Drone Rules in France: Registration, Training and Flight Limits

Flying a drone for fun in France is legal, but it sits inside a layered framework of European and national rules that the Direction generale de l'aviation civile (DGAC, the French civil aviation authority) enforces. The core obligations are registration on the AlphaTango portal, pilot training for anything but the lightest toy drones, a hard 120-metre height ceiling, and a set of privacy duties that apply the moment your camera can identify a person. Getting any of these wrong can turn a weekend flight into a fine.

This guide explains the leisure-drone rules as they stand in 2026: when you must register, what training you need, how the open-category subcategories A1, A2 and A3 work, what changed when the C0 to C4 class-marking transition ended, and how image rights and CNIL data-protection law overlap with the aviation rules. It is written for recreational pilots, not commercial operators, who face additional requirements.

Information last verified on 22 July 2026. This page presents general legal information, not legal advice.

Who regulates leisure drones in France

Drones are treated as aircraft. The rules come from a European regulation that France applies through its own aviation code and ministerial orders (arretes), and they are administered by the DGAC through the AlphaTango online portal. AlphaTango is where you register as an operator, register a qualifying drone, take the pilot training, and consult the official flight-restriction maps.

France uses the European open category for low-risk recreational flying, which is divided into three subcategories, A1, A2 and A3, based on how close you may fly to uninvolved people. Higher-risk operations fall into the specific category, which needs authorisation and is beyond ordinary hobby use. This page covers the open category only.

The minimum age to pilot in the open category is generally 14. A drone flown purely indoors is outside these rules, because the airspace regulation applies to outdoor flight.

When you must register on AlphaTango

Registration is not decided by weight alone, and this is the single most common misunderstanding. You must register on AlphaTango in either of two situations: the drone weighs 250 g or more, or the drone carries a camera or a microphone regardless of its weight. A featherweight camera drone still has to be registered because it can collect personal data.

Registration is free. You create an operator account, declare the drone, and receive an operator number that you must physically mark on the aircraft. Only a genuine toy under 250 g with no camera and no microphone escapes registration entirely.

Flying a drone that should have been registered, or without the pilot certificate the drone requires, is an offence. Being unable to present your documents during a check is also penalised, at a lower level.

Pilot training: A1/A3 and A2

For most drones over 250 g you must complete the online A1/A3 training and pass its exam before flying. The training is free, delivered through AlphaTango, and ends in a 40-question multiple-choice test that generally requires a 75 percent score. The resulting attestation is valid for five years, after which you retake the test to renew.

The A2 subcategory lets you fly certain class-marked drones closer to uninvolved people. It requires more: on top of A1/A3 you complete a self-declared practical training and pass a separate 30-question theory exam. Recreational pilots who only fly light drones or keep well away from people usually never need A2.

Note that the older self-declared BAPD certificate is no longer valid as of 1 January 2026. If you relied on it, you need the current A1/A3 certificate instead.

The C0 to C4 class markings and legacy drones

Newer drones sold in Europe carry a class identification label from C0 to C4, and each class maps to what you may do in A1, A2 or A3. The transition period that let unmarked drones be treated flexibly ended on 1 January 2024.

That deadline did not ground older drones. A legacy or unmarked drone can still be flown, but it is boxed into the A1 subcategory if it weighs less than 250 g, or the A3 subcategory if it weighs less than 25 kg. An unmarked drone can never be flown in the A2 subcategory. If you want the A2 middle ground of flying nearer to bystanders, you need a drone that carries the appropriate C class marking.

You may see online claims about a further deadline in 2027. There is no such deadline on any official French government page, so treat it with caution; the binding date for the class-marking transition was 1 January 2024.

Where and how you may fly

The maximum height in the open category is 120 metres above the ground. You must keep the drone within your direct unaided line of sight, which is why first-person-view or follow-me flights require a second person acting as a spotter. Night flying is prohibited except under narrow exceptions.

Large parts of French airspace are restricted or forbidden to drones, including areas near airports and aerodromes, military sites, nuclear facilities, prisons, certain monuments and nature reserves. Before every flight you should check the official Geoportail drone restriction map, because the picture changes by location. These rules mirror the caution the driving-law section applies to public-space conduct; see the broader France driving law hub for related road and public-order topics.

Privacy: image rights and the CNIL

The aviation rules and the privacy rules are two separate systems, and complying with one does not excuse the other. The moment your drone camera can capture an identifiable person, French image rights (droit a l'image) come into play, and when the footage lets you identify individuals it also engages the data-protection rules enforced by the CNIL, the national data-protection regulator.

In practice you generally need the consent of identifiable people before you publish footage of them, and filming into a private garden, window or enclosed property without a legitimate basis can expose you to civil liability. For the underlying rules on filming people, see our page on image rights in France, and for fixed-camera rules that often intersect with aerial footage see video surveillance rules.

Penalties in brief

Flying without the pilot certificate your drone requires is a fineable offence, and failing to present your registration or certificate during an inspection is penalised at a lower fixed level. Breaching a no-fly zone, flying above 120 metres, or losing line of sight can each draw penalties, and more serious breaches near sensitive sites can escalate. On the privacy side, publishing identifiable footage without consent is a separate civil and potentially data-protection matter, independent of any aviation penalty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to register a small drone that weighs under 250 g?

Weight alone does not decide it. A drone under 250 g with no camera or microphone does not need to be registered. But if that same light drone carries a camera or a microphone, you must register it on the DGAC AlphaTango portal before flying, because it can capture personal data. Registration is free and produces an operator number you affix to the aircraft.

What is the maximum height I can fly a leisure drone in France?

The general open-category limit is 120 metres above the ground. You must also keep the drone in your direct line of sight at all times, avoid flying at night unless a specific exception applies, and stay clear of restricted zones such as airports, military sites, prisons and nature reserves. Check the official Geoportail drone map before each flight.

Is the A1/A3 training exam hard, and do I need the A2 exam?

The A1/A3 training is a free online course followed by a 40-question multiple-choice exam, typically requiring 75 percent to pass, and the resulting certificate is valid five years. Most leisure pilots only need A1/A3. The A2 subcategory, which allows flying closer to uninvolved people with certain marked drones, requires an additional self-practical declaration and a separate 30-question theory exam.

Can I still fly an older drone that has no C0 to C4 class marking?

Yes. The transition period for the European C0 to C4 class markings ended on 1 January 2024, but legacy and unmarked drones were not grounded. They may continue to fly, only they are restricted to the A1 subcategory if they weigh under 250 g, or the A3 subcategory if they weigh under 25 kg. An unmarked drone can never be flown in the A2 subcategory.

What are the rules for filming people or houses with a drone?

The flight rules and the privacy rules are separate. Capturing identifiable faces, license plates, gardens or building interiors engages French image rights and, when the footage lets you identify individuals, the data-protection rules enforced by the CNIL. You generally need the consent of identifiable people before publishing footage of them. Recording a private property from above without a legitimate basis can expose you to civil liability.