Can I fly my drone in a public park?

It depends on the park and the municipality. Aviation rules may allow it while a local by-law forbids it, or the other way round. First check that no geographical zone covers that point, then the rules of the site itself.

Can I fly in my garden or from my balcony?

Owning the ground gives you no rights over the airspace above it. The same geographical zones and the same limits of your subcategory apply exactly as anywhere else. In Spain, moreover, the open category does not allow overflying other people's buildings without the owner's permission.

If my drone weighs under 250 grams, can I fly anywhere?

No. A light drone gives you more margin around people and often saves you part of the training, but geographical zones, the 120 metre ceiling and the duty to keep it in sight apply just the same.

If I cannot fly in the open category, can I not fly at all?

Quite the opposite: that is where the specific category begins. A declared standard scenario or an operational authorisation enable operations the open category does not permit, including higher flights or flight beyond visual line of sight.

Is it enough to check once and note the spot down?

For permanent zones it works as a guide. For temporary notices it does not: a NOTAM or an airspace reservation can close tomorrow a place that is flyable today. Check it on the day.

Is the category decided by whether I am paid for the flight?

No. It is decided by the risk of the operation. There are professional jobs that fit comfortably within the open category and recreational flights that do not.

Where can I fly my drone?

It depends on which category you fly in, and there are three. In the open category you may fly wherever no geographical zone restricts it, within sight and below 120 metres above the ground. In the specific category, where higher-risk operations land, many of those doors open with a declaration or an operational authorisation, including flight beyond visual line of sight; and under an operational authorisation the vertical limit also stops being 120 metres. And the certified category is another league. Something not fitting the open category does not mean it cannot be done: it means it is done another way.

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

In short

There are three categories: open, specific and certified. The category is decided by the risk of the operation, not by whether you are paid for it.
The 120 metres above ground apply in the open category and in the standard scenarios too. Only under an operational authorisation does the vertical limit become whatever your approved ConOps states.
In subcategory A3 you must keep at least 150 metres of horizontal distance from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas. That is UAS.OPEN.040 of Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and applies equally across the Union.
UAS geographical zones are published by each country, and many do not forbid: they condition. Knowing whether your case is a ban or a procedure is what decides whether the flight is viable.
A temporary notice such as a NOTAM can close today a place that was flyable yesterday.

There is no list of allowed places, and there is a reason

It does, and the rule is simpler than it looks: flying is allowed everywhere except where a UAS geographical zone restricts it. The European framework works by exclusion, and each State defines those zones around whatever it wants to protect.

What does not exist is a short list of «good spots», because the map is not the same for everyone: a point can be clear for a 200 gram aircraft and closed for a two kilo one, and a conditional zone can open with a procedure. That is exactly what AXPA does: it draws you, at a glance, the map of where YOU can fly, with your drone and your category, rather than a generic map you then have to translate to your case.

Open category: A1, A2 and A3

This is where almost everybody flies. It is defined by three conditions that do not depend on the place: an aircraft under 25 kg, flight within visual line of sight, and up to 120 metres above the closest point of the ground. Within it there are three subcategories, and your drone's class decides which one.

A1 is for flying close to people, with class C0 or C1 drones. A2 lets you get closer with a C2. And A3 is the one for keeping away: with it you must maintain at least 150 metres of horizontal distance from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas. That figure is European, not from any single country.

Specific category: where the doors the open category closes are opened

As soon as an operation steps outside the open category (flying beyond visual line of sight, over people, higher, or with a bigger aircraft) it becomes specific. And here is what almost no guide says: the specific category is not a punishment, it is the route by which those operations become possible.

There are two paths. The standard scenarios, STS-01 and STS-02, which are pre-analysed operations you adopt with an operational declaration. And the operational authorisation, granted by the aviation authority on the basis of a SORA risk assessment, with its abbreviated versions (the PDRAs) for common cases. It pays not to mix them up: the standard scenarios keep the 120 metre ceiling, and it is under an operational authorisation that the vertical limit, flight beyond visual line of sight and overflight of buildings become governed by the approved ConOps and its mitigations.

Certified category: it exists, and it is not for this

It is the third category in the regulation and it is meant for operations whose risk resembles that of manned aviation: carrying people, carrying dangerous goods, and operations with large aircraft over assemblies of people. It requires certifying the aircraft, licensing the pilot and, where applicable, certifying the operator.

It is mentioned here so the picture is complete, but it falls outside what AXPA covers and outside what an ordinary UAS operator encounters. If your operation lands there, your counterpart is the aviation authority directly.

What closes a location, and what merely conditions it

Restrictions come from the air and from the ground. From the air: aerodrome environments, controlled airspace, restricted areas and temporary notices published as NOTAM. From the ground: essential infrastructure, military and State security installations, protected natural areas and built-up environments.

The distinction that matters is not «red or green», it is «forbidden or conditional». A great many zones allow the flight if you coordinate beforehand with the right body, and each has its own authority, channel and lead time. Painting all of that the same colour is what makes a perfectly viable operation look impossible.

And what changes from country to country

European regulations set the common framework: the three categories, the subcategories, the 120 metre ceiling in open, the 150 metres of A3, the drone classes and the duty to register as an operator. All of that travels with you across the Union.

What each State adds are its geographical zones and its own conditions, and the differences there are large: Spain has a regime of distances to buildings that Portugal does not have, and Portugal has height rings around its international airports that Spain does not use. Assuming in one country what you learned in another hardly ever fails on the cautious side.

Frequently asked questions

See all questions

Can I fly my drone in a public park?: It depends on the park and the municipality. Aviation rules may allow it while a local by-law forbids it, or the other way round. First check that no geographical zone covers that point, then the rules of the site itself.
Can I fly in my garden or from my balcony?: Owning the ground gives you no rights over the airspace above it. The same geographical zones and the same limits of your subcategory apply exactly as anywhere else. In Spain, moreover, the open category does not allow overflying other people's buildings without the owner's permission.
If my drone weighs under 250 grams, can I fly anywhere?: No. A light drone gives you more margin around people and often saves you part of the training, but geographical zones, the 120 metre ceiling and the duty to keep it in sight apply just the same.
If I cannot fly in the open category, can I not fly at all?: Quite the opposite: that is where the specific category begins. A declared standard scenario or an operational authorisation enable operations the open category does not permit, including higher flights or flight beyond visual line of sight.
Is it enough to check once and note the spot down?: For permanent zones it works as a guide. For temporary notices it does not: a NOTAM or an airspace reservation can close tomorrow a place that is flyable today. Check it on the day.
Is the category decided by whether I am paid for the flight?: No. It is decided by the risk of the operation. There are professional jobs that fit comfortably within the open category and recreational flights that do not.

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.