How to get the EU A2 drone certificate in Germany
The A2 certificate lets you fly a heavier camera drone close to people — which is what most real estate and roof jobs in towns need. Here are the steps, the exam and the costs.
At a glance
- Issued by
- Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA)
- You need first
- Operator registration and the EU A1/A3 certificate
- Exam
- 30 multiple-choice questions, pass mark 75 %
- Where
- An LBA-approved test centre — on site or online with a live examiner
- Minimum age
- 16
- Valid for
- 5 years
- Total cost
- About €110–450 with an online exam, more with an on-site course
1. What the A2 certificate allows
The A2 certificate — in German EU-Fernpiloten-Zeugnis A2 — covers subcategory A2 of the open category. It is for drones with a C2 class label, up to 4 kg.
- You may fly at least 30 m from uninvolved people.
- In low-speed mode this distance shrinks to 5 m.
- Without A2, a C2 drone is limited to subcategory A3: at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas. That rules out most jobs in a town.
State aviation authorities often expect the A2 certificate when you apply for permission to fly in a geographical zone, for example near a hospital or a nature reserve.
2. Before you start
- Register as a drone operator with the LBA and put your operator ID on the drone.
- Take out liability insurance. In Germany it is mandatory for every drone.
- Get the EU A1/A3 certificate. It is an online course and test on the LBA portal; the LBA charges a fee of about €25.
You must be at least 16 years old.
3. Practical self-training
Before the theory exam you declare that you have completed practical self-training. You do it on your own, under the conditions of subcategory A3 — in an open area, far away from people. There is no logbook to hand in and no fixed number of hours.
Use the time seriously. Practise:
- take-off and landing in a small, marked area;
- hovering and precise flight in low-speed mode;
- flight without GPS assistance, if your drone allows it;
- return-to-home and what to do when the signal is lost.
4. The theory exam
The exam is taken at a test centre approved by the LBA (Prüfstelle für Fernpiloten). The LBA publishes the list of approved centres; some are in other EU countries, and their certificates are recognised in Germany too.
| Format | Details |
|---|---|
| Questions | 30 multiple-choice |
| Topics | Meteorology, UAS flight performance, technical and operational ground-risk mitigation |
| Pass mark | ≥ 75 % |
| Duration | Usually under an hour |
| Where | On site, or online by video with a live examiner |
After the exam the test centre gives you a certificate of the result. You then apply to the LBA, which issues the A2 certificate as a PDF.
5. Costs and timeline
| Step | Cost (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| EU A1/A3 online test (LBA) | ≈ €25 |
| A2 exam at a test centre, online, with or without a course (on-site courses up to ≈ €800) | ≈ €80–400 |
| A2 certificate issued by the LBA | €30 |
| Liability insurance | yearly premium, varies |
With an online exam and without insurance, the certificate path costs about €110–450 in total. With a few evenings for the A1/A3 course, a few days of practice and a free exam slot, many pilots finish within a few weeks.
6. Renewal
The A2 certificate is valid for 5 years. Before it expires you renew it with a refresher course or a repeat exam at any approved test centre. The LBA charges a small renewal fee (€15 as of October 2026).
7. Checklist
- Registered as an operator, ID on the drone
- Liability insurance in place
- EU A1/A3 certificate passed
- Practical self-training done and declared
- A2 exam booked at an LBA-approved test centre
- Exam passed, A2 certificate requested from the LBA
- Renewal date in your calendar — 5 years later