What subcategory A2 allows
The rules are in point UAS.OPEN.030 of Regulation (EU) 2019/947. In subcategory A2 you must not fly over uninvolved people, and you keep a horizontal distance of at least 30 m from them. You can cut that to 5 m if the drone has an active low speed mode, but only after you have looked at the weather, how the drone performs and how well the area is separated from other people.
EASA's acceptable means of compliance add two details that matter in practice:
- The distance is measured on the ground, between the point where the drone would land if it fell straight down and the person.
- As a reference near people, keep a lateral distance at least equal to your height. EASA calls this the 1:1 rule: at 30 m height, stay at least 30 m away from any uninvolved person.
The same text says the 5 m minimum applies when the low speed mode is switched on and set to 3 m/s. In every other case for a multirotor, the floor is 30 m.
The usual limits of the open category still apply: EASA's summary table for C2 lists a maximum height of 120 m above ground, and the drone has to fly with active, updated direct remote identification and geo-awareness.
A2 needs a C2 drone
Point UAS.OPEN.030(3) is short: an A2 flight has to be performed with a drone marked as class C2 that meets the requirements of that class. EASA's training table puts C2 drones under 4 kg and gives 16 as the minimum pilot age.
That rules out a lot of drones:
- Home-built FPV quads and drones without a class label. EASA's table puts privately built drones and drones placed on the market before 1 January 2024 into A1 if they are under 250 g, and into A3 otherwise. In A3 you keep a horizontal distance of 150 m from uninvolved people and urban areas. An A2 certificate changes nothing here.
- C0 and C1 drones. These fly in A1. A C1 drone (under 900 g) needs only the A1/A3 proof of completion, so A2 adds nothing for it either.
DJI's list of class-labelled drones, published with its post on the UK rules that apply from 1 January 2026, shows how this splits across one manufacturer's range. The Air 3, Air 3S, Avata 2 and Mavic 3 Classic are C1. The Mavic 4 Pro and Mavic 3 Pro are C2. That list is a convenience, not a legal source: check the class label on your own drone and in its manual.
What C2 looks like on a real drone
The Mavic 3 Pro manual gives a good idea of what C2 involves. In the EU, switching the remote controller to Cine mode puts the drone in Low Speed mode, which limits horizontal speed to 2.8 m/s. That is how the low speed function is switched on with this drone, and it is the condition for using the 5 m distance.
The manual also states the MTOM: 987 g for the Mavic 3 Pro (model L2S) and 991 g for the Mavic 3 Pro Cine (L2E), within the C2 limits. To keep it a C2 drone, DJI says not to add any payload such as propeller guards, not to use non-qualified replacement parts such as batteries or propellers, and not to modify the drone. Otherwise it cannot be used as a C2 drone. Bolt on prop guards and you lose the C2 privileges.
How to get the certificate
The regulation sets the order:
- Complete the online training and pass the online A1/A3 exam.
- Complete self-practical training in the operating conditions of subcategory A3.
- Declare that you have done the practical training, then pass an additional theory exam with at least 75%. It has at least 30 multiple-choice questions covering meteorology, UAS flight performance, and technical and operational mitigations for ground risk.
The exam is taken at the national aviation authority or at an entity it has designated. EASA's FAQ says the A2 exam can be taken at the NAA or proctored online.
Self-practical training: what you declare
Nobody checks your flying during the A2 process, but the declaration lists specific skills. ULC's description of the procedure includes, among others:
- before the flight: checking the weather and forecast, airspace restrictions, obstacles and people in the area, the battery, the firmware on the drone and remote, updating the geo-awareness system and setting a height limit if needed;
- in normal flight: take-off, hovering in place, wide and tight coordinated turns, straight flight at constant height, changes of direction, height and speed, flying back towards yourself from a distance where you can no longer tell the drone's orientation, automatic or manual return to home, and landing;
- in abnormal situations: a failed positioning device, a person entering the operating area, the drone leaving the planned area, crewed aircraft or another drone nearby, loss of height or position control due to external factors, taking back manual control when automation makes things dangerous, and loss of the control link.
If you have only flown on GPS with obstacle sensors, the "fly back when you can't see the orientation" and "positioning device failed" items deserve real practice in an empty field, not just a tick on the form.
The exam topics
ULC's guidelines 1/2025 set the weighting for the A2 exam: 20% meteorology, 30% flight performance and 50% ground risk mitigations. Each question has four answers and only one is correct. ULC's guide for examining entities breaks the syllabus down further:
- Meteorology: wind including urban effects and turbulence, temperature, visibility and air density, and how to get a forecast.
- Flight performance: the typical operating envelope of multirotors, fixed-wing and hybrid designs, mass, balance and centre of gravity with gimbals and payloads, securing the payload, and batteries (types, terms such as memory effect, capacity and C rating, charging, use and storage).
- Ground risk mitigations: low speed mode functions, judging distance from people and the 1:1 rule.
The procedure in Poland
In Poland you need a current A1/A3 certificate before the A2 exam. You show it at the examining entity, along with a valid ID.
The declaration of self-practical training is usually sent electronically. ULC's published procedure:
- Set up a trusted profile (profil zaufany) and trusted signature.
- Write the declaration in a Word document.
- Upload it to the gov.pl document signing service and sign it with the trusted signature.
- Email the signed file to the entity that will run your exam.
The entity verifies the signature, lets you sit the exam and, after a pass, sends the exam record and your declaration to ULC. ULC also accepts paper documents by post, with handwritten signatures from you and from the entity.
The exam itself is run only by entities designated by the President of ULC, and only through an IT exam system. Under ULC's guidelines 1/2025, an exam taken at an entity without a valid designation does not lead to the certificate. ULC publishes the list of examining entities on its website.
Validity and renewal
The certificate is valid for 5 years and is recognised in all EASA member states. ULC describes two ways to renew A2:
- pass the A2 theory exam again at an examining entity, or
- before it expires, complete a refresher training on the A2 theory subjects run by a designated entity.
ULC also notes that passing the A2 exam while your A1/A3 certificate is still valid renews A1/A3 as well.
Is it worth it?
If you fly a C2 drone near people, for example for property photos or events where 150 m from buildings is not realistic, A2 is the certificate that makes those flights legal in the open category. If you fly a C0 or C1 DJI drone, a home-built FPV quad or an older drone without a class label, it does not change where or how close you may fly. The theory may still make you a better pilot, but it isn't a permit.