A1/A3 or A2, which drone certificate do you need?

Before you spend a cent on an exam, it pays to know which certificate you actually need. The EASA open category has three subcategories, A1, A2 and A3, and the choice comes down to two things: the mass and class of your drone, and how close to people you want to fly.

The open category in brief

The open category covers the lowest-risk operations: a drone up to 25 kg, in visual line of sight (VLOS), up to 120 metres above ground. Most operators, from hobbyists to photographers, fall in here. No authorisation is required, but you do need proven pilot competency via an exam.

A1 and A3, the entry level

The A1/A3 exam is a free online test that almost everyone starts with. You pass it once and it covers the two extremes:

• A1, flying close to people, but only with light aircraft (drones under 250 g or class C0/C1). No flying over assemblies of people.
• A3, flying heavier aircraft (up to 25 kg), but far from people, at least 150 m from residential, commercial or recreational areas.

If you have a small drone (for example one of the popular sub-250 g models), A1/A3 alone is often enough.

A2, when you want to fly closer to people

A2 is a step up. A paid exam (30 questions, 75% to pass) that lets you fly class C2 drones up to 4 kg closer to uninvolved people, keeping a safe horizontal distance, typically 30 metres (or 5 metres in low-speed mode).

Choose A2 if you:

• have a drone heavier than 250 g you want to fly in built-up areas,
• work professionally (photography, inspections) and need flexibility,
• want to fly closer to people than A1 allows.

Important: to take the A2 exam you must first hold A1/A3. It is a prerequisite, not a separate track.

Which subcategory, quick reference

Your drone	Close to people	You need
under 250 g	yes	A1 (within A1/A3)
C1 up to 900 g	limited	A1/A3
C2 up to 4 kg	yes, with distance	A2
up to 25 kg	no, far from people	A3 (within A1/A3)

What next

If you are just starting, do A1/A3 first, because it is free and required. If you already have it and want to fly closer to people with a heavier drone, it is time for A2.

In both cases the key is practising exam-style questions and understanding why each answer is correct. That is exactly what our trainer is for, you learn on questions, not on dry PDFs.