EASA A1/A3

For C1 drones (under 900 g), C3 and C4 drones (under 25 kg), and privately built or pre-2024 drones in that heavier band, you must read the user manual and obtain the 'Proof of completion for online training' by completing the online training and passing the online theoretical exam. C0 drones and legacy drones under 250 g require no training at all.

EASA states a remote pilot minimum age of 16 for the class-labelled drones in the open category, with the note that a State may lower that minimum age to 12, in which case the lowered limit applies only in that State. For a C0 drone that is a toy, there is no minimum age. Check your national authority's rule before enrolling.

The online page repeats one figure across the subcategories: maintain flight altitude below 120 m above ground level. That limit applies to C0, C1, C2, C3 and C4 operations and to legacy or privately built drones. It is not a target altitude - it is a ceiling you must stay under.

A1 means fly over people but not over assemblies of people. A2 means fly close to people: no overflight of uninvolved people, and a 30 m horizontal distance, reducible to 5 m if the low-speed function is activated. A3 means fly far from people: no overflight, and 150 m horizontal distance from uninvolved people and urban areas. All below 120 m.

Yes, in two cases: the drone was placed on the market before 31 December 2023, or it is privately built - meaning you built it for your own personal use and did not purchase it. A drone assembled from a set of parts sold as a single ready-to-assemble kit does not count as privately built.

Registration is a separate obligation from pilot competence. For C1, C2, C3 and C4 drones the EASA table says operator registration is required. For C0 drones and legacy or privately built drones under 250 g, registration is required only if a camera or other sensor is on board and the drone is not a toy.

Those figures are not published on the EASA open category page used to build this material, so treat any specific number you see online with caution. The examination is multiple choice; the exact question count, time limit and pass mark are set for the online training and examination by the competent authority or the entity delivering it. Confirm locally before you book.

No, it is only the first step. For the A2 'Remote pilot certificate of competency' you must already hold the A1/A3 proof of completion, then conduct and declare a practical self-training, then pass an additional theoretical exam at the national aviation authority or online under proctoring. Only then does the A2 distance regime apply to you.

Start with aviation regulation and the subcategory and class tables, because the masses (250 g, 900 g, 4 kg, 25 kg) and distances (5 m, 30 m, 150 m, 120 m) anchor everything else. Then airspace restrictions and operational procedures, then drone safety and human performance, and finish with privacy, insurance and security, which are lighter but easy marks.

Three recur: swapping the 30 m A2 distance with the 150 m A3 distance and forgetting the 5 m low-speed reduction; muddling class mass thresholds (250 g, 900 g, 4 kg, 25 kg); and assuming a sub-250 g camera drone never needs operator registration. Read each option literally - the wording difference is usually the whole question.