Can you work with an operator who still holds NSTS instead of STS in 2026?

Legally, no. From 1 January 2026, NSTS has no effect, and operations under those scenarios qualify as unauthorised flight. Insurers will deny any claim after an incident, and ULC can fine the operator up to 25,000 PLN and suspend their registration. The client is left with no liability cover and exposed to a civil claim from a third party.

What if an operator refuses to disclose the OC sum insured?

That is an automatic disqualifier. A professional operator provides a certificate of insurance with the guarantee amount stated in SDR or EUR, the cover period, and the option to add your registered address as additional insured. If only the policy cover sheet is shown, with no schedule listing the sum, request the endorsement; refusal means either there is no commercial cover, or the policy is private pilot-only and does not cover B2B work.

Does EASA STS apply in Switzerland or the UK?

In Switzerland - yes. FOCA has adopted EASA standards and only a cross-border notification 5-10 days in advance is required. In the UK - no: after Brexit, CAA UK retained its own GVC and Operational Authorisation system, and EU STS is not accepted. To fly in London or Edinburgh, a Polish operator must register separately as a Foreign Operator with CAA UK and pass a local A2 CofC, which takes 3-6 weeks.

Hiring a drone operator in Europe: licences, insurance and 2026 law

Until 2024, Polish operators hid behind the NSTS label and a 270,000 PLN third-party policy. As of 1 January 2026, that era is closed: NSTS no longer applies, and the EU has moved every operator to a single EASA standard. Here is what it means for you as a client, and how to tell a professional from an amateur in 5 minutes of document review.

What changed on 1 January 2026: before and after

On 31 December 2025, the ULC (Urząd Lotnictwa Cywilnego, Polish Civil Aviation Authority) closed the national NSTS scenarios with no right of extension and no automatic conversion. Every pilot has to re-sit theory and practical exams under EASA rules. This decision by the ULC President is confirmed in public communications from PAŻP (Polish Air Navigation Services Agency) and in the closing guidance for operators.

Licences: NSTS-01/02 (PL only) replaced by STS-01/02 (EASA, valid across 27 EU countries)
Drone class: legacy registration replaced by CE C0-C6 EASA marking
BVLOS: national authorisation replaced by PDRA/SORA with notification through the NSO
Liability minimum: the 270,000 PLN floor from the old national rule replaced by the EC 785/2004 benchmark (750,000 SDR for aircraft up to 500 kg)
Portal: PansaUTM remains for domestic flights in PL; for cross-border missions, Drone Tower launches in Q1 2026

7 documents an operator must show before signing a contract

1. EASA STS-01 or STS-02 issued to the specific pilot-in-command, not to the company. The certificate is valid for 5 years, with recurrent training every 24 months.
2. Operator registration with a national CAA: ULC in PL, LBA in DE, DGAC in FR, ILT in NL, ENAC in IT. The number is visible in the EASA Drone Portal and in the relevant national database.
3. UAV operator third-party liability policy with the guarantee amount stated explicitly in SDR or EUR, valid on the date of your event, with an endorsement (additional insured) covering your registered business address.
4. Registration of the specific drone in the national registry, plus CE C0-C6 class marking on the airframe. Without C5/C6 marking, STS-01/02 operations are not formally permitted.
5. NDA template in Polish and English, with a clause on storage of source files and their deletion period (the market standard is 90 days after master delivery).
6. Faktura VAT (Polish VAT invoice) with correct details and a reverse-charge note for EU clients (see Article 28b of the Polish VAT Act).
7. A contractual clause covering backup pilot and backup drone for weddings, concerts and TVC shoots. Without it, if one unit fails, the deliverables are not produced and the loss sits with the client.

4 liability sums and which projects they fit

50,000 SDR (≈ 60,000 EUR, ≈ 270,000 PLN): the mandatory minimum for operators of drones above 250 g under the new Ministry of Finance regulation of November 2025. Just about covers damage to one guest's car.
230,000 EUR (≈ 1,000,000 PLN): the standard for mid-market wedding and real-estate operators. Covers injury to one person or damage to a building façade.
1,150,000 EUR (≈ 5,000,000 PLN): the level of VisionAir and comparable studios. Covers damage to a construction crane, a class action by event guests, or a production stoppage at a retail site.
750,000 SDR or higher (≈ 880,000 EUR, the lower threshold of EC 785/2004 for commercial flights): required by major productions for Netflix, HBO and Apple TV+, and for shoots at Stadion Narodowy (Polish National Stadium). For concerts and motorsport, insurers ask for policies from 2,000,000 EUR.

Cross-border flights in the EU: what is new in 2026

From 1 January 2026, STS certificates are mutually recognised across all 27 EU countries. An operator holding STS-01 in Poland can run STS-01 operations in Germany, France or Italy without re-certification, provided they file an electronic notification with the receiving national authority at least 5 working days before the flight (the deadline varies by country - in DE it is 10 days).

Drone Tower - the shared EU portal for cross-border missions - is in the Q1 2026 rollout phase. PansaUTM remains for domestic flights in PL. After Brexit, the UK sits outside this scheme: UK CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) is a separate jurisdiction, EU STS does not apply, and operators need a local A2 CofC and Operational Authorisation. Switzerland is formally outside the EU, but FOCA has adopted EASA standards and accepts STS-01/02 with mutual notification.

Tax treatment and document format for foreign clients

Polish B2B client: faktura VAT at 23 percent, fully deductible.
EU B2B (DE, FR, NL, IT, CZ and so on): faktura VAT-EU with reverse charge, 0 percent Polish VAT, the tax is settled by the client in their own country. Condition - both parties are VAT-registered with valid VAT-IDs in VIES.
Non-EU (US, UK, CH, UA): invoice without Polish VAT, marked not subject to PL VAT under Article 28b of the VAT Act. For US clients the operator prepares form W-8BEN-E; for UK clients - the CFR-1 residency certificate.
Details and a checklist of required fields are in the article VAT invoicing and tax on drone services (/blog/vat-faktura-zdjecia-z-drona-polska).

Typical scam patterns when hiring an operator

Headline price from 300 PLN per flight, with real hidden surcharges for CTR clearances, travel outside Mazowieckie, post-production, music licensing and file delivery.
30-50 percent discount if you pay today. The pilot is in a rush because their insurance or certificate is about to expire, and they are closing the till before due diligence.
A portfolio made up of stock footage or work copied from other operators. The test - request raw LOG/D-Log files with EXIF metadata for two specific shots from the showreel.
I have everything, no need to worry about the paperwork. A refusal to provide a scan of the STS certificate and the insurance policy means that one of the documents is either missing or expired.
I have been flying drones for 5 years, with no operator registration number in ULC and no CE C5/C6 reference. That is a hobbyist Mavic on a Chinese 5.8 GHz channel, which is not permitted for commercial work.

In 2024, the ULC carried out 1,200 operator inspections in Poland. 30 percent of those audited had no valid STS in place, or the registration was filed under someone else's company. Most of these operators lost their contracts with banks and insurers within three months. Converting NSTS to STS is not a formality - it is the legal minimum for commercial work.
Marcin Kowalski, head of regional compliance, ULC Mazowieckie

5-minute due diligence: what to check before signing

Enter the operator's NIP (Polish tax ID) into the Biała Lista podatników VAT (White List of VAT taxpayers) - they must be an active VAT payer.
Enter the operator number into the EASA Drone Portal or ULC drony.gov.pl - the registration must be current, not expired.
Ask for a scan of the STS certificate with a recurrent training date no older than 24 months.
Ask for the polisa OC (third-party liability policy) with an endorsement covering the shoot date and the guarantee amount in SDR or EUR.
Check krs-online.com.pl: the operator should have turnover above 200,000 PLN, otherwise invoices are issued without VAT and you lose the 23 percent deduction.

Frequently asked questions

Can you work with an operator who still holds NSTS instead of STS in 2026?: Legally, no. From 1 January 2026, NSTS has no effect, and operations under those scenarios qualify as unauthorised flight. Insurers will deny any claim after an incident, and ULC can fine the operator up to 25,000 PLN and suspend their registration. The client is left with no liability cover and exposed to a civil claim from a third party.
What if an operator refuses to disclose the OC sum insured?: That is an automatic disqualifier. A professional operator provides a certificate of insurance with the guarantee amount stated in SDR or EUR, the cover period, and the option to add your registered address as additional insured. If only the policy cover sheet is shown, with no schedule listing the sum, request the endorsement; refusal means either there is no commercial cover, or the policy is private pilot-only and does not cover B2B work.
Does EASA STS apply in Switzerland or the UK?: In Switzerland - yes. FOCA has adopted EASA standards and only a cross-border notification 5-10 days in advance is required. In the UK - no: after Brexit, CAA UK retained its own GVC and Operational Authorisation system, and EU STS is not accepted. To fly in London or Edinburgh, a Polish operator must register separately as a Foreign Operator with CAA UK and pass a local A2 CofC, which takes 3-6 weeks.

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Send us the NIP of your current or prospective operator. We will verify ULC registration, STS validity, the OC sum, any complaints on file, and benchmark them against the market standard for your project type.