EASA: three categories a drone operator lives in
The European EASA framework splits flights into three categories by risk level. Open - low risk, covers most domestic and commercial missions up to 25 kg and up to 120 m AGL. Specific - medium risk, requires SORA analysis or work under the Polish national standard scenarios (NSTS). Certified - high risk (carriage of people, dangerous goods), for drones the size of a light aircraft - in Poland still only isolated cases.
Open is split into three sub-categories: A1 (light drones under 250 g or class C0/C1, allowed over individuals, not over a crowd), A2 (up to 4 kg class C2, minimum 30 m horizontal distance to uninvolved people, 5 m in low-speed mode), A3 (heavier, only over unpopulated areas at least 150 m from buildings). Concretely: Mavic Mini 2 (249 g) - A1. Mavic 3 Classic (895 g) - A2 or A3. Mavic 3 Pro (958 g) - A2 (if C2 labelled) or A3. DJI Inspire 3 (4 kg) - A2/A3 borderline, in practice Specific via NSTS for commercial use.
Step by step: from zero to A2 in Poland
- Registration with ULC at drony.ulc.gov.pl or via the eDrone app (Google Play / App Store). An operator account is created and a unique operator ID is issued, applied as a 3×3 cm sticker on every drone's body.
- Free online A1/A3 course on the ULC portal. Six modules of 20-40 minutes (safety, meteorology, airspace restrictions, GDPR, liability, batteries). Final auto-test of 40 questions, pass mark 75 percent. The A1/A3 certificate is issued as PDF immediately on passing, valid for 5 years.
- Self-study for the A2 exam. The material is broader than A1/A3: meteorology, human factors, operational procedures, general knowledge of unmanned aircraft, navigation. Recommended sources - ULC syllabus (free), Skyfly.pl or DroneCenter.pl course (300-500 PLN), Latajmybezpiecznie.pl forum.
- On-site or online A2 exam at an authorised training organisation (DroneCenter Warsaw, Skyfly, Aerial Concept, ALTEK). 30 questions, pass mark 75 percent (23 out of 30). Cost 90-180 PLN depending on centre. Failed first attempt - retake at 50-90 PLN after 7 days.
- A2 certificate issued in eDrone within 24-48 hours. PDF plus a numeric code scanned by municipal police at check. Valid 5 years; recertification - the same exam again.
When you have to move to Specific via NSTS
Open plus A2 does not cover three typical commercial-pilot situations. First - BVLOS flights (beyond visual line of sight), e.g. a motorway inspection 5 km along the line. Second - flights over dense urban fabric without the 30 m buffer (the entire CBD-Wola, the historic core of Kraków). Third - flights with class C3-C6 drones above 4 kg or with a payload (2 kg LiDAR scanner, multispectral camera). All three need Specific.
In Poland Specific is run through NSTS - national standard scenarios. The most common: NSTS-01 (VLOS up to 2 kg over populated areas), NSTS-02 (VLOS up to 25 kg over unpopulated), NSTS-05 (BVLOS up to 4 kg with an observer), NSTS-06 (VLOS up to 4 kg at night). An NSTS course - 1-3 days at a training organisation, theory plus practice on the range plus an instructor-led exam (theoretical + practical assessment). Cost 600-2,400 PLN per scenario depending on the centre. On completion - an operator certificate filed together with an operations manual to ULC for authorisation.
OC insurance: mandatory and optional
- Strictly mandatory OC for drones above 20 kg (Regulation EC 785/2004) - in Poland this only affects the Inspire 3 with payload and heavy industrial platforms. Minimum guarantee sum 750,000 SDR (around 5.2 million PLN in 2026).
- De facto mandatory OC for all commercial operators. For Specific authorisation, ULC requires an OC policy with a minimum 50,000 EUR sum. Institutional clients (CBRE, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, Panattoni, Echo Investment) - 1 million EUR per event minimum, otherwise they will not sign a contract.
- 2026 market cost: hobby OC policy at 100,000 PLN sum - 120-250 PLN/year (Warta, PZU). Commercial at 1 million EUR sum - 350-1,200 PLN/year (Hestia, ERV Dron, dedicated brokers). Price depends on annual flight hours, mission type and territory.
- Hull insurance for the drone itself - separate. DJI Mavic 3 - around 600-900 PLN/year hull with 15 percent deductible. For Inspire 3 with twin motors and payload - 2,000-3,500 PLN/year.
U-Space, PAŻP and DroneRadar in 2026
From 2024 Poland rolled out the first U-Space zones around Warsaw, Kraków and Gdańsk. U-Space is a digital traffic-management layer for drones: every flight in a U-Space zone requires registration with one of the certified USSPs (PAŻP UTM, Altitude Angel, Unifly), and the drone signal is continuously visible to other operators. Activation via the DroneRadar app or directly through eDrone, minimum 15 minutes before take-off.
Warsaw-Chopin CTR (Okęcie) covers a 12.5 km radius from the runway - this means all of Mokotów, Wilanów, Ursynów, Włochy and parts of Wola and Ochota. Flights without PAŻP coordination are impossible here even under A1. Procedure: file a FlightPlanID via DroneRadar or email ftc@pansa.pl at least 24 hours before the mission, providing altitude, time, pilot ID and equipment. PAŻP typically responds within 4-8 hours with acceptance or modification (e.g. ceiling lowered to 50 m, a 30-minute time window).
Recognition of foreign certificates
- EASA certificates from other member states (Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Austria) - recognised in Poland automatically. You only need to register with the Polish ULC and receive a Polish operator ID for the sticker.
- United Kingdom after Brexit - not recognised. A 2023 CAA UK certificate has to be converted by retaking the A2 exam in Poland. This affects Polish-origin operators returning from the UK.
- USA (FAA Part 107) - not recognised in the EU. For US operators filming in Poland (Hollywood productions, e.g. a Netflix crew shooting in Warsaw) - either a local operator with A2/NSTS, or an EASA one-off authorisation request (60-90 days, cost 2,000-5,000 EUR).
- Ukraine, Belarus, Russia - certificates not recognised. Operators from these countries go through the full Polish path from scratch, including the exam in Polish or English (selectable at most centres).
- Switzerland, Norway, Iceland - as EASA states without EU membership - certificates recognised as for the EU.
The most common mistake a new operator makes in 2026 is to assume that a sub-250 g Mavic Mini is exempt from registration. It exempts the drone itself, not the operator. If the drone has a camera - and the Mini does - ULC registration is mandatory and so is the A1/A3 course. Without these two steps even a flight in your own garden along Powsińska street formally qualifies as an offence with a 500-1,500 PLN fine.
Total cost: from hobbyist to commercial operator
| Profile | Equipment | Requirements | Annual cost PLN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbyist with Mavic Mini | Mavic Mini 2/3 (249 g) | ULC registration + A1/A3 online | 0 (courses free) |
| Hobbyist with Mavic 3 | Mavic 3 Classic (895 g) | ULC + A1/A3 + A2 | 90-180 (A2 exam) |
| Semi-pro (real estate) | Mavic 3 Pro / Air 3 | ULC + A2 + commercial OC 1 million EUR | 440-1,380 (A2 + OC) |
| Professional (CRE, inspection) | Mavic 3 Enterprise, Matrice 350 | ULC + A2 + NSTS-01/02/05 + OC 1 million EUR + hull | 2,550-7,300 |
| BVLOS / U-Space operator | Matrice 350 RTK, Wingtra | Specific SORA authorisation + USSP subscription | 8,000-25,000 |
Recertification and loss of privileges
- A1/A3 certificate - 5 years, recertification by retaking the online test (free, 40 questions).
- A2 certificate - 5 years, recertification by retaking the exam (90-180 PLN). Can be retaken up to 60 days before expiry without loss of standing.
- NSTS certificate - also 5 years, recertification via a shortened course (1 day, 400-800 PLN) plus practical exam.
- Loss of privileges - automatic after an accident with bodily injury or damage above 50,000 PLN; ULC investigates the incident and may withdraw the certificate for 2-5 years. Return - full path from scratch.
- A fine for flying in CTR without coordination - does not cause automatic loss of certificate, but ULC keeps the information on the register. Three offences in 12 months trigger withdrawal proceedings.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a certificate for a DJI Mavic Mini under 250 g?
- A sub-250 g drone without a camera - no. A sub-250 g drone with a camera (DJI Mini 2/3/4 Pro) - ULC registration and an A1/A3 certificate are required (online, free). This applies to flights in Poland since December 2020, and municipal police checks in Warsaw or Kraków are applied equally to a Mini and to a Mavic 3. The fine for flying without registration is 500-1,500 PLN for a first offence, 3,000 PLN for repeat.
- How long is the A2 certificate valid?
- 5 years from issue. Recertification - retake the same exam (30 questions, pass mark 75 percent, cost 90-180 PLN). You can retake up to 60 days before the expiry date without losing standing. If the certificate has lapsed you can sit it again from scratch, but in the window between expiry and the new exam, commercial flights under Open A2 are prohibited.
- Can I fly in Warsaw CTR with an A2 certificate?
- The A2 certificate alone is necessary but not sufficient. Warsaw-Chopin CTR covers a 12.5 km radius around Okęcie (all of Mokotów, Wilanów, Ursynów, Włochy), and every flight requires PAŻP coordination via DroneRadar or FlightPlanID email at least 24 hours before take-off. PAŻP may limit altitude to 30-50 m AGL or assign a narrow 15-30 minute window. Without coordination - a fine of 1,500-3,000 PLN and the drone is impounded.
- Can a 16-year-old get certified?
- Minimum age for A1/A3 in Poland is 16 (EASA let states pick 12-16; Poland chose 16). Under the supervision of a parent or a certified A2 operator one can fly from age 12, but the operator ID is issued to an adult. For NSTS and Specific - minimum 18, since the operational documentation requires full legal capacity.
- Is the online A1/A3 course available in English?
- Yes. The ULC portal lets you select Polish or English when starting the course. The A2 exam at most training centres (DroneCenter Warsaw, Skyfly Kraków, Aerial Concept Gdańsk) is also available in English for an extra 50-100 PLN. NSTS - Polish only, because operational documentation and PAŻP communication are conducted in Polish. Foreign operators most often hire a local NSTS-certified pilot rather than self-certifying.
