This article is written in English for production companies based outside Reunion Island. La version française des autorisations de tournage est disponible dans notre article sur les autorisations de tournage.

Reunion Island is a French department in the Indian Ocean: volcano, cirques, lagoon, rainforest and colonial architecture within a two-hour drive of each other. The legal framework is French and European, which is good news for paperwork and insurance, and it also means permits are requested from several different authorities depending on where your camera stands.

Who owns the location you want to shoot?

This is the only question that matters, and the answer decides who signs your permit.

• Public roads, town squares, municipal buildings and most beaches: the town hall (mairie) of the commune. Twenty-four communes cover the island, and each one has its own process and its own delay;
• Reunion National Park (about 40 % of the island, including the Piton de la Fournaise volcano and most of the cirques): the park authority. Filming inside the core area is regulated, and drone flights in particular are restricted;
• Coastline and marine reserve: the lagoon on the west coast is a protected marine reserve with its own rules, separate from the town hall's authorisation;
• Harbours, airports and industrial sites: the operator of the facility, plus a safety briefing in most cases;
• Private estates, plantations and hotels: a location agreement with the owner, negotiated directly.

A single shooting day on the west coast can easily involve two or three of these at once, which is the usual surprise for crews arriving from abroad.

How long does it take?

Plan weeks, not days. Municipal authorisations are usually the quickest, protected areas the slowest, and August to December is the busiest window locally because of the events season. Our practical rule for a foreign production: start the paperwork as soon as the locations are shortlisted, and never book flights on the assumption that a permit is a formality.

Two things speed everything up: a precise file (exact spot, dates, crew size, equipment, vehicles, power needs) and a local contact who already knows the person who signs.

What about drones?

Drone operations follow European and French civil aviation rules, with additional restrictions over the national park, the marine reserve, urban areas and near the two airports. In practice, a licensed local operator with the right registration is faster and safer than bringing your own pilot and discovering a no-fly zone on location. Our own drone work is described in vidéo par drone.

What else does a shoot here require?

1. Insurance: European-standard production insurance is expected by most location owners;
2. People on camera: written consent is required, and the rules are strict for minors. The French framework is explained in droit à l'image;
3. Weather and light: tropical light is harsh at midday and the rainy season runs roughly from December to March. Cyclone season overlaps with it;
4. Distances: the island is small but the roads are mountainous. Two locations twenty kilometres apart can be two hours apart in practice;
5. Language: administrative work is in French, and Creole is spoken everywhere. This is where a local partner saves the most time.

What a local fixer actually does

We work as a production partner for teams arriving from mainland France or abroad: location scouting with photos and video, permit applications with the right authority, local crew and equipment, transport, catering, accommodation logistics, and someone on set who can solve a problem in five minutes instead of two days. Our full offer is on our production page, and the way we build a shooting brief is explained in le brief vidéo.

If your project is an event rather than a film (conference, incentive trip, product launch), our agency handles the whole operation on the island: see seminar and incentive services and Pull Up Événements.