First, the question you came with: do you need one certificate per country?
No. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 requires a certificate issued by the competent authority — or an entity it designates — of a Member State. Not of the one you are flying in. That is the wording of the text, and it is what underpins recognition between Member States.
Two authorities confirm it from their own side: Portugal's ANAC states these certificates are mutually recognised between Member States, and Switzerland's FOCA — outside the Union — accepts training evidence from recognised bodies in other EASA states.
What changes from country to country is therefore not the validity of the certificate, but its name. And that detail is not cosmetic: it is what makes searching impossible. Searching for "CATS" from Italy returns nothing. A French operator hiring in Madrid has no idea what to ask for on a CV.
The European framework, in three steps
The European vocabulary distinguishes three levels, which each country renders its own way:
- A1/A3 — the baseline, required from 250 g, or as soon as a sensor can collect personal data. Online training and test, usually free.
- A2 — to fly closer to people. An additional, paid exam.
- Standard scenarios STS-01 and STS-02 — the Specific category, the professional's territory. Defined in Appendix 1 to the Annex of Regulation (EU) 2019/947, they have replaced national scenarios since 1 January 2026. They require a theoretical certificate and a separate practical assessment.
Official names, country by country
| country | authority | Specific category (STS) | Open category |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | DGAC | CATS — Certificat d'Aptitude Théorique de pilote à distance pour les Scénarios standards | BAPD (A1/A3, A2) |
| Italy | ENAC | Attestato di Pilota Remoto — Scenari Standard (STS) | Attestato di Pilota Remoto |
| Germany | LBA | Fernpiloten-Zeugnis STS + STS-Praxisnachweis | Kompetenznachweis A1/A3, Fernpiloten-Zeugnis A2 |
| Spain | AESA | Certificado de conocimientos teóricos de piloto a distancia + acreditación de aptitudes prácticas | Certificado de competencia de piloto a distancia |
| Netherlands | RDW (issuing) / ILT (bodies) | Certificaat van theoriekennis voor STS + practical accreditation | Vliegbewijs |
| Belgium | DGTA (FPS Mobility), via Drone Portal | Certificat de connaissances théoriques de pilote à distance + practical accreditation for STS-01 / STS-02 | — |
| Portugal | ANAC | Certificado de conhecimentos teóricos de piloto à distância, para operações nos cenários de referência | Certificado de competência do piloto remoto na subcategoria A2 |
| Austria | Austro Control, via dronespace.at | Zertifikat über die theoretischen Kenntnisse des Fernpiloten + Akkreditierung über den Abschluss der praktischen STS-Ausbildung | A2-Kompetenznachweis |
| Switzerland (non-EU) | FOCA / BAZL, via dLIS | STS-Zertifikat | — |
| United Kingdom (non-EU) | CAA | GVC — General Visual Line of Sight Certificate; Level 1, 2 and 3 Remote Pilot Certificates | A2 CofC — A2 Certificate of Competency |
A dash means the name for that cell has not been recorded on the authority's own site. We prefer an empty cell to one filled by guesswork: with an official name, an approximation reads perfectly well and then spreads.
The theory alone never opens anything
Everywhere, the theoretical certificate opens nothing on its own. A practical assessment with a recognised body is required — and this is where countries differ most in form:
- in France, a declared (DTO) or approved (ATO) organisation;
- in Germany, an anerkannte Stelle (PStF-P), the practical certificate being called the STS-Praxisnachweis;
- in Spain, a recognised entity or an operator declared to AESA, issuing the acreditación de aptitudes prácticas for each STS;
- in the Netherlands, a centre recognised by ILT, while the flight certificate itself is issued by the RDW;
- in Belgium, theory goes through designated entities and practice through recognised entities, with the certificate issued by the DGTA via the Drone Portal;
- in Austria, the theory exam is sat on site, at Austro Control's premises.
Portugal is the exception: theoretical training and examination are delivered exclusively by ANAC itself, on its own platform. No Portuguese organisation is authorised to provide them.
Two practical consequences: theory is often taken remotely while practice requires travelling, and a practical accreditation can be tied to one specific scenario — holding it for STS-01 does not open STS-02.
The United Kingdom has diverged, and it is the most common trap
Since leaving the Union, the UK does not use the STS. Its ladder is different: the GVC covers visual line of sight flying in the Specific category, the A2 CofC covers the Open category, and the Level 1, 2 and 3 Remote Pilot Certificates open beyond visual line of sight flying to increasing degrees.
A European certificate is therefore not automatically valid there, and the reverse holds too.
⚠️ The GVC will stop being issued on 31 December 2027. Existing certificates remain valid where they are explicitly accepted in the operational authorisation. UK training started today deserves the question.
How to read a foreign training offer
Three checks, in this order:
- Which authority issues it? That is the only thing recognition rests on. An organisation can be excellent without being recognised by the authority that matters to you.
- Theory, practice, or both? Many offers sell only the theory, and say so only in the small print.
- For which scenario? STS-01 and STS-02 are not obtained together.
Sources and freshness
Every name in this table was recorded on the corresponding national authority's own site, in August 2026 — never on a training provider or an aggregator, which are the main vector for spreading approximations.
One exception, and we flag it: the Italian name has not yet been confirmed on ENAC's site. It was given to us by an industry professional.
European drone regulation moves fast: France's national scenarios disappeared in January 2026, the UK's GVC ends in 2027. Check this page's update date before relying on it for a decision.