Is my European operator registration valid in Andorra?

The Andorran decree does not rely on the European operator registration. What it asks is to identify every aircraft over 250 grams and under 25 kilos to the ministry responsible for civil aviation, with its plate, and to have insurance. Your European pilot certificate is accepted until Andorra sets its own requirements.

Can I fly over Andorra la Vella?

Outside the no-fly zones, yes, in the open category and meeting its conditions: within sight, without flying over gatherings of people and no more than 120 metres above the ground. Over the Government buildings, Casa de la Vall, the Seu de la Justícia or the hospital you need prior authorisation, and an event that fills a square turns it into a no-fly zone for as long as it lasts.

Whom do I ask for the authorisation?

The ministry responsible for civil aviation, through its online services. The operator applies, with the documents the application lists and, in the specific category, with the risk assessment and mitigation study. In the nature parks you also need permission from the environment ministry.

Where can I fly a drone in Andorra?

Andorra is not part of the European Union or of EASA, so the European drone regulation does not apply there. Its own regulation does: Decret 316/2025, which takes the European rules into account without incorporating them. It resembles the European framework in the basics, with an open, a specific and a certified category, but it differs in what you notice most when flying: the open category has no subcategories, every aircraft is identified to the ministry, and there are thirteen zones where you can only fly with a prior authorisation.

Answers.ui.jurisdiction.ADReviewed on September 28, 2026

In short

Decret 316/2025 applies across the whole territory and airspace of Andorra, whatever the operator's nationality.
The open category has no A1, A2 or A3 subcategories: it covers aircraft under 25 kilos, flown within sight, without flying over gatherings of people and no more than 120 metres from the closest point of the ground.
There are thirteen no-fly zones where you can only fly with an authorisation from the ministry responsible for civil aviation: government buildings, the borders, the heliports and three nature parks.
A free-flight zone crowded by an event becomes a no-fly zone for as long as the event lasts.
Every aircraft over 250 grams and under 25 kilos is identified to the ministry and carries a plate with its details.
Third-party liability insurance is mandatory from 250 grams.

Its own regulation, outside EASA

Andorra's drone regulation is Decret 316/2025, in force since September 2025. It says expressly that it takes the European drone regulations into account, but it does not incorporate them: in Andorra the European regulation does not apply, the decree does.

It applies across the whole Andorran territory and airspace, and to every operator, wherever they come from. The authority is the ministry responsible for civil aviation, and applications are made through its online services.

Three kinds of zone, and thirteen where you need a permit

The decree divides the airspace into free-flight, restricted-flight and no-fly zones. In a free-flight zone you fly by following the regulation. The restricted-flight zone has no published list today.

The no-fly zone is a closed list of thirteen cases: the Government's administrative buildings, Casa de la Vall and the Consell General, the buildings at the borders with France and Spain, the Seu de la Justícia, the prison, the fire stations and the hospital together with the airspace above the surfaces of their heliport, the buildings of the comuns, the embassies, the Heliport Nacional d'Andorra, and the nature parks of Sorteny, Comapedrosa and Madriu-Perafita-Claror.

Despite the name, it is not an absolute ban: the decree itself defines the no-fly zone as one where operations are not authorised except with an administrative authorisation from the ministry. In the nature parks you also need permission from the environment ministry.

And there is a temporary case: a free-flight zone that fills with people for an event, be it a festival, a sports race or a show, is treated as a no-fly zone for as long as it lasts.

The open category, without A1, A2 or A3

Andorra's open category is a single one and requires no prior authorisation or declaration. Its conditions: the aircraft weighs less than 25 kilos, keeps a safe distance from people and does not fly over gatherings, is flown within sight except in follow mode or with an observer, stays no more than 120 metres from the closest point of the surface except when flying over an obstacle, and carries no dangerous goods and drops nothing.

The distance to people counts as met if you follow the European rules for the open category or guarantee similar safety conditions. The European class marking, from C0 to C6, is accepted, but it does not decide whether an operation is open: it decides which certificate the pilot needs.

The 120-metre ceiling above the ground always applies, in every category.

The specific category and the risk assessment

Anything that does not meet one of the open category's conditions is specific category and needs a prior operational authorisation from the ministry, together with a risk assessment and mitigation study: the risk on the ground and in the air, the measures to reduce it and how robust they are.

The decree does not name SORA. It asks for that study with the same content as the European regulation, and SORA 2.5 is an acceptable way to do it, which is the one AXPA uses. There are no standard scenarios published today, although the decree allows them to be defined.

Your drone, your certificate and your insurance

Andorra does not ask for an operator registration like the European one. What it asks is to identify every aircraft over 250 grams and under 25 kilos to the ministry, with a plate fixed to the structure showing its identification, its category and the owner's details. Those manufactured from 2024 onwards also carry active identification.

The pilot needs a certificate to fly a drone of a class above C0, or to fly any drone above 50 metres. Until the ministry sets its own requirements, it accepts certificates from EASA member countries. The minimum age is 16, unless flying under the direct supervision of someone over 18.

Third-party liability insurance is mandatory from 250 grams: at least 220,000 SDR and, above 20 kilos, 750,000 SDR.

Mountain helicopters, and how AXPA handles it

In Andorra helicopters often fly below 120 metres, in the valleys and on mountain rescues. The authority's guide recommends notifying the helicopter operator in the open category, and in the specific category the authorisation requires it.

No authority publishes a map of the thirteen zones: the decree describes them by name. AXPA draws them from the decree and says so on each zone. When you tap one, the card shows you the decree's text in your language, with the Catalan original one click away, and the viability panel tells you whether your operation touches any of them and whom to ask for the permit.

Frequently asked questions

See all questions

Is my European operator registration valid in Andorra?: The Andorran decree does not rely on the European operator registration. What it asks is to identify every aircraft over 250 grams and under 25 kilos to the ministry responsible for civil aviation, with its plate, and to have insurance. Your European pilot certificate is accepted until Andorra sets its own requirements.
Can I fly over Andorra la Vella?: Outside the no-fly zones, yes, in the open category and meeting its conditions: within sight, without flying over gatherings of people and no more than 120 metres above the ground. Over the Government buildings, Casa de la Vall, the Seu de la Justícia or the hospital you need prior authorisation, and an event that fills a square turns it into a no-fly zone for as long as it lasts.
Whom do I ask for the authorisation?: The ministry responsible for civil aviation, through its online services. The operator applies, with the documents the application lists and, in the specific category, with the risk assessment and mitigation study. In the nature parks you also need permission from the environment ministry.

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.