Do I have to register again as an operator in the other country?

No. You register only once, in your State of residence or where your company has its principal place of business, and that number is valid in every EASA Member State. In fact, you cannot be registered in two at once.

Is my pilot certificate valid in another country?

Yes. Open category certificates and the standard scenario certificate are recognised in every EASA Member State. What you need to check are the zones and national rules of the place where you will fly.

How long does recognition take?

The regulation only says the authority will assess it without undue delay, without setting a deadline. Apply with time to spare, because with an operational authorisation you cannot start flying until you receive confirmation.

What if my company is outside the European Union?

An operator from a country that is not an EASA Member State registers in the first Member State where it intends to fly. From then on it follows the same rules as any operator registered in that State, including recognition to fly in the others.

Where can I check the other country's zones?

Each State publishes its own in its own viewer: in Spain, ENAIRE's; in Portugal, ANAC's. Your country's zones do not apply across the border, even where the zone looks the same.

Can I fly my drone in another European Union country?

Yes. Operator registration and pilot certificates are valid in every EASA Member State: the 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. In the open category you do not need anyone's permission: just follow the rules of your subcategory and the zones and conditions of the country. In the specific category there is a procedure: your declaration or authorisation was obtained in your State of registration, and to use it in another State you must first submit it to the aviation authority of the country where you will fly.

Common European Union framework. Your country may add its own conditions.Reviewed on September 23, 2026

In short

You register as an operator only once, in the State where you live or where your company has its principal place of business, and that number is valid across the Union.
Open category pilot certificates and the standard scenario certificate are recognised in every EASA Member State.
In the open category there is no prior procedure with the other country's authority.
With an STS declaration, the destination country receives a copy of the declaration and of the acknowledgement of receipt and completeness.
With an operational authorisation you submit an application with the locations of the operation and the mitigations adapted to local conditions, and you cannot fly until you receive confirmation.
Geographical zones, mandatory insurance and other national rules are those of the country where you fly, not your own.

What is already valid across the Union

Your operator number is issued by the State where you live or, for a company, where it has its principal place of business, and you cannot be registered in two States at once. That number goes on the drone and works in any other Member State.

Training works the same way: open category remote pilot certificates and the standard scenario certificate are recognised in all of them. None of this is repeated when you cross the border.

Open category: no procedure, but local rules

If your flight fits the open category, you do not need any authorisation from the other country's authority. You follow the rules of your subcategory just as you do at home.

What changes are the local conditions. Each State publishes its geographical zones in its own viewer, and the ones that apply are those of the country where you fly. Mandatory insurance is national too: in Portugal, for example, it is required from 900 grams of maximum take-off mass. And non-aviation rules still apply, such as privacy, environmental or noise rules.

Specific category: recognition in the destination country

Here you do need to do something before flying, and it is governed by Article 13 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947. The declaration or authorisation belongs to your State of registration; what you ask of the other State is that its authority knows about it and, if needed, adapts it to the location.

With a standard scenario (STS) declaration, you simply send the destination authority a copy of the declaration and of the acknowledgement of receipt and completeness issued by your authority.

With an operational authorisation you must submit an application with a copy of the authorisation and the locations of the operation, together with the mitigations updated for the local airspace, terrain, population and climate. The authority assesses it and confirms that the mitigations are satisfactory. You cannot start flying until you receive that confirmation.

If you hold a light UAS operator certificate (LUC), you submit the certificate and the locations of operation, and the destination authority gives its answer.

How it is submitted in Spain and in Portugal

In Spain the procedure is handled by AESA, through its UAS web application, the same one used for all its drone procedures. AESA publishes its own guide for these operations, in Spanish and English, with a template to justify local conditions and mitigations.

In Portugal it is received by ANAC, currently by email at uas.spec@anac.pt. The subject line must state the operator's name, its UAS operator number and the type of cross-border approval. With an operational authorisation or a LUC it also requires a local risk analysis.

For any other country, EASA keeps the list of national authorities with a link to each one.

If the operation crosses the border

An operation split between two countries needs recognition in each one that is not your State of registration, and must comply with the zones on both sides. The declaration or authorisation, however, remains a single one, from your State.

The AXPA planner works this out from where you draw the operation and from the registration country you declare in your organisation settings: it tells you which procedure applies and before which authority.

Frequently asked questions

See all questions

Do I have to register again as an operator in the other country?: No. You register only once, in your State of residence or where your company has its principal place of business, and that number is valid in every EASA Member State. In fact, you cannot be registered in two at once.
Is my pilot certificate valid in another country?: Yes. Open category certificates and the standard scenario certificate are recognised in every EASA Member State. What you need to check are the zones and national rules of the place where you will fly.
How long does recognition take?: The regulation only says the authority will assess it without undue delay, without setting a deadline. Apply with time to spare, because with an operational authorisation you cannot start flying until you receive confirmation.
What if my company is outside the European Union?: An operator from a country that is not an EASA Member State registers in the first Member State where it intends to fly. From then on it follows the same rules as any operator registered in that State, including recognition to fly in the others.
Where can I check the other country's zones?: Each State publishes its own in its own viewer: in Spain, ENAIRE's; in Portugal, ANAC's. Your country's zones do not apply across the border, even where the zone looks the same.

This guide is general information and planning support, not legal advice and not a flight authorisation. Regulations change and every country adds its own conditions. Before taking off, always check the official sources for your jurisdiction and current aeronautical information. The remote pilot in command is solely responsible for the flight.