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Drone laws in European Union

Last verified 13 September 2026 against European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Drone law changes fast — often twice a year. Every fact below links to the official source it came from. Verify with the regulator before you fly.

This page covers the rules issued by European Union Aviation Safety Agency and applying in the 27 EU member states plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein (through the EEA) and Switzerland (through the bilateral air transport agreement) — 31 jurisdictions in total .

One registration and one competency certificate are valid across the whole EASA area, and nowhere else on Earth does that hold. Rules sit in Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945, splitting operations into Open, Specific and Certified. The open category is keyed to the C0–C4 class mark on the aircraft. Member states keep wide discretion over geographical zones, which is where almost all real-world divergence lives — so the national page always matters too.

At a glance

Registration from
250 g — or any weight if the drone carries a sensor able to capture personal data (so almost every camera drone, regardless of mass, unless it is certified as a toy) source
Pilot credential
Free online training and a 40-question exam (75% to pass) for A1/A3; a further 30-question exam for the A2 Certificate of Competency. Both valid 5 years. The operator registers, not the aircraft — in one member state only. source
Max altitude
120 m from the closest point of the surface source
Remote ID
Direct (broadcast) remote ID, required on C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6 class-marked aircraft. C0 and C4 are exempt, and there is no retrofit mandate for legacy aircraft in the open category. Network remote ID exists only inside U-space. source
BVLOS
Not available in the open category. Routed through the Specific category — SORA 2.5, the published PDRAs, or standard scenario STS-02 with a C6 aircraft. since
Can a visitor fly?
Yes. A non-resident registers with the national authority of the first EASA-area country they intend to fly in, and that single registration is then valid across all 31. Beware of fraudulent sites selling "drone pilot licences" — a competency certificate can only come from a recognised aviation authority and always requires an exam. source
Where you may not fly
Geographical zones are designated by each member state under Article 15 and published on national maps. EASA's own pan-EU map is preliminary, covers only Ireland and Spain, and carries an explicit notice that it is not yet to be used for planning operations — so in 2026 the answer to "where can I fly" is still the host state's national map. source
Penalties
Set nationally, not by EU law — the regulations leave enforcement and penalties to each member state. Check the national authority for the country you are flying in. source

Can a visitor fly?

Yes. A non-resident registers with the national authority of the first EASA-area country they intend to fly in, and that single registration is then valid across all 31. Beware of fraudulent sites selling "drone pilot licences" — a competency certificate can only come from a recognised aviation authority and always requires an exam.

Policy timeline

  1. Proposed — not law

    Commission action plan proposes a "Drone Security Package"

    Not law. This has been proposed or is under review. There is no compliance obligation until it is published.

    The European Commission presented an Action Plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security announcing, among other things, a future package to "revamp the existing rules on civilian airborne drones", supply-chain measures and an EU Trusted Drone label. It is an action plan for discussion with member states, not legislation: as of September 2026 it has changed nothing about registration, remote ID, class marks or U-space. The direction of travel is toward tighter identification for security reasons, but nothing you must comply with has changed yet.

    Source: European Commission · COM(2026) 81 final · published 11 February 2026 · verified 13 September 2026

  2. In force

    Declarations under national standard scenarios cease to be valid

    Article 23(4) of 2019/947 ended the transitional acceptance of operator declarations made under national standard scenarios. Specific-category operators who never migrated to STS-01/STS-02 or to an operational authorisation lost their legal basis on this date.

    Source: EASA · published 30 June 2026 · verified 13 September 2026

  3. In force

    SORA 2.5 adopted as the accepted means of compliance

    ED Decision 2025/018/R brought the JARUS SORA 2.5 package into the AMC and guidance material for 2019/947, with a revised quantitative ground-risk table, containment treated as a distinct function, and 17 consolidated operational safety objectives. Note its legal character: this is an accepted means of compliance, not a regulation. Even so, each member state set its own SORA 2.0 acceptance window — one methodology, one regional regulator, 27 different transition calendars.

    Source: EASA · ED Decision 2025/018/R · published 29 September 2025 · verified 13 September 2026

  4. In force

    Latest binding amendments to 2019/947 and 2019/945 become applicable

    Regulations (EU) 2024/1110 and 2024/1108 took effect, revising definitions, the authorisation of specific-category operations, remote pilot responsibilities under the standard scenarios, and which UAS must be certified. These remain the most recent binding amendments — nothing in 2025 or 2026 has changed the regulations themselves, only the soft law around them.

    Source: EUR-Lex · (EU) 2024/1110 · published 10 April 2024 · verified 13 September 2026

  5. In force

    The transitional regime expires — legacy drones lose the A2 route

    Article 22's transitional scheme ended. The widely used "under 2 kg at 50 m from people" route is gone and has not returned. What survived is Article 20: a non-class-marked drone placed on the market before this date may still be flown indefinitely — in A1 if under 250 g, and in A3 (150 m from built-up areas) if between 250 g and 25 kg. There is no legacy route into A2 at all, because A2 requires a C2 class mark. That, not a ban, is what owners actually lost.

    Source: EASA · published 4 April 2022 · verified 13 September 2026

Official sources

Compare: United States

Guides: Why your drone licence stops at the border

Last verified · next review due 13 October 2026 · this is not legal advice; ListDrone is an information site, not a law firm or an aviation authority · found an error? tell us.