Drone Laws Germany 2026: Registration, Licence and Insurance

In Germany you register yourself as a drone operator with the LBA, not each drone. You must register if your drone weighs 250 g or more, or if it has a camera or other sensor that can capture personal data and is not a toy.

What it costs

Registration costs €20 for private individuals and €50 for companies, associations and other legal entities.

What you need

• your full name as on your ID and your date of birth
• a scan of a valid ID card or passport
• your address, email address and phone number
• the name of your insurer and your policy number

You can register as an operator from the age of 16. Each person can have only one e-ID.

The e-ID on your drone

After registering you get an electronic registration number, the e-ID. Put it on every drone you fly, and load it into the drone's remote identification system if it has one. You can fly several drones under the same e-ID. Class-marked drones over 250 g must have direct remote identification, except C4 and privately built drones.

Register with the authority

What Germans call the Drohnenführerschein is the EU certificate of competency A1/A3. You need it to fly a drone of 250 g or more in the open category. For C0 drones and drones under 250 g it is not required, but the LBA recommends its free online training anyway.

The online exam

You work through the LBA's free online training and a practice test, then register for the online exam: 40 multiple-choice questions from nine subject areas. You pass with at least 75% correct answers, and you can retake the exam as often as you need.

Costs and validity

The exam and the certificate cost €25, charged once however many times you take the exam. The certificate is valid for 5 years. You can renew it in your LBA account when it has less than 12 months left, for €15.

The A2 certificate

To fly a C2 drone close to people you also need the A2 remote pilot certificate: practical self-training plus an extra theory exam at a test centre designated by the LBA. The LBA charges €30 to issue it.

Carry your certificate on every flight, on your phone or printed.

Read more: Drone licence in Germany: exam, costs and validity

The EU rules on height, distances from people and the subcategories A1, A2 and A3 apply in Germany. On top of that, German law (section 21h of the Air Traffic Regulations, LuftVO) sets geographical zones where you may only fly under conditions. The dipul Map Tool shows them on a map.

Maximum height: 120 m

Fly no higher than 120 m above the ground, and keep the drone in direct sight throughout the flight.

Geographical zones

• Airfields: within 1.5 km only with permission from the airfield. Around airports, the 1 km zone and the extended runway lines are open only in the specific category.
• Industrial sites, prisons, military sites, power plants and government buildings: within 100 m only with explicit permission.
• Motorways and other federal roads, federal waterways and railways: within 100 m, stay lower than your horizontal distance and at least 10 m away, unless you have permission.
• Nature reserves and national parks: only with explicit permission from the nature conservation authority, unless state law says otherwise.
• Residential properties: only with the owner's or occupant's explicit consent, unless the drone weighs 250 g or less and cannot record images, sound or radio signals.
• Swimming pools and bathing beaches: not during opening or bathing hours.
• Hospitals: within 100 m only with the hospital's permission.
• Control zones around airports: only with air traffic control clearance.
• Accident sites and emergency operations: within 100 m only with the consent of the person in charge.

Flying at night

Night flying is allowed without a special permit, but the drone must have a green flashing light switched on, and you must still keep it in direct sight.

dipul Map Tool · Read the official rules

Germany follows the EU drone rules, so registrations and certificates from any EASA country are valid here.

• From another EASA country: keep your registration number on the drone and carry your certificate. You do not register again.
• From outside the EU: register as a drone operator with the LBA if Germany is the first EASA country where you fly, and take the A1/A3 exam. Certificates from countries outside the EU, including the UK, are not recognised.

Whichever country you come from, you need liability insurance for the drone, and you must follow the German geographical zones.

A drone under 250 g is not free of rules in Germany:

• Registration: required if the drone has a camera and is not a toy, which covers most mini drones. The fee is €20.
• Drone licence: not required for C0 drones and drones under 250 g, but the LBA recommends the free online training.
• Insurance: required, as for every drone.
• Residential properties: without the owner's consent you may only fly over them if the drone cannot record images, sound or radio signals. A camera drone needs consent.

Drones under 250 g fly in subcategory A1: avoid flying over uninvolved people where you can, and never fly over crowds.

Commercial flying follows the same EU categories as leisure flying. Flying for work does not change how you register: private individuals and companies can both fly commercially. In the open category the same certificates apply.

Operations in the specific category, such as the standard scenarios STS-01 and STS-02, need the STS remote pilot certificate. You get it with a theory exam at a test centre designated by the LBA and practical training at a recognised centre. Other operations need an operational authorisation from the LBA.

Liability insurance is mandatory for every drone in Germany, whatever its weight. Under section 43 of the Aviation Act (LuftVG), the operator must have third-party liability insurance, and flying without it is an administrative offence. You also need the insurer's name and your policy number to register with the LBA.

Private liability insurance does not always cover drones, so check your policy terms before you rely on it.

Read more: Drone insurance in Germany: what you need and what it costs

Flying without the required liability insurance is an administrative offence (Ordnungswidrigkeit) and can be fined.

Model aircraft flown within a German air sports association, such as the DMFV or MFSD, can follow partly different rules, including for the minimum age.

• 1 January 2024: Drones placed on the market from this date need an EU class mark. Older drones without one follow weight-based rules. Source

• LBA: Betreiberregistrierung (checked 30 October 2026)
• LBA: Fernpilotenausbildung (checked 30 October 2026)
• LBA: EU-Kompetenznachweis A1/A3 (checked 30 October 2026)
• LBA: Fragen und Antworten zu Drohnen (checked 30 October 2026)
• § 21h Luftverkehrs-Ordnung (geografische Gebiete) (checked 30 October 2026)
• dipul Map Tool (checked 30 October 2026)