EU drone rules: the EASA Open category, A1 to A3
Verify before you fly
Rules verified: 2026-10-29 — regulations change; ALWAYS confirm with the national aviation authority before you fly. Official source: EASA — Civil Drones. This page is educational information, not legal advice.
Most of Europe shares one set of drone rules. The EASA framework covers the EU member states plus several neighboring states, and sorts low-risk flying into the Open category. Three subcategories — A1 "fly over people", A2 "fly close to people", A3 "fly far from people" — decide where your drone may go, and which drone qualifies is written on the aircraft itself as a class mark (C0 to C4) or determined by weight for privately built and pre-2024 legacy drones.
Who must register
Drone operators register once with their national aviation authority. Registration is required if the drone weighs 250g or more, or — the detail that surprises most travellers — if it carries any camera or sensor and is not a toy. A 249g camera drone therefore registers in Europe even though the same drone would not register for US recreational flying. Once registered, the operator ID is valid across all EASA member states and must be displayed on the aircraft.
The three subcategories
| Aircraft | Subcategory | What it allows | Training |
|---|---|---|---|
| C0 (under 250g), privately built or legacy under 250g | A1 (+A3) | May fly over uninvolved people, never over assemblies of people; below 120m | Read the user manual (C0); none for privately-built sub-250g |
| C1 (under 900g) | A1 (+A3) | No flight over uninvolved people intended; no assemblies; below 120m | A1/A3 online training + online exam |
| C2 (under 4kg) | A2 (+A3) | 30m horizontal distance from people, reducible to 5m in low-speed mode; no overflying | A1/A3 proof + practical self-training + A2 theory exam |
| C3, C4, legacy or privately built under 25kg | A3 | 150m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas and from uninvolved people | A1/A3 online training + exam |
Minimum age is 16 for the subcategories that require training; member states may lower it to 12 within their territory, and there is no age floor for C0 toys. Every subcategory holds you to the 120m ceiling and to keeping the drone in visual line of sight.
Class marks and legacy drones
Drones placed on the EU market carry a C-class label (C0 through C4) that encodes their weight band and capabilities. Drones without a label fly too: privately built aircraft and pre-2024 models are treated by weight — under 250g earns A1 privileges, under 25kg puts you in A3. Since 1 January 2024, new aircraft without a class mark no longer qualify for the Open category.
Remote ID
Open-category drones generally need a direct remote identification system that broadcasts the drone's position during flight. EASA publishes a list of manufacturer-fitted and add-on modules that hold EU declarations of conformity.
Visitors from outside Europe
Non-EU residents register as operators with the aviation authority of the first EASA state they fly from; that registration is then valid across the rest. Certificates (like the A1/A3 or A2 proof) from any EASA state are recognized in all others — and EASA notes plainly that its IDs and certificates are not automatically recognized outside EASA territory. More in the tourist guide.
Key takeaways
- Register once — needed at 250g, or any camera/sensor drone that is not a toy.
- A1 (sub-250g/C0/C1): over uninvolved people is tolerable, assemblies never.
- A2 (C2): 30m from people (5m low-speed mode) after the A2 certificate.
- A3 (C3/C4/legacy to 25kg): 150m from people and built-up areas.
- 120m ceiling and VLOS everywhere in the Open category.
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