Remote pilot competency in Italy

What the rules say

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

• Competency requiredConditional
• Training requiredConditional
• Examination requiredConditional
• Proof of competency issuedConditional
• Operation-specific qualificationConditional
• Validity periodConditional
• Renewal or recurrent trainingConditional
• Minimum age16 yearsConditional
• Weight-based trigger0.25 kgConditional

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the a1, a1-a3, a2, a3 and open categories of operation.

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or below 120 m

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Overlapping Airport Geographical Zones

  In the event of overlapping geographical zones of adjacent runways or airports, the most restrictive criteria and limitations must be applied.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Pilot certificate for OPEN A1-A3 operations

  To operate a UAV with a maximum takeoff mass of less than 25 kg in OPEN A1-A3 categories under VLOS conditions, the pilot must hold a Pilot Certificate obtained by completing an online course and passing an online exam on the ENAC portal.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Pilot Certificate for Open Category A1-A3

  To operate a UAV with a maximum takeoff mass of less than 25 kg in Open Category A1-A3 VLOS operations, the pilot must hold a Pilot Certificate obtained by completing an online course and passing an online exam on the ENAC portal.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Pilot Certificate for Open Category A2

  To operate a UAV in Open Category A2 VLOS operations, the pilot must hold an Open A1-A3 certificate, complete and declare self-practical training in A3 conditions, and pass an additional 30-question theoretical exam at a Recognized Entity with a score of at least 75%.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Pilot competency for operations with SAIL < V

  To operate a UAV in operations with a SAIL of less than V, the pilot must hold an OPEN A2 Pilot Certificate and complete a specific training course at an authorized Recognized Entity to verify competencies under Art. 8(2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/947.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Disposizione GENDISP DG 23/2022 — modifica del paragrafo 6.4 della Circolare ATM-09A — Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione CivileOpen
• Regolamento ENAC UAS-IT Ed. 1 (04/01/2021) — Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione CivileOpen

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on pilot_competency.renewal; the binding position is published.

Other drone rules in Italy

• Do I need to register my drone in Italy?Registration in Italy 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 Italy?Drone flights in Italy 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 Italy?Drone flights near aerodromes in Italy are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Italy?Whether an operation in Italy needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• Do I need drone insurance in Italy?Drone insurance in Italy 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 Italy