EASA Drone Categories: Open, Specific, Certified (2026)

Every drone flight in the European Union falls into one of three EASA categories: Open, Specific, or Certified. Which one applies to you is not a choice, it is determined automatically by your drone's weight and class marking, where you fly, and what you fly over. Get the category wrong and you are flying illegally even if you never break any other rule.

EASA (the European Union Aviation Safety Agency) writes one common rulebook that all 27 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, apply directly, unlike the patchwork that existed before 2021. The United Kingdom left this system after Brexit and runs its own CAA rules instead. This guide breaks down the three categories, the A1/A2/A3 subcategories inside Open, the C0-C4 drone classes that decide what you're allowed to do, and what changes for pilots in 2026.

What Are the EASA Drone Categories?

EASA sorts every drone operation into Open (low risk, no authorization needed), Specific (medium risk, requires an operational authorization), or Certified (high risk, treated like manned aviation). The category is set by risk, not by whether you fly for fun or for money, a hobbyist and a paid photographer can both be in the Open category flying the same drone.

Roughly 90% of EU drone flights, recreational and light commercial alike, happen in the Open category. You move up to Specific once you exceed Open's limits: flying BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight), over 25 kg, above 120 meters, or closer to people than your drone's class allows. Certified is reserved for drones carrying passengers or dangerous goods, or flying over assemblies of people at a risk level comparable to manned aircraft, air taxis and large cargo drones, not consumer or typical commercial UAS.

Open Category: A1, A2, A3 Subcategories Explained

Inside the Open category, EASA further splits operations into A1 (fly over people), A2 (fly close to people), and A3 (fly far from people), based on your drone's class marking and the distance you keep from uninvolved bystanders. No operational authorization is needed for any A1/A2/A3 flight, but each subcategory has its own training and distance requirements.

• A1 — Fly over people: Allowed with C0 or C1-class drones (and legacy privately-built drones under 250 g). You may overfly individual uninvolved people briefly, but never a crowd or gathering.
• A2 — Fly close to people: Requires a C2-class drone and the A2 Certificate of Competency. You must stay at least 30 meters horizontally from uninvolved people, reducible to 5 meters if the drone's low-speed mode is active.
• A3 — Fly far from people: For C2, C3, or C4-class drones (or legacy drones under 25 kg). You must fly at least 150 meters from residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational areas, with no uninvolved people nearby at all.

Drone Classes C0-C4: What They Mean and Which You Need

A drone's C-class, printed as a label on the aircraft since manufacturers began certifying models under EU Regulation 2019/945, determines which Open subcategory it can legally fly in. The class is about the manufacturer's certification, not just the drone's weight, two drones of similar weight can carry different class labels depending on their safety features.

A drone with no class label at all, most models bought before 2024, is a "legacy" drone. Legacy drones can still fly, but only under weight-based rules that grow more restrictive each year (see the 2026 section below). If you're shopping for a new drone specifically to fly in A1 or A2, check the class marking on the box before you buy, not after.

Do You Need a License to Fly a Drone in Europe?

Yes, almost every EU drone pilot needs at minimum the free A1/A3 online certificate; flying a C2-class drone in A2 additionally requires the paid A2 Certificate of Competency. The A1/A3 exam is a national-authority-administered, EASA-standardized, multiple-choice test: watch a short training module, then answer 40 questions with a 75% pass mark, and the certificate is valid for five years.

The A2 Certificate of Competency is a separate, harder credential for pilots who want to fly closer to people (down to 30 m, or 5 m in low-speed mode) with a C2-class drone. It requires completing the A1/A3 training first, a self-practical training declaration, and a proctored theory exam, online or at an approved center, covering meteorology, UAS flight performance, and technical/operational mitigations. Alongside the pilot certificate, drone operator registration (not the same as pilot certification) is mandatory for anyone flying a C1-class or heavier drone, or any drone with a camera, even sub-250g C0 models; only camera-less drones under 250 g skip it. Registration is done once per operator (person or company) through your national aviation authority and the ID must be displayed on the aircraft.

Specific and Certified Categories: When Open Category Isn't Enough

You move into the Specific category the moment a flight exceeds any Open-category limit, most commonly BVLOS work, flights above 25 kg, or operations above 120 meters AGL. Specific-category flights require an operational authorization from the national aviation authority, based on a documented risk assessment (SORA) or a Standard Scenario declaration, plus mandatory third-party liability insurance in most member states.

This is where most professional BVLOS missions live, infrastructure inspection beyond line of sight, long-range agricultural mapping, and search-and-rescue support. Operators can apply for a Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC) to self-authorize repeat operations within an approved risk envelope instead of filing for individual approvals every time. Certified category, by contrast, applies to a narrow slice of operations, drones carrying people or dangerous goods, or flights over crowds at manned-aviation risk levels, and follows certification rules closely modeled on traditional aircraft airworthiness.

EASA Drone Rules by Country: Registration, Insurance, and No-Fly Zones

EASA rules are directly applicable EU law, so the categories, subcategories, and class system are identical in Paris, Berlin, and Lisbon; what differs by country is the national aviation authority you register with, local no-fly zone maps, and insurance enforcement. Germany's LBA, France's DGAC, Spain's AESA, and Portugal's ANAC (Autoridade Nacional de Aviação Civil, not to be confused with Brazil's ANAC) each run their own registration portal and A1/A3 exam access point, but the underlying rule text is the same regulation.

Third-party liability insurance is legally required for commercial Specific-category operations in most member states and strongly recommended even in Open category, several countries (Germany, for instance) mandate it regardless of category, see our drone insurance guide for coverage options that work across EU borders. Every country also publishes its own no-fly zone geo-awareness data, restricted airspace around airports, government buildings, and protected areas, accessible through official apps and the drone's own geo-awareness system.

Important distinction for travelers: the United Kingdom is not part of the EASA system. UK pilots and visitors follow UK CAA rules (Flyer ID, Operator ID, and their own weight thresholds) instead of EASA's Open/Specific/Certified framework, even though the two systems look similar on paper. If you're flying a drone bought outside the US and traveling internationally, our guide to traveling with a drone covers battery and carry-on rules that apply on top of whichever category rules govern your destination.

2026 Transitional Rules: Legacy Drones Without Class Marking

Drones without a C-class label, still the majority of the installed base, can keep flying in 2026 but under tightening restrictions: unclassified legacy drones under 250 g still qualify for A1, while every other unclassified legacy drone is now confined to A3 only, regardless of its actual weight up to 25 kg. That means a legacy 500 g drone that used to fly under A1-equivalent weight rules can no longer be flown near people at all once the transitional allowance narrows, it must observe the full 150-meter A3 distance from residential and populated areas.

EASA is finalizing a "privately built" exemption, expected in Q3 2026, that would let homebuilt and kit drones operate under conditions similar to C4, capped at 25 kg, restricted to A3, and requiring the pilot to hold at least the A1/A3 certificate. Until that rule lands, uncertified legacy drones over 250 g have no path into A1 or A2 no matter their actual specifications. If you're buying new in 2026, buying a C-class-marked model is the only way to guarantee full access to A1 or A2 flying going forward.

Sources: EASA – Open Category, Low Risk Civil Drones | EASA – Drone Operator Registration, Authorisations and Pilot Competency | EASA – Drones Without Class Identification Label | EASA – Drone Class Identification Labels and Information Notices