This page explains what the exams are and how to prepare for them. It is not an answer key, and you will not find one here — the questions are drawn from a pool and change between sittings. What does not change is the syllabus, and that is what is worth your time.
There is no "drone licence" in Europe
The word causes more confusion than anything else in this field. What the European framework issues is a remote pilot competency certificate, and the difference is not cosmetic.
A licence implies an examination centre, a fee and a medical. This is an online course followed by an online multiple-choice test, free in several countries, which you can sit from your kitchen table and retake if you fail.
Two things follow from that. It is far less demanding than people fear. And it is not optional for most aircraft on sale today.
Who actually needs the A1/A3 certificate
Not everyone. The trigger is the aircraft, not the pilot.
You do not need it for a drone under 250 g that carries a C0 class mark, or for an unmarked drone under 250 g. These fly in subcategory A1 on the strength of their weight alone.
You need it for everything else in the open category: C1, C2, C3, C4, and every unmarked aircraft of 250 g or more. That covers the large majority of models sold today.
Note the asymmetry that trips people up: an unmarked drone of 249 g needs no training, an unmarked drone of 251 g does. Two grams, two regimes.
The A1/A3 exam in practice
You take an online training course published by your national aviation authority, then sit the examination on the same platform.
- 40 multiple-choice questions, spread across nine subject areas
- 40 minutes
- 75% to pass — 30 correct answers out of 40
- Valid for five years
- Issued by the civil aviation authority of the country where you are registered as an operator
The syllabus follows the aircraft, not the pilot's ambitions: air safety and airspace restrictions, the applicable regulation, human performance limitations, operational procedures, general knowledge of unmanned aircraft, privacy and data protection, insurance and security.
How to prepare. Read the official course rather than a summary of it. The questions are written from that material, and the wording matters — several items turn on the difference between "shall" and "may", or on which subcategory a threshold belongs to. Learn the numbers that structure the framework: 250 g, 900 g, 4 kg, 25 kg, 120 m, 150 m. Almost every numerical question resolves to one of them.
Stepping up to A2
A2 is the subcategory that lets you fly closer to people with a C2 aircraft. It is a second certificate, not a replacement, and the sequence is fixed.
- Pass the A1/A3 exam first. It is a prerequisite, not an alternative.
- Complete practical self-training and declare it to your authority. This is a declaration on your part — no instructor, no examiner. It must be carried out where no uninvolved person is put at risk, and at least 150 metres horizontally from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.
- Sit the additional theoretical exam: 30 questions, same 75% pass mark, covering meteorology, flight performance and measures to mitigate risk on the ground.
The certificate is likewise valid for five years.
Do not skip the order. The most common question asked about this progression is what a pilot flying A1 and A3 for years must do to move to A2. The answer is all three steps above, in that order — seniority counts for nothing.
Where to sit each exam
The exams are set by European rules and their format is the same everywhere. What changes is the authority, the price and, for A2, whether you can sit it from home.
| France | Germany | Spain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1/A3 course and exam | Free | Paid — around €25 | Free |
| A2 exam | Around €30 | Around €30 | Not confirmed on official sources |
| A2 exam format | Online or in person | In person | Online |
| Validity | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years |
Germany is the one to plan for: the A2 examination must be sat in person, which means booking a slot rather than deciding on a Sunday afternoon.
Full detail, country by country: France · Germany · Spain
This information is provided as guidance only and may change. Check the rules in force against the official sources listed below.
Your certificate travels, your obligations do not
A competency certificate issued by one member state is recognised by all the others, for its full five years. Pass the exam once, fly anywhere in the area.
That portability is often over-read. The certificate says you know the rules; it does not exempt you from the rules of the country you are in. Night flying, insurance, minimum age and geographical zones remain national — see flying your drone in another EU country.
What the certificate does not do
It does not register you. Training concerns the remote pilot, registration concerns the operator. They are separate formalities and one never covers the other — see registering your drone.
It does not open the specific category. A1/A3 and A2 are open-category certificates. Operations beyond that require a different route entirely.
It does not override geographical zones. No certificate authorises a flight in a restricted area. The map is checked before every flight, whatever you hold.
FAQ
Do I need a licence to fly a drone under 250 g?
No licence, and in most cases no certificate either: an aircraft under 250 g, marked C0 or unmarked, flies in A1 without the A1/A3 training. Registration as an operator is a separate matter and is usually still required, because the drone carries a camera.
How many questions are in the A1/A3 exam?
Forty multiple-choice questions across nine subject areas, with a 75% pass mark.
Can I retake the exam if I fail?
Yes. The exam is online and retakes are allowed; national authorities do not generally cap the number of attempts.
How long is the certificate valid?
Five years, in every member state. Nobody will remind you when it lapses.
Do I need A2 to fly a drone weighing more than 900 g?
Not necessarily. A C2 aircraft flies in A3 without A2, at a distance from people and built-up areas. A2 is what lets you come closer — it widens where you may fly, it is not a weight permit.
Is my certificate valid in another EU country?
Yes, in every EASA member state, for its five-year validity. The flight rules that apply are still those of the country you are in.
Sources
- EASA — Training requirements, open category (issuing authority, validity, mutual recognition): https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/the-agency/faqs/training-requirements-open-category
- EASA — Registration requirements: https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/the-agency/faqs/registration-requirements
- EUR-Lex — Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32019R0947
National sources
- France — Drone operations in the open category (DGAC): https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/exploitation-drones-categorie-ouverte
- France — Open category UAS training (DGAC): https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/formation-categorie-ouverte-uas
- Spain — Training of UAS remote pilots in the open category (AESA): https://www.seguridadaerea.gob.es/en/ambitos/drones/formacion-de-pilotos-a-distancia-de-uas-drones/formacion-de-pilotos-uas-drones-en-categoria-rabiertar
- Germany — Drones (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt): https://www.lba.de/DE/Drohnen/Drohnen_node.html