DIBALCRIS X HYPERION DRONES – Flight Categories Explained: Open, Specific, and Certified

If you’re flying a drone anywhere in the European Union, one of the first questions to answer isn’t “Where can I fly?” – it’s “Which category does my operation fall into?” Under Regulation (EU) 2019/947, every UAS operation falls into one of three categories, based on risk level: Open, Specific, or Certified. The core rules are the same across all member states, whether you’re flying in Romania, Croatia, or anywhere else in the EU, and the right category determines what you’re allowed to do, what you need to prove, and what documentation you need before take-off.

One thing worth clarifying up front: whether a flight is recreational or commercial doesn’t by itself determine its legal category. A commercial flight can be flown under Open if it meets all of Open’s conditions, and a recreational flight can end up in Specific if it exceeds them.

Open Category: Low Risk, No Prior Authorization

The Open category covers low-risk operations that can be flown without an operational authorization and without filing a declaration. Qualifying for Open isn’t just about the drone’s weight, it depends on meeting several conditions at once: the applicable UAS class (C0-C4, set out in Regulation (EU) 2019/945), a maximum take-off mass (MTOM) under 25 kg, keeping the flight within visual line of sight (VLOS), a maximum altitude of 120 m above the nearest point of the ground, and a ban on carrying dangerous goods or dropping materials.

If even one of these conditions isn’t met, the operation can no longer stay in Open category.

Open is split into three subcategories:

A1: flying near people, but never over crowds. For drones under 250g (class C0 or privately built), flying over uninvolved people is allowed but should be avoided when possible. For class C1, flying over uninvolved people shouldn’t be planned as part of the operation.

A2: flying closer to people, with class C2 drones (under 4 kg), but never directly over them. The minimum horizontal distance is 30 m, reducible to 5 m only with low-speed mode active and after assessing actual conditions.

A3: flying far from uninvolved people, at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial, or recreational areas, using class C2, C3, C4, or privately built drones under 25 kg.

A1/A3 requires an online course and theory exam (40 questions, 75% to pass). A2 adds self-practiced training and a supplementary exam (30 questions). Competency certificates are recognized across the EU and valid for 5 years.

Even in Open, operator registration is still required if the drone weighs at least 250g, can transfer more than 80J of kinetic energy on impact, or carries a sensor capable of collecting personal data (like a camera). Registration happens once, in the operator’s home Member State, and the number obtained is valid for flying anywhere in the Union.

Specific Category: Authorization Based on Risk Assessment

Once an operation exceeds Open’s limits (for example, because it involves BVLOS flight, a UAS above the applicable mass limits, or operations closer to uninvolved people than the Open category allows), the operation normally falls into the Specific category.

There are three main routes:

• STS (Standard Scenario): a standardized scenario with fixed conditions, applied identically across all Member States; used via a declaration filed with the authority, if the operation fully matches the scenario’s conditions (typically class C5 drones for STS-01, C6 for STS-02).
• PDRA (Predefined Risk Assessment): a risk assessment already carried out by EASA for a defined operational profile; requires an operational authorization, without needing a full SORA analysis.
• SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment): the full, individualized risk assessment methodology, used when the operation doesn’t fit an STS or PDRA. It evaluates ground risk (mass, speed, population density, buffer zone) and air risk (airspace class, traffic, proximity to airfields), applies the relevant mitigations, and determines the resulting SAIL level and Operational Safety Objectives (OSOs).

The authorization file for Specific is a coherent system, not a stack of separate documents: the ConOps (operation description), SORA analysis, Operations Manual, technical evidence, and personnel competency records all need to line up perfectly; any contradiction between them can hold up the authorization. An operational authorisation issued by the Member State of registration can also be used as the basis for operations in another Member State, subject to the EU cross-border procedure and confirmation from the competent authority of the State of operation.

Certified Category: Aviation-Level Requirements

The Certified category applies to the highest-risk operations: flying over assemblies of people with drones larger than 3 m, transporting people, or carrying dangerous goods that pose a high risk to third parties. Here, safety doesn’t rest on operational limits or an individual risk assessment; it rests on aircraft certification (design, production, airworthiness), operator certification, and, where applicable, remote pilot licensing, a regime much closer to traditional manned aviation.

The authority can require certification of a drone even for an operation that legally remains in the Specific category, if it decides the risk can’t be adequately reduced otherwise, without the operation automatically becoming Certified.

Why This Matters

Choosing the right category isn’t a bureaucratic formality — it determines legal responsibility, insurance coverage, and, in the event of an incident, civil or even criminal liability. While the EU regulations set the common framework, the actual penalties for non-compliance are set by each Member State’s national legislation, one more reason to always check the rules that apply in the country where you’re actually flying, not just the one where you’re registered as an operator.

If you’re not sure which category your operation falls into, that’s usually the first, and most important, conversation to have before planning anything else.