Drone operational authorisation in Germany

What the rules say

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

• Authorisation requiredConditional
• Trigger statedConditional
• Issuing authorityConditional
• Application modelpermitYes
• Risk assessmentConditional
• Standard scenario routeConditional
• Declaration routeConditional
• Generic or organisational privilegeConditional
• ValidityConditional
• Repeat operationsNot resolved
• Digital applicationConditional

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the certified category of operation.

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or above 100 m

• location

  Distance to residential below 1.5 km

• location

  Lateral distance above 10 m

• location

  Lateral distance at or below 1.5 km

• location

  Lateral distance at or below 100 m

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Ancillary Provisions and Revocation of Status

  Designations and recognitions may include ancillary provisions and must be revoked if their requirements are no longer met, or may be revoked if conditions are violated.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Application Requirements for Air Sports Association Authorization

  An application for an air sports association authorization must include operational procedures, compliance assurance, a commitment to make procedures available to members, and details on training measures.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Authorization for UAS Operations in Restricted Geographical Zones

  The locally competent state aviation authority may, in justified cases, authorize UAS operations in the geographical zones specified in § 21h(3) and (4) beyond the established restrictions, provided safety, public order, environmental protection, and noise protection are ensured.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Authorization of Nationwide Air Sports Associations

  The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure or a designated federal authority may grant nationwide air sports associations an authorization under Article 16(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/947.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Competent Authority for Certified Category Approvals

  The Luftfahrt-Bundesamt is the competent authority in Germany for issuing approvals in the certified category under Articles 6, 7(3), and 11 of Regulation (EU) 2019/947.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Insurance Exemption for Federal and State Operators

  The obligation to maintain third-party liability insurance does not apply if the Federal Government (Bund) or a State (Land) is the operator of the aircraft.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Local Jurisdiction for Operational Authorizations

  The local jurisdiction of the state aviation authority is determined by the applicant's main residence for natural persons, or by the applicant's registered office for legal entities.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  LuftVO § 17 - section overview

  This section designates the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as the authority responsible for establishing restricted airspaces and approving deviations, and prohibits flying through restricted areas unless permitted by the restrictions or approved by the competent air navigation authorities.

  Open the requirement

Official sources

• Luftverkehrs-Ordnung (LuftVO) — Landesluftfahrtbehoerden
• Luftverkehrsgesetz (LuftVG) — Landesluftfahrtbehoerden

Known limitations

• 1 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 Germany

• Do I need to register my drone in Germany?Registration in Germany 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.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in Germany?Drone flights in Germany 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 Germany?Drone flights near aerodromes in Germany 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 Germany?Flight over uninvolved people is treated as a higher-risk operation in Germany: it is available only where the published conditions below — class, mass, separation or authorisation — are satisfied.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in Germany?Remote pilot competency in Germany 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 Germany?Drone insurance in Germany 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 Germany