EU A1/A3 certificate of competency: how to get your drone license online from the LBA

Many spotters eventually carry a drone in their backpack next to the camera – for landscape shots on spotting trips, for videos of the local airfield or simply because flying is fun. Before a typical camera drone takes off legally in Germany, in most cases the EU A1/A3 certificate of competency comes first, colloquially the “basic drone license.” The good news: It is quick to get, costs little and runs entirely online at the Federal Aviation Office (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, LBA). This guide shows you step by step who needs the certificate, how training and exam work, what it costs and where its limits lie – above all where spotters like to spend their time: at the airport.

The A1/A3 drone license at a glance

The EU A1/A3 certificate of competency is the basic certificate for remote pilots in the open category of the EU drone regulation. It confirms that you have completed online training and passed a theory exam. In Germany, the Federal Aviation Office in Braunschweig is responsible, offering training and exam through the lba-openuav.de portal. After you pass, you download your certificate as a PDF directly from the portal.

Who needs the A1/A3 certificate of competency?

Whether you need the certificate depends on your drone’s class and the subcategory you fly in. The EU regulation divides the open category into three subcategories, which differ mainly in the distance to uninvolved people. Which class your drone has is explained in detail in the article Drone classes C0 to C6.

Subcategory	Typical drones	Distance to people	Required certificate
A1	C0, homebuilt or legacy under 250 g, C1 under 900 g	C0 may occasionally fly over uninvolved people, C1 may not; never over crowds	C0 and under 250 g: none required; C1: A1/A3 certificate of competency
A2	C2 under 4 kg	at least 30 m from uninvolved people, 5 m in low-speed mode	A1/A3 certificate of competency plus A2 remote pilot certificate
A3	C2, C3, C4, homebuilt or legacy under 25 kg	do not endanger uninvolved people, at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas	A1/A3 certificate of competency

What additionally applies over residential areas and nature reserves is explained in the article Drone over residential areas.

For many spotters, that means in concrete terms: A class C1 camera drone requires the certificate, as does every flight in A3. Drones without a class label that were placed on the market before January 1, 2024 play an important role here: Under 250 grams, they may keep flying in A1, while heavier legacy devices up to 25 kilograms may only fly in A3 – and for that you need the certificate of competency.

Minimum age

In Germany, the minimum age for remote pilots is 16 years. Younger people may only fly under the direct supervision of a person who meets all requirements themselves; that supervising person then bears responsibility. Exempt are drones that count as toys under the EU Toy Safety Directive and homebuilt drones under 250 grams.

How the drone license process works at the LBA

The procedure is deliberately kept lean. You need an internet-capable device, an email address and some time to study. No appointment on site is needed.

What comes up in training and exam

The training covers the basics you need for safe flights in the open category. These include the rules of the EU drone regulation with its categories and subcategories, airspace and geographical areas, distances to people, flight height, operating procedures before, during and after the flight, data protection and privacy, the insurance requirement and the limits of your own perception and concentration. If you have been flying for a while or are familiar with terms like control zone as a spotter, you have an advantage – still, it is worth working through the material seriously instead of relying only on retries.

For plane spotters, the airspace chapters are especially interesting. What a control zone is and what role air traffic control plays you may already know from the article The DFS (German air navigation service) explained. The training covers how such airspaces restrict drone flight and where to look up the binding boundaries.

Costs, validity and renewal

At 25 euros for exam and issuance, the certificate of competency is one of the cheaper items around drones. The fee is based on the cost ordinance of the aviation administration (LuftKostV) and is incurred once for issuance. It is set by a cost notice, which you can download from your LBA user account after logging in. You may retake the exam itself as often as you like.

The certificate is valid for five years. Renewal runs through your LBA user account, whose username is your email address. The agency recommends tackling renewal as soon as the certificate has less than twelve months of validity left. Important: The new term starts on the day of renewal; the remaining validity is not credited. So if you renew very early, you waste time. Renewal is also subject to a fee.

The difference from the A2 remote pilot certificate

The A1/A3 certificate of competency is the foundation, and the EU remote pilot certificate A2 is the next level. It allows you to fly class C2 drones closer to uninvolved people than in A3. The A1/A3 certificate is a prerequisite. In addition, there is practical self-training, which you declare to the LBA, and an additional theory exam. Unlike with the A1/A3 certificate, you do not simply take this exam at home but at an examination body for remote pilots designated by the LBA.

Feature	A1/A3 certificate of competency	A2 remote pilot certificate
Prerequisite	none, mind the minimum age	A1/A3 certificate of competency
Training	online training at the LBA	practical self-training with a declaration
Exam	online via lba-openuav.de	theory exam at an examination body designated by the LBA
Validity	five years	five years
Renewal	via the LBA user account	higher-level certificate, refresher training or a new exam

Whether the A2 certificate is worthwhile for you and how the exam works is explained in the article EU remote pilot certificate A2. For most recreational pilots with a light camera drone, the A1/A3 certificate is entirely sufficient.

What the certificate does not replace

With the certificate of competency passed, you are qualified as a remote pilot – but not yet ready for takeoff. Three further obligations run in parallel:

• Operator registration: You register with the LBA as an operator as soon as your drone weighs 250 grams or more or has a camera on board and is not a toy. You attach the registration number to every drone. How that works is covered in the guide Registering your drone with the LBA.
• Liability insurance: Legally, a drone counts as an aircraft, so liability insurance is mandatory. You carry the insurance confirmation on every flight. Details in the article Drone insurance.
• Checking geozones: Before every flight, you check the official map to see whether your flight area lies in a geographical zone. How the dipul map works is explained in Geozones and the dipul map.

Certificate of competency and registration are, by the way, two different things that are often confused: The certificate belongs to you as a person, the registration to you as the operator of the drone. It is advisable to keep the certificate PDF at hand when flying, for example on your smartphone.

Certificate of competency and airports: not a free pass

The most important point for plane spotters: The certificate of competency does not open any airspace at the airport for you. It entitles you to flights in A1 and A3 of the open category, but the geographical areas under Section 21h LuftVO apply independently. Around airports, operation at a distance of 1,000 meters and in corridors along the runway centerlines is only permitted in the “specific” category, and in control zones you additionally need an air traffic control clearance. All the details are in the article Drones near airports.

At major commercial airports such as Munich, Frankfurt or Hamburg, the control zone extends far into the surrounding area. The drone stays in the backpack there, and the camera with a telephoto lens comes out. Legal vantage points for spotters include the Munich Airport visitors’ hill (Besucherhügel), the Zeppelinheim viewing platform or the Hamburg Airport observation deck. What rules apply on the ground is summarized in Is plane spotting legal?.

Taking the certificate abroad

A big advantage of the EU system: A certificate of competency with the EASA logo issued by a national authority is recognized in all EASA member states for the open category. For spotting trips to Austria, Switzerland or southern Europe, you therefore do not need a second certificate. You do check the zones and national additional rules of the country you are visiting anew every time, though – more in Taking your drone on vacation, Flying a drone in Austria and Flying a drone in Switzerland. If the drone travels in checked luggage, the article Taking a drone on a plane helps.

Study tips for the exam

The exam is doable but no walk in the park. With a few tricks, you will pass on the first attempt:

• Really read the material: Work through the learning materials in the training completely instead of clicking practice questions right away. Many questions revolve around details such as distances, weight limits and responsibilities.
• Write down the numbers: Note the key values – 120 meters maximum flight height, 250 grams, 900 grams, 4 and 25 kilograms, 150 meters distance in A3. If you can assign the classes confidently, you already have a large part under control.
• Keep an eye on time: 45 minutes for 40 questions works out to a little over a minute per question. Answer what you know for sure first.
• Take it calmly: Because retakes are allowed, a failed attempt is no drama. Use it to rework specifically the topics you were unsure about.

The knowledge is worth having after the exam, too. Once you understand why control zones and runway corridors exist, you watch flight operations at the spot with different eyes. How seriously airports take drones is shown by the look back at the Gatwick drone incident of 2018.

Conclusion

The EU A1/A3 certificate of competency is the easiest entry into legal drone flying: online at the LBA, 40 questions in 45 minutes, 25 euros and valid for five years. For C1 drones and all flights in A3 it is mandatory, and for light mini drones at least a sensible foundation. It does not replace registration, insurance or checking geozones – and at the airport it changes nothing about the strict restricted zones. For spotters, that means: Get the certificate, use the drone for landscapes and travel, and keep relying on the telephoto lens at the fence.