If you want to fly a drone by yourself as a hobby, and the drone weighs over 500 g, you need to read the self study materials and pass the online theoretical knowledge examination. After the transitional period (from 1.1.2024) the requirement for passing the online theoretical knowledge examination is always when you fly a drone weighing more than 250 g. It is important to remember that in addition to the subcategory conditions and weight limitations, the UAS operator must always comply with the general 'open' category requirements (e.g. visual line of sight, maximum height) and valid airspace restrictions. On this page, you can find information on the open category online theoretical examination.
Where can you do the examination and how much does it cost?
The open category A1/A3 examination can be taken online at the same time as registration. If you do so, you only have to pay for the registration, not for the online examination.
When you have registered yourself, you have one month to pass the examination. The number of attempts are not limited, so you can try it as many times as you like during the one month period.
If you decide only to register for the online examination, without connection to any operator, the charge for the online examination is 30 euros. That is the same charge as for registration as a drone operator for one year.
Subjects of the online theoretical examination
The open category A1/A3 online theoretical knowledge examination consists of 40 multiple-choice questions. There are questions on the following subjects: air safety, airspace restrictions, aviation regulation, human performance limitations, operational procedures, UAS general knowledge, privacy and data protection, insurance and security (self-study material , sections 1-9).
To pass the online examination, you will have to answer correctly to at least 50% of the questions in each subject, and at least 75% of all the questions in the examination.
Certificate of competency obtained from the examination
After you have passed the online theoretical knowledge examination, you will obtain a certificate of remote pilot competency which allows you to fly a UAS in the open category subcategories A1 and A3. The certificate of competency is valid for five years. After that you will need to retake and pass the examination again. However, if you pass another examination during the 5-year validity period of your certificate, for example the additional theoretical knowledge examination (A2), you will get a new certificate of competency that is again valid for five years from the last examination passed.
If you wish to fly a drone that weighs more than 500 g in densely populated areas, you would also need to have a practical self-training executed and an additional theoretical knowledge examination passed. After that you are allowed to fly a drone without CE marking until 1.1.2024, or a drone that bears a Class 2 CE marking and enters the market during the transition period. Find out more about the additional theoretical knowledge examination of subcategory A2 via the link below.