France doesn’t hand you one single plastic card and call it a day. What you actually “get” is a mix of registration(s) and competency certificate(s) that depend on what you fly, where you fly, and how close you plan to get to people. 

Fortunately, there are fairly clear official systems and (mostly) straightforward training paths once you understand how they fit together. Here, we will look at the official French workflow (the DGAC systems) and the EU framework France follows, as well as regulatory transitions that affect you.

What a “drone license” is in France

France operates inside the EU drone framework. Your obligations fall into three layers:

1) You (the operator) register and place your operator ID on your drone(s).
2) You (the pilot) complete the right training/exam path, depending on the risk level of your flights.
3) Your flight has to fit the category rules—like maximum altitude, keeping visual line of sight, staying away from crowds, and respecting local restricted zones.

At the EU level, most everyday flying sits in the Open category (the main category for most leisure and low‑risk commercial work). 

Open category flights are then split into A1, A2, and A3—basically “over people (not crowds),” “close to people,” and “far from people.”

France also uses the Specific category for moderate‑risk work (think: controlled areas in populated environments, special operational profiles, and some BVLOS setups). Today, professional operators are being steered toward the European “standard scenarios” (STS) and the EU risk‑assessment methods (like SORA/PDRA) rather than older national pathways.

Finally, there is a Certified category for higher‑risk operations (closer to manned aviation level—like an air taxi drone carrying people). If you’re just starting, you’ll almost never begin here. It’s more for future applications as the tech evolves.

Quick glossary

Let’s translate the terms you’ll keep seeing:

Operator (exploitant d’UAS)
This is the person or organization responsible for the drone operation. In France, you typically register as an operator via the AlphaTango portal and receive an ID that begins with “FRA” followed by 13 characters. You then mark that ID on the drone(s). 

Remote pilot (télépilote)
That’s you while you’re flying. Your “license” is a competency document: an online training proof usually for A1/A3, an additional certificate for A2, and a separate theoretical certificate if you move into Specific category standard scenarios.

Drone class marking (C0–C6)
These are EU class labels that affect what you can do in A1/A2/A3, what technical features the drone must have, and whether remote identification is required. For example, class C1/C2/C3 drones must have a direct remote identification system.

Drone registration (immatriculation/enregistrement de l’aéronef)
In France, you may also have to register the drone itself—especially if it’s 800 g or more (or if it has certain electronic signaling equipment). It is registered on the AlphaTango portal as well.

More on all this next:

Get legal before your first flight in France

Most “oops” moments happen before the drone even spins up—because registration, marking, and maps are easy to delay… until you’re standing in a place you really want to film.

Register as an operator and mark your operator ID

You must register with the civil aviation authority (DGAC) if:

  • your drone is over 250 g, or
  • your drone is under 250 g but has a camera (typical “mini” camera drones).

When you register, you receive an operator number that starts with “FRA” + 13 characters, and you must place it on the drone so it’s readable when the drone is on the ground.

Since 31/12/2020, users must register as UAS operators under EU rules, with specific exemptions for very light drones used in low‑impact conditions and without personal‑data sensors (unless they’re toys).

Also, if you’re visiting from outside Europe, France follows the EU rule that you register in the first European country where you fly. If your first EU flight is in France, France is where you register.

If you’re coming from another EU country, you register in your home EU country, because you can’t be registered in more than one EU country at the same time.

Register the drone itself if it meets France’s thresholds

France separates “operator registration” from “drone registration.” Any drone:

  • ≥ 800 g, or
  • equipped with an electronic signaling device

must be registered on the AlphaTango portal. Registration validity varies but is “at most five years,” and if you modify the drone, you’re expected to register again. 

Registration of drones under 800 g is possible but optional.

Identification requirements: France’s electronic signaling vs EU remote ID

This is one of the biggest “wait, there are two systems?” moments.

  • French electronic signaling requirement (linked to France’s 2016 drone law) that applies to drones above 800 g (with some specifics). 
  • At the same time, the EU framework requires direct remote identification for many class‑marked drones.Class C1, C2, and C3 drones must be equipped with direct remote identification, while it’s not mandatory for C0 or C4.

EU remote identification requires an operator code to be loaded into the drone, and that part of the code includes secret characters you should not share because they help validate the operator ID. 

If you’re buying a modern EU‑class drone, treat remote ID setup as part of your pre‑flight checklist, not a “later” task.

Always check the geoportal before you fly

France provides an interactive government geoportal map for recreational drone restrictions (and it’s useful for professional planning too).Permitted altitude can change by location and by the activation of special airspace (like certain military training areas). 

Rules:

  • Max height: 120 m (and it can be lower near aerodromes or in certain military training areas, including limits below 50 m during activation hours).
  • Visual line of sight is required; FPV can be allowed if a second person is present (a spotter), while flying from a moving vehicle is not allowed.
  • Flying near aerodromes and over sensitive/protected sites is restricted, so you need the map.

Training and exams: Paths that get you licensed

Now let’s talk about the part people actually mean by “license”: the training certificate you can show if you’re checked, and the extra qualification you need when you want to fly closer to people or do more complex work.

The A1/A3 certificate most pilots need

If your drone is between 250 g and 25 kg, you must complete an online A1/A3 training course and pass an assessment test. It’s 40 questions, requiring 75% correct, with unlimited attempts.

  • The A1/A3 certificate is valid for 5 years, and renewal requires retaking the evaluation test.
  • You can be fined €450 if you fly without obtaining the certificate. 
  • During an inspection, you can be fined €38 if you can’t present the certificate immediately.

Log into AlphaTango, open the A1/A3 course, take the online test, then download your certificate. You even get an email confirmation after you pass. 

The A2 certificate: what you need to fly closer to people

Open category A2 is where flights start getting more sensitive because you’re operating close to uninvolved people. 

In France, the A2 pathway leads to the BAPD (Brevet d’Aptitude de Pilote à Distance). This:

  • is meant for a class C2 drone,
  • allows flight 30 m from people, and that can be reduced to 5 m if you switch on a low‑speed mode limited to 3 m/s (about 11 km/h).

To get the BAPD, the official requirements include:

  • being at least 14 years old in France,
  • holding a valid A1/A3 online certificate,
  • doing practical self‑training (in A3‑type conditions: far from people and 150 m from residential/commercial/industrial/recreational areas),
  • and passing the OPEN A2 exam. 

France’s official OPEN A2 exam description includes:

  • 30 multiple‑choice questions,
  • 1 hour maximum,
  • 75% correct required (the page notes that this means fewer than 8 mistakes),
  • validity of 5 years,
  • cost of €30 (with an exemption process for job seekers where you contact dsac-formation-telepilote-bf@aviation-civile.gouv.fr and present proof of status).

You can take the exam remotely with live/recorded monitoring or in a test center network, and remote results can take at least 72 hours due to review.

The Specific category and the CATS exam

If you want to do work that doesn’t fit safely inside Open category—especially if you’re operating in controlled ground areas in populated environments, or you need a structured framework for more complex missions—you’ll start seeing the Specific category.

By 2026, one of the most important “France‑specific” shifts you should know is this:

  • France’s national standard scenarios S1, S2, S3 are no longer valid for new operations.
  • Official DGAC communication states that from 1 January 2026, operators can’t operate under the national scenarios S1/S2/S3 anymore, and flights notified for 1 January 2026 and beyond under those scenarios are considered illegal.

If your AlphaTango declaration still includes those national scenarios, your declaration may show as “Non Renouvelé”, and you’ll need to renew to the European STS framework to keep operating under standard scenarios. 

So what replaces them? In the EU system, you have Standard Scenarios called STS‑01 and STS‑02 under the Specific category, and that the drone must carry the right EU class marking: C5 for STS‑01 and C6 for STS‑02.

If you move into those “standard scenario” operations, the theoretical knowledge backbone is the CATS certificate.

  • the DSAC offers the CATS exam,
  • it’s organized in official DSAC computer‑based exam centers (OCEANE rooms) across metropolitan France and overseas territories,
  • you can register via the OCEANE candidate portal,
  • it costs €30 (with an exemption process for job seekers),
  • and you need either your A1/A3 certificate or the BAPD before you can register for CATS.

The CATS program covers, among other topics:

  • operator responsibilities in the Specific category,
  • risk assessment concepts (including SORA and PDRA),
  • operational declarations,
  • STS‑01 and STS‑02 responsibilities,
  • airspace rules and where to find them (AIP, NOTAMs),
  • human factors (fatigue, attention, weather impacts),
  • operational procedures, emergency responses,
  • and technical features like flight termination systems (FTS) and geocaging.

What you can do legally with common “France trips” and “France jobs”

  • You’re visiting France with a mini camera drone (<250 g)

You are expected to register as an operator if your drone has a camera, even if it’s under 250 g. 

Training-wise, very light drones can fall into cases where training is “not required,” but the A1/A3 course is strongly recommended. If you’re traveling, it’s simply easier to do the training and keep the certificate on your phone—because it’s valid for five years and it keeps you from fumbling explanations during a check.

  • You want to film a beach sunrise

Night flying is a hard stop. Drone use is forbidden at night (with limited exceptions on some organized aeromodeling sites).

So if it’s truly “sunrise but still night,” you wait. For typical travelers, it’s not worth trying to argue lighting conditions.

  • You want to do real estate or tourism video in a town center

Two issues show up:

  • Overflight of crowds is not allowed in Open category (EU rules also frame Open category around lower risk and restrictions around assemblies). 
  • Check the geoportal because many town centers sit inside restrictions, lower altitude caps, or sensitive zones.

Privacy and filming

You must inform people nearby if your drone can capture data (camera/sensors), and you can’t record images that identify people (faces, license plates) without permission.

Capturing, recording, or distributing images or words of people without consent can expose you to 1 year in prison and a €45,000 fine. 

That aligns with France’s penal code provision on violating private intimacy (as published on the official legal portal), which states the same one year / €45,000 level for certain privacy violations.

French data protection authority CNIL even sanctioned the Ministry of the Interior for unlawful use of camera-equipped drones. 

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