European Union · Country guide
One rulebook, twenty-seven price lists
The EU runs a single drone regulation across every member state, so the qualifications, the categories and the exams are identical whether you sit them in Dublin or Dresden. What is not identical is the price — the regulation sets no fee, and each national authority charges what it likes.
New to this? The EU does not issue a "drone licence" either. Flying splits into an Open category for lower-risk work and a Specific category for everything else. Inside Open there are three subcategories — A1, A2 and A3 — and only one of them needs a paid certificate.
The short answer
Flying for fun
Complete the free online training course and pass the online theoretical knowledge examination with your national authority. That is 40 multiple-choice questions and it is the baseline for A1 and A3 flying.
Flying closer to people
Subcategory A2 needs a certificate of remote pilot competency. Three steps, in order, and the last one is a separate exam of at least 30 questions.
Flying in another EU country
In the Open category the rules are the same everywhere. In the Specific category they are not — operating outside your state of registration needs an application first. The detail is below.
Who runs it and what it's called
- Regulator
- EASA sets the rules; your national aviation authority issues the certificates
- Framework
- Regulation (EU) 2019/947, directly applicable across member states, with aircraft classes in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945
- Qualification names
- Online theoretical knowledge examination (A1/A3) · Certificate of remote pilot competency (A2)
- Open subcategories
- A1 over people · A2 near people · A3 far from people
- A2 certificate validity
- Five years. Renewal requires a demonstration of competencies
- Aircraft classes
- C0 to C4, marked under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945
- Fees
- Not set by the regulation. Each national authority sets its own
What each subcategory requires
| Subcategory | Pilot requirement | The exam | Distance from uninvolved people |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Online training course and online theoretical knowledge examination | 40 multiple-choice questions | May overfly uninvolved people; never assemblies |
| A2 | Certificate of remote pilot competency, on top of the A1/A3 test | At least 30 further multiple-choice questions | 30 m, or 5 m with an active low-speed mode after assessing conditions |
| A3 | Same online training and examination as A1 | The same 40 questions | Away from people and built-up areas |
Read from Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on 9 September 2026. The regulation has been amended several times since 2019; where a figure below is marked unconfirmed, it is because we read it in the original text and have not yet read the consolidated version.
The A2 certificate is three steps, in order
The regulation is unusually explicit that these happen in sequence, and the middle one is the step nobody advertises — it is unsupervised practice you do yourself, and you declare that you have done it.
| Step | What it is | Who provides it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Online training and test | The same online course and 40-question examination as A1 and A3 | Your national authority |
| 2. Self-practical training | Practice in the operating conditions of subcategory A3, which you then declare you have completed | You, unsupervised |
| 3. Additional theory examination | At least 30 multiple-choice questions on meteorology, UAS flight performance, and technical and operational mitigations for ground risk | Your national authority, or an entity it recognises |
What the free test actually covers. The 40-question online examination is broader than most people expect: air safety, airspace restrictions, aviation regulation, human performance limitations, operational procedures, UAS general knowledge, privacy and data protection, insurance, and security. Nine subjects, and it costs nothing.
What it really costs
This is the part the EU deliberately does not standardise. Regulation (EU) 2019/947 sets the syllabus, the exam length and the validity period, and says nothing at all about money. Every fee you pay is set by the national authority you register with, which is why the same A2 certificate can cost very different amounts on either side of a border.
| Item | Set by | Typical position |
|---|---|---|
| Online training and A1/A3 test | National authority | Free in some states, charged in others — Ireland charges €51 |
| A2 additional examination | National authority, or a recognised entity | Charged, and the amount varies by country |
| Operator registration | National authority | Charged in some states, free in others |
| Training course | Private providers | Optional. The regulation requires no course for A2, only the examination |
We have not yet surveyed the national fees. Twenty-seven authorities, twenty-seven price lists, and no central source that we trust. They will appear on individual country pages as we read each authority directly, rather than as a range assembled from other people's summaries.
Flying in another member state
This is where the "one rulebook" idea holds and then stops holding, and the difference matters more than almost anything else on this page.
Open category
The rules in A1, A2 and A3 come from the same regulation everywhere, so what you may fly and how close does not change at the border. Your certificate is issued by the authority of your state of registration.
Specific category
Different. Where you hold an operational authorisation and intend to fly partly or wholly in another member state's airspace, Article 13 requires you to apply to that state's authority first, enclosing a copy of your authorisation and the intended locations.
Coming from outside the EU
A UK GVC or A2 CofC is not an EU certificate — the UK left the EASA system. Neither is a US Part 107. Check with the authority of the state you intend to fly in before assuming anything travels.
Where every claim on this page came from
| Claim | Value | Primary source | Checked | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1/A3 online examination | 40 questions | Regulation (EU) 2019/947, UAS.OPEN.020 | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| The nine subjects in that examination | 9 subjects | Regulation (EU) 2019/947, UAS.OPEN.020 | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| A2 examination length and subjects | 30+ · 3 subjects | Regulation (EU) 2019/947, UAS.OPEN.030(2) | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| A2 is three steps, in the order given | 3 steps | Regulation (EU) 2019/947, UAS.OPEN.030(2)(a)–(c) | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| A2 distances, 30 m and 5 m | 30 m / 5 m | Regulation (EU) 2019/947, UAS.OPEN.030(1) | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| A2 certificate valid five years | 5 years | Regulation (EU) 2019/947 | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| Cross-border in the Specific category needs an application | Article 13 | Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 13 | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| A2 examination pass mark | 75% | Absent from the original 2019 text we read, but the Irish implementation states 75% for both exams, and the UK's retained version of the same regulation sets 75% of the overall marks. Two national implementations agreeing is strong, but we have not read it in the consolidated regulation itself | 9 Sep 2026 | Corroborated |
| National fees across member states | — | No survey done. Twenty-seven authorities, to be read individually | — | Not yet checked |
| Amendments since 2019 | — | We read the original regulation, not the consolidated version. Class-marking transitional dates in particular have moved | 9 Sep 2026 | Confirm before relying on dates |
Questions people ask about flying in the EU
Do I need a licence to fly a drone in the EU?
There is no drone licence. For A1 and A3 flying you complete a free online course and pass a 40-question examination with your national authority. Only subcategory A2 requires a paid certificate.
What is in the A2 exam?
At least 30 multiple-choice questions on meteorology, UAS flight performance, and technical and operational mitigations for ground risk.
Do I have to take a course for the A2?
No. The regulation requires the online test, self-practical training you carry out and declare yourself, and the additional examination. It requires no purchased course.
Does my A2 certificate work in other EU countries?
Open category rules come from the same regulation across member states. The Specific category is different — flying outside your state of registration under an operational authorisation requires an application to the other state first.
Is a UK GVC valid in the EU?
No. The UK left the EASA system, so a UK qualification is not an EU one. Check with the authority of the state you intend to fly in.
We will tell you when this changes
We re-check every published price and every rule on this page. Leave your email and we will tell you when one moves.
We ask for your email so we can send the reminder, and nothing else. You will get a confirmation email first — if you never click it, we never contact you again. Every email carries an unsubscribe link. Providers are shown aggregate numbers — how many people compared their course — never individual details, unless you tick the box above. How we handle your data.