Flying FPV legally in the EU: registration, A1/A3, spotters and zones

The short version

Register yourself (the operator, not each quad) once, in the EU country where you live, if your drone weighs 250 g or more or carries a camera. The number goes on every drone you fly.
Pass the A1/A3 online training and test with your national aviation authority for any quad of 250 g or more; it is recognised in every EASA country. A home-built quad under 250 g needs no training.
A home-built quad flies in subcategory A1 if it is under 250 g (and slower than 19 m/s), otherwise in A3: at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas, with no uninvolved people nearby.
Goggles need a spotter: a UA observer beside you who keeps the drone in sight and can warn you at once.
Stay below 120 m, respect the national geographical zones, and check whether your country requires insurance (Slovakia does).

The rules come from EU regulation 2019/947 and apply the same way across the EU (and the other EASA countries). Each country adds its own zones, fees and insurance rules, so the second half of this page covers Slovakia. Your national aviation authority has the final word; EASA keeps the list of them.

Which category an FPV quad flies in

Most hobby FPV flying fits the EU’s open category, the low-risk class that needs no permit as long as you follow its limits. Within it, the subcategory depends on the drone’s class label (C0 to C4) or, for a drone you built yourself or one sold without a label, on its weight. EASA’s FAQ states it directly for privately built drones:

A1 when the take-off mass, including payload, is under 250 g and the maximum speed is under 19 m/s: a tiny whoop or a light sub-250 build. A1 lets you fly almost anywhere except over gatherings of people; overflying uninvolved people is allowed but should be avoided.
A3 when the take-off mass is under 25 kg: most 3- to 7-inch freestyle and cinematic quads. In A3 you keep the drone at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas and only fly where no uninvolved people are within range.

In every subcategory you stay below 120 m above the ground, carry no dangerous goods and drop nothing.

Flying near people (a crowd at an event, spectators at a race, a shoot in town) is outside the open category for a home-built quad of 250 g or more. That needs the specific category with an operational authorisation, or a club or association that holds one (see racing below).

Flying with goggles: you need a spotter

The open category requires visual line of sight: you see the drone with your own eyes. Goggles do not count, and EASA says so plainly: they “do not allow to have a wide field of view to see potential threats around the drone”.

FPV is still allowed in the open category, on one condition: a UA observer (spotter) stands alongside you, keeps the drone in direct sight, scans the airspace and can immediately tell you to land if an aircraft, obstacle or person comes close (regulation 2019/947, Article 4(d)). If either of you sees a manned aircraft, give way and land.

Racing and clubs

EASA notes that drone races are normally organised by clubs and associations, which may hold an authorisation from their national authority under Article 16 of regulation 2019/947 that also covers events. A race outside a club, with no spectators, can run in the open category, subcategory A3. Because drones faster than 19 m/s may only fly in A3, a race with spectators belongs in the specific category.

Register as an operator

Who registers: the operator, the person responsible for the drones, not each drone. Register if a drone you fly in the open category:

weighs 250 g or more (or could transfer more than 80 joules to a person in an impact), or
carries a camera or other sensor that can capture personal data, unless it is a certified toy.

An FPV quad with a camera falls under this almost always, even under 250 g. You register once, in the country where you live, and the registration is valid in every EASA country; you cannot register twice. Put the registration number (without its three secret digits) on every drone you own, readable when the drone is on the ground, and upload the full string into the drone’s remote identification system if it has one.

Get the A1/A3 certificate

For a home-built quad of 250 g or more you need the proof of completion of the A1/A3 online training: an online course and a theoretical test with your national aviation authority. A privately built drone under 250 g needs no training, though EASA still highly recommends the A1/A3 course. A remote pilot certificate is valid for 5 years, and training done in one EASA country is recognised in all the others.

The minimum age is 16, with exceptions: no minimum age in A1 with a C0 drone, with a privately built drone under 250 g, or under the direct supervision of a pilot who holds the certificate.

Zones, airspace and insurance

Every country publishes geographical zones where drones are restricted or need permission: around airports, prisons, military sites, nature reserves and city centres. Check them before every new spot. Insurance: EASA notes that most of its member states require third-party liability insurance; check your national rules.

Slovakia

The authority is the Dopravný úrad (Transport Authority), section bezpilotné letectvo.

Registration: online through the government portal slovensko.sk with a qualified electronic signature (the payment order is generated at the end; no fee stamp needed), or on paper by post or at the office with a 35 EUR administrative fee. You enter your drones’ serial numbers in the application, so register once you have them.
Insurance: every operator who must register needs valid third-party liability cover during all flights (Civil Aviation Act 143/1998, §13). Paper applications for A2, A3 or the specific category include a copy of the policy.
A1/A3 exam: an online course and a 40-question test; you pass with at least 75%.
Height: in uncontrolled airspace (class G), up to 120 m above the highest obstacle within 30 m of the drone.
Airports: in an aerodrome traffic zone (ATZ), coordinate the flight with the airport operator. In the controlled zones (CTR) of Bratislava, Košice, Žilina, Piešťany and Poprad-Tatry, the open category allows flights only more than 5.6 km from the airport and up to 30 m.
Geo-zones: the authority publishes all valid zones as a KML file (last updated 27 October 2026) to open in Google Earth or a similar map.
Night flying: the drone needs at least one green flashing light.
Remote ID: the authority requires it on C1, C2 and C3 drones in the open category and on every drone in the specific category.

Questions FPV pilots ask

Do I need to register for a tiny whoop under 250 g?

Usually yes: it has a camera, and a drone with a camera that can capture personal data needs a registered operator unless it is a certified toy. A home-built whoop under 250 g flies in A1, needs no A1/A3 training and has no minimum pilot age. In Slovakia, registration also brings the insurance requirement.

Can my spotter also be filming or flying?

The observer’s job is to watch your drone and the airspace and warn you at once, standing next to you. Someone busy with their own drone or camera cannot do that.

Does my Slovak registration cover a trip to Austria or Czechia?

Yes. The operator registration and the A1/A3 certificate are valid in every EASA country. Check the local geographical zones and insurance rules before you fly there.

Where can I fly a 5-inch freestyle quad?

In A3: away from people, at least 150 m from built-up and recreational areas, outside restricted zones and below 120 m, with a spotter if you wear goggles. Fields and quarries with the landowner’s permission are the classic spots.

Sources

Checked October 28, 2026.