Is my Spanish operator registration valid in France?

Yes. Operator registration and pilot certificates are valid across the whole Union. What does not travel with you is the French zones. And if you are going to fly in the specific category outside an STS, you must send your authorisation to the DSAC before you start: its guide asks for three months' notice.

Where can I check the official zones?

On the DGAC and IGN restrictions chart, on the Géoportail, for the open category. And also in the SIA's aeronautical information, because the chart does not include temporary zones.

Can I fly a drone in a French town?

In the open category, not over public space in a built-up area, except in your professional activity or in a place the prefect authorises. In the specific category you can, with a prior declaration to the prefect ten working days in advance, which is also needed for professional activity in a populated area.

Can I fly near a French airport?

It depends on the runway and the distance. Next to a long runway or one with instrument flight you fly freely from 10 kilometres, and closer in only up to 100, 60 or 30 metres depending on the ring, measured from the aerodrome's elevation. Above that, and at any height in the closest band, you need air traffic control agreement.

Can I fly in a French national park?

Over the core of the park, the aeronautical information publishes it as prohibited below the height it states. The exceptions, if any, are in the park's decree: check them with its manager before you fly.

Do I need insurance to fly in France?

The law does not require it below 20 kilograms, but you are strictly liable for any damage on the ground, so flying without cover means taking on all the risk yourself. Check whether your liability cover, for example your home insurance, includes the drone.

Where can I fly a drone in France?

France applies the same European framework, with operator registration with the DSAC, the Directorate for Civil Aviation Safety, on its AlphaTango portal. What changes is the zones. They are set by a single national rule, the arrêté du 3 décembre 2020 « espace », which keeps the open category away from public space in towns, draws the surroundings of each aerodrome runway by runway, and requires air traffic control agreement from 50 metres upwards in controlled airspace. And there is a registration that Spain, Portugal and Germany do not ask for: that of the aircraft itself, from 800 grams.

Applies to France.Reviewed on September 27, 2026

In short

The operator registers with the DSAC on AlphaTango. Every aircraft of 800 grams or more is also registered on its own, with a UAS-FR number fixed to the aircraft, and the pilot carries an extract of the register.
In the open category, flying over public space in a built-up area is prohibited, except in the operator's professional activity or where the prefect authorises it.
The surroundings of an aerodrome are not a circle: they are rectangles aligned with each runway, and heights are measured from the aerodrome's reference elevation, not from the ground.
In controlled airspace, air traffic control agreement is required from 50 metres above the surface, and in the military control zones listed by the rule, from the ground up.
ZICAD zones do not prohibit flying: they prohibit capturing, recording or transmitting data from the air.
The law does not require insurance for a drone under 20 kilograms, but the operator is strictly liable for damage on the ground.

A single national rule, and an official map that warns you what it leaves out

Almost all French zones come from the arrêté du 3 décembre 2020 « espace », a state order that applies the same way across the whole country. There is no patchwork of regional rules like that of the German Länder.

The official map for the open category is the DGAC and IGN restrictions chart on the Géoportail, between 0 and 120 metres. The DGAC itself warns what it does not include: private heliports, temporary bans for nesting and any temporary zone. So before every flight you also need to check the SIA's aeronautical information.

AIP zones come in three grades. A prohibited zone (P) cannot be entered except under the penetration conditions it publishes. In restricted (R) and danger (D) zones you may fly if the aeronautical publication allows it or with the agreement of the manager it designates. And over establishments marked with a low-level overflight ban, you need the authorisation of their manager.

Aerodromes: rectangles per runway, and height above the aerodrome's elevation

The surroundings of an aerodrome are not a radius around a point. Distance is measured to the centreline of each runway and to its perpendicular, so each ring is a rectangle aligned with the runway. And heights are measured from the aerodrome's reference elevation, not from the ground beneath you: in a valley or on a slope, the same figure leaves a different margin.

Next to a runway shorter than 1,200 metres without instrument flight, you fly freely from 5 kilometres; between 3.5 and 5 kilometres, up to 100 metres; between 0.5 and 3.5, up to 50. Next to a longer runway or one with instrument flight, you fly freely from 10 kilometres; between 8 and 10, up to 100 metres; between 5 and 8, up to 60; between 2.5 and 5, up to 30. At heliports the surroundings are circular and you fly freely from 3.5 kilometres, and at microlight platforms, from 2.5.

Above those heights, and at any height in the closest band, you need the agreement of the aerodrome's control; without control, that of the flight information service (AFIS), and if there is neither, that of the operator of the aerodrome. If the aerodrome has a control zone or RMZ, these distances do not apply beyond its limits.

Controlled airspace: the 50-metre threshold

In controlled airspace, air traffic control agreement is required from 50 metres above the surface, and below that, within visual line of sight, it is not. In the military control zones listed by the rule, such as Avord, Istres or Villacoublay, agreement is required from the ground up. And beyond the pilot's visual line of sight it is required throughout controlled airspace, at any height.

Mind the edge, because it changes with the category. In the open category the rule says "from 50 metres", so at exactly 50 you already need agreement. In the specific category within visual line of sight it says "above 50 metres", and at exactly 50 you do not yet.

Military low-level training sectors neither prohibit nor require permission: any flight of more than 900 grams needs prior notification on AlphaTango while the sector is active, which is Monday to Friday except public holidays.

Towns: prohibited in the open category, declared in the specific

In the open category, and also in model aircraft flying, flying over public space in a built-up area is prohibited. There are two ways out: the operator's professional activity, which in a populated area also requires a declaration to the prefect, and the places where the prefect authorises the open category. The rule does not define what a built-up area is, and the DGAC gives its outlines for information only.

In the specific category that ban does not exist, but the town still counts. Flying in a populated area requires a prior declaration to the prefect ten working days in advance, on AlphaTango, and the prefect may prohibit or restrict the flight. A populated area is the inside of a built-up area on the SIA's aeronautical charts plus the 50 metres around it, and also the 150 metres around a gathering of people.

National parks, reserves and the zones where you cannot record

Over the core of a national park, the law allows each park to regulate or prohibit overflight below 1,000 metres above the ground, and in national nature reserves, each reserve to do so. Regional reserves cannot. The aeronautical information publishes them as an overflight ban below the height it states, and the exceptions, where there are any, are in each park's decree or each reserve's designating act: ask its manager.

ZICAD zones are something else. They do not prohibit flying: they prohibit capturing, recording, transmitting or disseminating data from the air. The current list, from 2025, has 528 zones, and authorisation to capture data in one is granted by the prefect or the Minister of Defence. If you fly with a camera, that is the list to check.

Specific category, insurance and how AXPA handles it

In France everything goes through the DSAC, with no regional split. The European standard scenarios, STS-01 with a class C5 aircraft and STS-02 with a class C6 one, are declared on AlphaTango, and the declaration is valid for two years. The French national scenarios can no longer be declared since 2026. Authorisations, whether under a PDRA or a SORA, are requested through the METEOR platform, and the DSAC asks for three months' notice for a first authorisation. In the open category the minimum age is 14.

Insurance is not required by law below the 20 kilograms of Regulation (EC) 785/2004, but the operator is strictly liable for damage to people and property on the ground, and is only released by proving the victim was at fault. Check that your liability cover includes this activity or take out your own insurance.

AXPA draws the French zones it has modelled with the height at which the answer changes and the condition that lifts them: aerodromes with their elevation, controlled airspace with its 50-metre threshold, and built-up areas only when you fly in the open category. You mark the point, choose the drone, and the verdict tells you which zone applies and what you need to fly in it.

Frequently asked questions

See all questions

Is my Spanish operator registration valid in France?: Yes. Operator registration and pilot certificates are valid across the whole Union. What does not travel with you is the French zones. And if you are going to fly in the specific category outside an STS, you must send your authorisation to the DSAC before you start: its guide asks for three months' notice.
Where can I check the official zones?: On the DGAC and IGN restrictions chart, on the Géoportail, for the open category. And also in the SIA's aeronautical information, because the chart does not include temporary zones.
Can I fly a drone in a French town?: In the open category, not over public space in a built-up area, except in your professional activity or in a place the prefect authorises. In the specific category you can, with a prior declaration to the prefect ten working days in advance, which is also needed for professional activity in a populated area.
Can I fly near a French airport?: It depends on the runway and the distance. Next to a long runway or one with instrument flight you fly freely from 10 kilometres, and closer in only up to 100, 60 or 30 metres depending on the ring, measured from the aerodrome's elevation. Above that, and at any height in the closest band, you need air traffic control agreement.
Can I fly in a French national park?: Over the core of the park, the aeronautical information publishes it as prohibited below the height it states. The exceptions, if any, are in the park's decree: check them with its manager before you fly.
Do I need insurance to fly in France?: The law does not require it below 20 kilograms, but you are strictly liable for any damage on the ground, so flying without cover means taking on all the risk yourself. Check whether your liability cover, for example your home insurance, includes the drone.

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.