Operational authorisation in the Netherlands: the ILT route

In the Netherlands, the ILT-Luchtvaartautoriteit, part of the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate, handles operational authorisations for drones. In Dutch the permit is called an exploitatievergunning.

This guide summarises what the ILT publishes. Always check the ILT’s site for the current requirements before you apply.

Before you apply

You need an operator number (exploitantnummer), which you request from the RDW. The ILT only accepts applications that include one.

You also need to confirm that you actually need an authorisation. If your flight fits a standard scenario, a declaration may be enough.

What goes in the application

You apply through the ILT’s online form, and you attach:

A risk assessment of the flight operation. This may be a SORA or a PDRA.
A list of proposed risk-reduction measures.
A concept of operations and operations manual, where the risk calls for them.
Proof of suitable insurance.

How long it takes

According to the ILT, it extends the statutory term for these applications, which gives it 112 days to approve or reject your application.

That is the authority’s part of the process only. Add the time to prepare the file beforehand, and any back-and-forth if the file has gaps. A new mission type can easily take months from idea to first flight.

What it costs

The ILT charges a fee, set out in the Regeling tarieven transportsectoren. Check that regulation for the current amounts, and remember that consultant fees, if you use one, usually make up the larger share of the total cost.

How to avoid delays

The practical advice comes down to three things:

Be consistent. The manual, the risk assessment and your claimed mitigations have to tell the same story.
Back up every claim. A mitigation claimed at a certain robustness needs evidence at that level.
Describe what you really do. Write procedures your crew actually follows, since those procedures bind you once approved.

This is the core of what Hespoire’s rule check looks for before a file goes to the ILT.

Prefer Dutch?

We also have a summary in Dutch.