BVLOS drone operations in France

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of France. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Legally possibleNo
• Authorisation requiredConditional
• Authorisation typepermitYes
• Pilot requirementConditional
• Aircraft requirementConditional
• Risk assessment requiredYes
• Standard scenario availableConditional
• Predefined pathway availableNot resolved
• Ground risk controlNot resolved
• Repeat or generic authorisationNot resolved
• Populated area pathwayYes
• Digital applicationNot resolved
• Operational limitationsConditional
• ExceptionsConditional

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the a1, open and vlos categories of operation.

• location

  Distance at or below 50 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 120 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 50 m

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 3 décembre 2020, annexe, point 1.1 - section overview

  This section defines the three French national standard scenarios (S-1, S-2, and S-3) for UAS operations, specifying their environmental conditions, visual line of sight requirements, and maximum horizontal distances.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 3 décembre 2020, annexe, point 2.6 - section overview

  This section defines the specific technical and operational requirements for unmanned aircraft operated under the French national S-2 operational scenario, including real-time positioning, horizontal containment or alarms, independent engine termination, and flight data recording.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 3 décembre 2020, article 7 - section overview

  This article establishes the prior agreement requirements for VLOS drone operations conducted outside the open category and aeromodelling associations, specifying when approval is needed from regional airspace management committees or air traffic control providers.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 3 décembre 2020, article 8 - section overview

  This section defines the height limits and airspace requirements for BVLOS (hors vue) drone operations in France outside the Open category and aeromodelling associations, including specific rules for aircraft under 2 kg and requirements for operating in controlled airspace.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  BVLOS cloud clearance requirement

  Unmanned aircraft operating BVLOS must remain clear of clouds unless operating in segregated airspace.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  BVLOS Height Limit for Aircraft Under 2 kg

  For BVLOS operations of aircraft weighing less than 2 kg, the aircraft must fly at a height of less than 120 meters above the surface, or less than 15 meters above the highest artificial obstacle of more than 105 meters in height within a 50-meter horizontal radius.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Exception to Height Limits in Segregated Airspace

  The BVLOS height limits do not apply when the aircraft operates within a portion of airspace mentioned in Annex III under conditions ensuring activity segregation from other airspace users.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  General BVLOS Height Limit

  For BVLOS operations, the aircraft must fly at a height of less than 50 meters above the surface, or less than 15 meters above the highest artificial obstacle of less than 105 meters in height within a 50-meter horizontal radius.

  Open the requirement

Official sources

• Arrete du 3 decembre 2020 relatif a la definition des scenarios standard nationaux — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile
• Arrete du 3 decembre 2020 relatif a l'utilisation de l'espace aerien par les aeronefs sans equipage a bord — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on bvlos.operational_limitations; the binding position is published.
• 4 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in France

• Do I need to register my drone in France?Registration in France is governed by a published mass threshold of 0.25 kg, alongside the further conditions cited below. Whether it applies to a given flight depends on those conditions, each cited to its rule.
• Do I need Remote ID in France?Remote identification in France is framed by a published mass threshold of 25 kg, together with the aircraft and operation conditions cited below. Whether a given flight must carry or broadcast an electronic identity depends on those conditions.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in France?Drone flights in France are held to a published general height limit of 120 m above_nearest_obstacle. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in France?Drone flights near aerodromes in France are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• Can I fly a drone over people in France?Flight over uninvolved people is treated as a higher-risk operation in France: it is available only where the published conditions below — class, mass, separation or authorisation — are satisfied.
• Can I fly a drone at night in France?No. A published rule in France prohibits night operations for the operations covered here.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in France?Whether an operation in France needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in France?Remote pilot competency in France scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.
• Do I need drone insurance in France?Drone insurance in France is published with a minimum third-party cover of 0.75 million SDR. Whether cover is required for a given flight depends on the published conditions below.

All drone laws in France