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Drone driving license; receipt of the EU A1/A2 certificate of competence after taking the online exam

To operate unmanned aircraft (UAS) in subcategories A1 and A3, you need an EU Certificate of Competence A1/A3. This will be issued to you after an online course and subsequent online examination by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA).

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Online services

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Luftfahrt-Bundesamt - Referat B 5

Street address

Hermann-Blenk-Straße 26
38108 Braunschweig

Postal address

Postfach 3054

38020 Braunschweig

Email

uas@lba.de

Website

www.lba.de

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Procedure details

In order to fly unmanned aircraft such as drones or model aircraft weighing at least 250 grams safely and legally in Germany, you need an EU A1/A3 certificate of competence. This is issued online by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA). It is valid for 5 years. Unmanned aircraft are colloquially known as drones and officially as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

You will receive the EU Certificate of Competence A1/A3 if you successfully complete an online course and a subsequent online examination. The exam consists of 40 questions with predefined answer options from which you must select the correct ones. Topics include flight safety, aviation law and data protection. To pass, you must answer at least 75 percent of the questions correctly. If you do not pass, you can repeat the course and the exam.

If you are under the age of 16, your legal representative can submit the application on your behalf. However, you must complete the course and the online exam yourself.

The EU Certificate of Competence A1/A3 course is a kind of entry-level course for remote pilots. It takes around 3 to 6 hours including the exam. It entitles you to fly UAS in the so-called open operating category, subcategories A1 and A3.

The open operating category A1 applies to very light drones weighing less than 250 grams. In this category, operation in the vicinity of people is permitted, provided you maintain a minimum distance. Although the online course is recommended for this category, it is not mandatory.

The open operating category A3 applies to heavier drones that weigh more than 250 grams but less than 25 kilograms. These drones may not be used in the vicinity of people unless they are registered with the LBA and meet special safety requirements.

When operating such a UAS, you must always have the certificate of competence with you.

There are no prerequisites.

  • Required Documents

    Wenn Sie jünger als 16 Jahre sind:

    • Einverständniserklärung der gesetzlichen Vertretung

You can only complete the course and the examination for the EU Certificate of Competence A1/A3 online.

  • Go to the online training portal lba-openuav.de of the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) and complete the course there using the training materials.
  • You will then take a training test for the EU Certificate of Competence A1/A3.
  • If you have answered at least 75 percent of the training questions correctly, you can register for the online exam.
  • Take the online exam. This is possible either immediately or at a later date.
  • Once you have successfully completed the online exam, you will immediately receive your certificate with remote pilot ID in PDF format. You can download and save it.
  • You pay the fee via a payment page.

Fee for taking the online exam and issuing the EU Certificate of Competence A1/A3. Payment is made via an online payment page.
Fee: EUR 25

Fee for the extension or amendment of the A1/A3 EU Certificate of Competence. Payment is made via an online payment page.
Fee: EUR 15

The EU Certificate of Competence A1/A3 is valid for 5 years. You can only extend the certificate of competence within the validity period, after which you must take the exam again.

The online course takes an average of 3 to 6 hours. You can complete the online exam within 45 minutes. (3 to 6 hours)

There are no indications or special features.

  • Objection
  • Further information on how to lodge an objection can be found in the notification of your application.

Status: 04.07.2024
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Verkehr
Source: Federal Portal
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