Can I add a class marking to my old drone?

No. The marking is granted to the product during its conformity assessment and applied by the manufacturer. An aircraft released before that system will always remain unclassed.

Which class is a sub-250 gram drone with a camera?

If it is recent, it is usually C0. If it carries no label, it is treated as an unclassed drone under 250 grams, which in practice keeps almost all of the A1 margin.

What are C5 and C6 for, then?

C5 enables standard scenario STS-01 and C6 enables STS-02, both in the specific category. They require an operational declaration and the scenario's own training, and are not for flying in open.

Does the class depend on what the scales say?

It depends on maximum take-off mass, which includes the battery and everything fitted to it. An accessory can push you to the class boundary, so weigh the aircraft as it actually flies.

Do I need a specific class to work with my drone?

Not necessarily. What decides whether an operation is open or specific category is the risk of the operation, not commercial use. Many professional operations fit within open.

Which class is my drone, and why does it matter?

The class marking is a label (C0 to C6) that the manufacturer puts on the drone and its box, and it is what decides which subcategory you may fly in and how close you may get to people. C0 to C4 are the open category classes; C5 and C6 exist for the standard scenarios of the specific category. If your drone predates this system and carries no label, it is not banned: it is governed by its mass, under stricter transitional rules.

Common European Union framework. Your country may add its own conditions.Reviewed on September 17, 2026

In short

C0 is under 250 grams; C1 under 900; C2 under 4 kilos; C3 and C4 under 25 kilos.
C0 and C1 enable A1. C2 enables A2. C2, C3 and C4 enable A3.
C5 and C6 are not open category: C5 is the class of standard scenario STS-01 and C6 that of STS-02.
A drone with no class marking is classified by its mass: below 250 grams it keeps almost all of the A1 margin, and between 250 grams and 25 kilos it lands in A3.
The class is measured by maximum take-off mass, which includes the battery and fitted accessories.

Where to look

The label is physical: a «C» with a number inside a circle, stuck to the airframe and also printed on the box and in the manual. It is not a setting in the controller or something you look up in the manufacturer's app.

If you bought the drone in the last few years it most likely carries one. If it is older, that marking probably does not exist for the model and never will: the marking is granted to the product during its conformity assessment and is not added afterwards.

What each class allows in the open category

C0 and C1 are the classes for flying close to people, in subcategory A1. With C0, under 250 grams, you get the widest margin; with C1 you may not overfly uninvolved people.

C2 unlocks subcategory A2, which allows approaching people to thirty metres, or five if the drone has a low-speed mode and you engage it. And C2, C3 and C4 may fly in A3, the one for keeping away: at least 150 metres of horizontal distance from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

C5 and C6, which are not open category

They get confused a lot because they share the naming, but they belong to another regime. C5 is the class that enables standard scenario STS-01, flown within visual line of sight over a controlled ground area. C6 is the one for STS-02, which allows flight beyond visual line of sight in a sparsely populated environment, with airspace observers.

Neither is good for flying in the open category. Adopting a standard scenario requires, besides the class, the corresponding operational declaration and the scenario's specific training.

My drone has no label

This is the case for a great many aircraft still flying, and there is a way through. With no class marking, the drone is classified by its maximum take-off mass. Below 250 grams you may fly in A1 under conditions very close to those of a C0.

Above that weight and up to 25 kilos, an unclassed drone lands in A3: far from people and 150 metres from populated areas. That is more restrictive than its equivalent class would allow, and it is the price of having no marking.

Why this decides your flight

The class is not paperwork: it is the variable that changes the most about what you may do. The same location, the same day and the same pilot give a different answer with a C1 than with a C3, because the required distances to people and populated areas change, and in Spain the minimum distance to buildings changes too.

That is why any serious check starts with the aircraft. In AXPA the drone you pick is the first thing asked, and the verdict on the map changes with it.

Frequently asked questions

See all questions

Can I add a class marking to my old drone?: No. The marking is granted to the product during its conformity assessment and applied by the manufacturer. An aircraft released before that system will always remain unclassed.
Which class is a sub-250 gram drone with a camera?: If it is recent, it is usually C0. If it carries no label, it is treated as an unclassed drone under 250 grams, which in practice keeps almost all of the A1 margin.
What are C5 and C6 for, then?: C5 enables standard scenario STS-01 and C6 enables STS-02, both in the specific category. They require an operational declaration and the scenario's own training, and are not for flying in open.
Does the class depend on what the scales say?: It depends on maximum take-off mass, which includes the battery and everything fitted to it. An accessory can push you to the class boundary, so weigh the aircraft as it actually flies.
Do I need a specific class to work with my drone?: Not necessarily. What decides whether an operation is open or specific category is the risk of the operation, not commercial use. Many professional operations fit within open.

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.