Drone classes C0 to C6: what the class label means

If you buy a new drone, you will find a small symbol with a “C” and a digit on the device and the packaging. This label is more than a marketing print: It decides which subcategory of the open category you may fly in, which proof of competency you need and how close you may get to people. This guide walks you through the drone classes C0 to C6 one by one, shows the technology behind each class and answers the question plane spotters care about most: Does the class change anything at the airport?

What is the class label?

European drone law rests on two pillars. The Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 governs operations, meaning where, how and with what qualification you fly. The Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 governs the products themselves. It defines which technical requirements a drone must meet to carry a certain class.

The class label works like other product seals: The manufacturer has its model assessed under the prescribed procedure, issues a declaration of conformity and attaches the label to the drone. This confirms, for example, that the drone does not exceed a certain mass, can limit its flight height or broadcasts its data via Remote ID. As a pilot, you can rely on that and do not have to prove the technology yourself.

There are seven classes in total. C0 to C4 are intended for the open category, where practically all hobby pilots operate. C5 and C6 were added with an amendment to the regulation and belong to the standard scenarios of the “specific” category, which is used mainly by commercial operators.

The open category in 60 seconds

To understand the classes, you need the three subcategories of the open category. They differ mainly in how close you may get to uninvolved people:

• A1 – over people, but not over crowds: for very light drones. Crowds are always off limits.
• A2 – close to people: Flying over uninvolved people is prohibited, but you may get relatively close if you keep your distance.
• A3 – far away from people: at least 150 meters horizontally from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas, with no uninvolved people in the flight area. What applies over residential areas and crowds is summarized in the article Drone over residential areas.

For all three, the following applies: at most 120 meters above ground and visual line of sight, meaning you always keep the drone in direct view. Which subcategory you may use depends on your drone’s class. The pilot qualification is explained in the guides to the EU A1/A3 certificate of competency and the EU remote pilot certificate A2.

All classes at a glance

Class	Takeoff mass	Key technology	Use
C0	under 250 g	max. 19 m/s, height max. 120 m	A1, A3
C1	under 900 g or under 80 J impact energy	Remote ID, geo-awareness, battery warning, flashing green light	A1, A3
C2	under 4 kg	like C1, plus low-speed mode with at most 3 m/s	A2, A3
C3	under 25 kg, smaller than 3 m	Remote ID, geo-awareness, height limit	A3
C4	under 25 kg	no automatic flight modes except stabilization	A3
C5	usually derived from C3	low-speed mode max. 5 m/s, flight termination system	STS-01 (specific)
C6	usually derived from C3	max. 50 m/s, programmable flight route	STS-02 (specific)

The figures summarize the key points of the regulation and the overview on dipul. The full requirements are considerably more extensive and also cover, for example, mechanical strength, behavior on loss of the link and the noise statement.

C0: the lightweights under 250 grams

Class C0 is the simplest. A C0 drone weighs less than 250 grams including payload, flies at most 19 meters per second in level flight and cannot climb higher than 120 meters above its takeoff point. Toy drones covered by the European Toy Safety Directive can also carry a C0 label.

A C0 drone is used in subcategory A1. Flying over individual uninvolved people is not expressly excluded here, but crowds are off limits. As a pilot qualification, the EU only requires that you read the user manual. You still have to register as soon as the drone carries a camera or another sensor and is not a toy – and that applies to practically every photo and video drone. What else applies to mini drones is covered in the article Drones under 250 grams, and registration is explained in Registering your drone with the LBA.

C1: the class under 900 grams

With C1, things get more technically demanding. The drone must either stay under 900 grams takeoff mass or be built so that it transfers less than 80 joules when hitting a human head. Maximum speed is also 19 meters per second, and flight height is limited to 120 meters or can be set via a height limit.

On top of that comes a whole series of mandatory functions:

• Direct Remote ID: During flight, the drone broadcasts, among other things, your operator number, its serial number, position, height, course and the pilot’s location. More in the article Remote ID for drones.
• Geo-awareness: The drone can load data on airspace restrictions and warns you when you are about to violate a boundary.
• Battery warning: early enough for you to land safely.
• Lights: including at least one flashing green light that makes the drone distinguishable from manned aircraft at night.
• Follow-me mode: If present, the drone may move no more than 50 meters away from the pilot in this mode.

C1 drones also fly in A1. Unlike with C0, however, flying over uninvolved people is not intended here; if it happens anyway, you must keep it as short as possible. As a pilot, you need the A1/A3 certificate of competency.

C2: close to people with a low-speed mode

Class C2 covers drones under 4 kilograms. Technically, they bring everything C1 requires – Remote ID, geo-awareness, height limit, lighting, protected radio link. The key extra is the low-speed mode: When it is active, the drone flies at most 3 meters per second over the ground. This requirement does not apply to fixed-wing aircraft.

This mode is the basis for subcategory A2. With an EU remote pilot certificate A2, you may fly a C2 drone at 30 meters horizontal distance from uninvolved people, or 5 meters with the low-speed mode active. Flying over people is prohibited in A2 without exception. Without an A2 certificate, subcategory A3 is all you have left with a C2 drone.

C3 and C4: the big ones in A3

C3 drones may weigh up to just under 25 kilograms and must be smaller than 3 meters in their largest dimension. They have Remote ID, geo-awareness and a height limit, but no mandatory low-speed mode. That is why they may only fly in A3, meaning far away from people and built-up areas.

C4 is the class for classic model aircraft. Here, too, the limit is under 25 kilograms, but no automatic flight modes are allowed – only a stabilization aid and a lost-link aid. Remote ID and geo-awareness are not required under the regulation. C4 is also limited to A3. For C3 and C4, you need the A1/A3 certificate of competency.

C5 and C6: classes for the “specific” category

The classes C5 and C6 play practically no role for hobby pilots. They were created for the two European standard scenarios, which let operators in the “specific” category fly with a declaration instead of an individual authorization. According to dipul, both classes are fundamentally modified C3 drones.

• C5 for STS-01: Visual line of sight flight over a controlled ground area, including in populated surroundings. The drone has a low-speed mode with at most 5 meters per second, continuously transmits its height to the pilot and has a flight termination system, such as a parachute. A C3 drone can be upgraded for this scenario with a suitable accessory kit.
• C6 for STS-02: Flights beyond visual line of sight over a controlled ground area in sparsely populated areas. The drone flies at most 50 meters per second, follows a programmable route within the defined operational volume, and the pilot can monitor position, speed and link quality.

For both scenarios, you need your own STS remote pilot certificate and must declare the operation to the authority. The standard scenarios have been applicable since January 1, 2024.

Drones without a class label: existing devices and homebuilts

Many pilots still fly drones that were bought before the classes were introduced. A transitional rule applies to them: You may keep operating drones without a class label that were placed on the market by December 31, 2023. The subcategory depends on weight:

• under 250 grams: subcategory A1,
• from 250 grams to under 25 kilograms: subcategory A3.

The same scheme applies to homebuilts, meaning drones you built yourself for your own use. According to EASA, a ready-made kit you bought does not count as a homebuilt.

New drones without a class that came onto the market after the cutoff date are no longer intended for the open category. According to dipul, they may only be operated in the “specific” category. When buying used, make sure whether a model carries a class label or was demonstrably sold before 2024.

Class, competency and requirements at a glance

Class	Subcategory	Pilot qualification	Registration
C0	A1, A3	read the user manual	yes, if camera or sensor and not a toy
C1	A1, A3	A1/A3 certificate of competency	yes
C2	A2, A3	A1/A3, for A2 also remote pilot certificate A2	yes
C3	A3	A1/A3 certificate of competency	yes
C4	A3	A1/A3 certificate of competency	yes
no class, under 250 g	A1	no training required according to EASA	yes, if camera or sensor and not a toy
no class, up to 25 kg	A3	A1/A3 certificate of competency	yes

The minimum age for remote pilots under EU law is generally 16 years, and member states may lower it to 12. For C0 toy drones as well as existing and homebuilt drones under 250 grams, EASA states no age limit. In Germany, liability insurance is also required for every drone – what it has to cover is explained in the article on drone insurance.

What the classes mean for plane spotters

For spotters, the key takeaway is quickly explained: No class opens up the airspace at the airport. The class governs how close you may get to people – not where you may fly. The geographical zones around aerodromes, control zones and other geozones apply to a 249-gram C0 drone just as much as to a heavy C3 drone.

In Germany, operating within 1,000 meters of the airport boundary and in the corridor along the runway centerlines is only permitted in the “specific” category. In control zones, you also need clearance from air traffic control. All the details are in the guide Drones near airports, and the geozone map is explained in Geozones and the dipul map. If you wonder why the authorities are so strict here, you will find the answer in the articles on drone sightings at airports and the Gatwick drone incident of 2018.

The classes are still interesting: The Remote ID of C1 to C3 drones and the geo-awareness function are building blocks that help authorities and airports detect and classify drones faster. How airports detect drones is explained in the article on drone detection and countermeasures at airports. And if you plan aerial photos of an airport, you end up with a separate permit route regardless of class, which the article Aerial photos of airports describes.

Classes abroad: Austria, Switzerland and the EU

The class label is European. A C1 drone therefore stays a C1 drone in Austria, Italy or Spain, and the pilot certificate is recognized throughout the EASA area as well. National geozones, insurance rules and portals, on the other hand, differ. What you should clarify before a trip is covered in Taking your drone on vacation. The specifics of the neighboring countries are summarized in Flying a drone in Austria and Flying a drone in Switzerland. And if the drone is supposed to travel on a plane, the guide Taking a drone on a plane helps.

FPV drones are a special case; they are often homebuilt and flown without a class label. What applies here is explained in the article on FPV drones.

Common misconceptions about the classes

• “Under 250 grams, everything is allowed.” Wrong. Even C0 drones must not fly over crowds or in airport zones.
• “I will just stick a label on.” Only the manufacturer assigns the class after the conformity assessment. A symbol you attach yourself has no effect.
• “C2 automatically means A2.” Only with the remote pilot certificate A2. Without the certificate, you fly a C2 in A3.
• “My old drone is banned now.” Existing devices may keep flying, in A1 or A3 depending on weight.
• “With geo-awareness, I can’t do anything wrong.” The function warns you, but it does not replace your check of the current geozones before the flight.

Conclusion

The classes C0 to C6 are the link between drone and operating rules. The label tells you at a glance how light and how well equipped your drone is – and from that follows whether you may fly in A1, A2 or only in A3 and which proof you need. C0 and C1 are the classes for most photo and hobby pilots, C2 is worthwhile with an A2 certificate for shots closer to people, C3 and C4 stay in A3, and C5 and C6 belong to the world of commercial standard scenarios. For plane spotters, none of this changes anything at the airport.