and military sites, requires RDB filming permits for professional work, and makes foreigners route drone registration through a Rwandan citizen or entity.
Guidance, not legal advice
Drone Authority
Check the flight side
Photography access and drone permission are separate questions. Drone Authority covers the flight-law side for this country.
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: No permit for casual street photography; Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Rwanda Film Office for filming and professional photography permits (applications via the Irembo portal), plus park permits for wildlife work
Personal photography needs no permit. Commercial filming and professional photography require an RDB permit; filming gorillas commercially needs a separate filming permit on top of trekking permits.
Drone / airspace
Regulated by the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA) with risk-based categories; foreign citizens cannot register drones directly and must have a Rwandan citizen, resident, or entity register and operate on their behalf
Activity permits are reported at 2 to 4 weeks' processing and registration up to three months, so this is not a spontaneous-flight country. Night flights are prohibited. National parks require additional permissions. For depth, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes for ordinary street scenes, with significant exclusions
It is prohibited to photograph military sites, government buildings, airports, and some public monuments; enforcement around ministries and the presidential area in Kigali is real. Genocide memorials restrict interior photography; follow posted rules and staff guidance.
Freedom of panorama
Restricted (non-commercial only when the work is the main subject)
Law No. 31/2009 (Art. 210) permits reproducing public artworks except where the work is the main subject of the image and the use is commercial, so there is no commercially usable freedom of panorama for copyrighted works. Landscapes and wildlife are unaffected. Wikimedia Commons classifies Rwanda as no-FoP.
Practical notes
- Gorilla trekking (Volcanoes NP): no flash, 7 m minimum distance, one hour with the family; standard trekking permits cover personal photography, commercial work needs an RDB filming permit.
- The government-buildings rule catches people in Kigali; when in doubt about a large official-looking building, do not raise the camera.
- Drones are effectively a planned-production tool here, arranged weeks ahead through a Rwandan operator, not a travel accessory.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: