Drone insurance 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.

• Insurance requiredConditional
• ScopeConditional
• Weight threshold20 kgConditional
• Commercial triggerNot resolved
• Minimum cover0.75 million SDRConditional
• ExceptionsNo
• Proof requiredNot resolved

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the certified, open and specific categories of operation.

• other

  Insurance cover at or above 0.75 million SDR

• weight threshold

  Take-off mass below 20 kg

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Verification of Civil Liability Insurance Coverage

  Remote pilots should verify the clauses of their civil liability insurance contract if they have not taken out a specific drone insurance policy.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Contents of an Operational Authorisation Application

  The application for an operational authorisation shall be based on the risk assessment referred to in Article 11 and shall include the specified operator registration, manager name, risk assessment, mitigation measures, operations manual (if required), and insurance confirmation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Declared standard scenario operations require confirmation of insurance cover

  A declaration by a UAS operator shall contain confirmation by the UAS operator that an appropriate insurance cover will be in place for every flight made under the declaration, if required by Union or national law.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Minimum third-party liability insurance for aircraft below 500 kg MTOM

  Insurance in respect of liability for third parties shall be at least 0,75 million SDRs per accident for aircraft in Category 1, meaning aircraft with a maximum take-off mass of less than 500 kg.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Model aircraft under 20 kg are outside the EU aviation insurance regulation

  Regulation (EC) No 785/2004 shall not apply to model aircraft with a maximum take-off mass of less than 20 kg.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Operational authorisation applications require confirmation of insurance cover

  An application for an operational authorisation shall include a confirmation that an appropriate insurance cover will be in place at the start of the UAS operations, if required by Union or national law.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawEU/EASA framework rule

  Operator registration records an insurance policy number where insurance is required

  The registration systems for UAS operators shall provide the fields for introducing and exchanging an insurance policy number for UAS if required by Union or national law.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Arrete du 19 avril 2019 relatif au contenu de la notice d'information fournie avec les emballages — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile
• EASA Easy Access Rules for U-space (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664), May 2024Open
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945Open

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on insurance.operation_scope; the binding position is published.
• 2 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.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in France?No. A published rule in France excludes BVLOS 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.

All drone laws in France