Drone rules: Europe

Further rules

• This entry describes the common EU-wide drone regulation (EU 2019/947 and 2019/945), which applies uniformly in all 27 EU member states as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – Switzerland has also applied it since 2023 through its air transport agreement with the EU. For the rules of a specific country, it is still worth checking the respective country entry, as individual states may tighten the EU requirements – for example regarding compulsory insurance, which is why it is deliberately not marked as a blanket requirement here.
• Flights are divided into three categories according to risk: open (low risk, relevant for the vast majority of recreational flights), specific (medium risk, requires authorisation) and certified (high risk). Within the open category there are the subcategories A1 (never over assemblies of people; whether you may overfly individual uninvolved people depends on the drone class – with C1 drones you must be able to reasonably expect that nobody will be overflown), A2 (at least 30 metres from uninvolved people, reducible to 5 metres in low-speed mode) and A3 (at least 150 metres from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas).
• In the open category you fly no higher than 120 metres above the closest point of the earth's surface and always keep the drone within visual line of sight (VLOS). Where you may fly is additionally governed by the national UAS geographical zones: they can prohibit flights, attach conditions or require prior authorisation.
• Operator registration is required throughout the EU from a take-off weight of 250 grams, but regardless of weight also whenever the drone carries a sensor capable of capturing personal data (e.g. a camera) and does not qualify as a mere toy under the EU Toy Safety Directive. Registration is only required in a single member state (usually your country of residence) and is then valid throughout the EU, as is the EU proof of competency.
• For older drones without a C class marking that were placed on the market before 1 January 2024 (“legacy” drones): models under 250 grams may still be flown in subcategory A1, all others up to 25 kilograms only in subcategory A3, which requires considerably greater distances.
• In short: the EU rules set the common framework (registration, altitude limit, proof of competency), but details such as compulsory insurance, exact no-fly zones or additional national requirements differ from country to country – for these, it is worth looking at the respective country entry in this rulebook.