Is my operational authorisation valid in other EASA countries?

Not on its own. Your authorisation comes from your state of registration, and to use it elsewhere you apply to the competent authority of the state of operation under Article 13. You send a copy of the authorisation, the intended locations and any updated mitigations for local conditions. You can start once that authority confirms the updated mitigations are satisfactory.

EASA cross-border operations

Q: Do I need anything extra to fly in the Open category abroad?

EASA says no additional authorisation is needed to fly in the Open category in another EASA member state, and your registration and Open category pilot certificate are recognised across member states. You must check whether your flying area falls within a UAS geographical zone published by that state, since zones can restrict, condition or relax operations.

Flying in another member state

Under Regulation (EU) 2019/947, a drone operator registers in one EASA member state but can work across all of them. For the Open category that is mostly a matter of checking local zones. For the Specific category, Article 13 sets out how an authorization, declaration or light UAS operator certificate (LUC) issued at home is used in another member state.

This guide explains the difference between the state of registration and the state of operation, what you send to the other state's authority, how standard scenario (STS) declarations and LUCs work across borders, and what operators from outside the EU, including the UK, need to do first.

Vetted consultants

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The Drone Office

London, GB

Expert regulatory support for complex drone operations.UK & Europe. Commercial & Defence.

Our mission: SORA drone regulations made accessible. The Drone Office supports drone operators, UAS manufacturers and technology providers secure their operational authorisations and access strategic markets. From SORA compliance to partnerships and funding, we turn regulatory and market complexity into a competitive advantage. We bring clarity to complex challenges. We help frame the operation, prepare the SORA documentation, engage with the regulator, and remain committed until the authorisation is secured.

Cross-border operation

Awaiting vetting

Members completing our checks. They can be contacted once vetted.

Cranfield Aerospace Solutions Ltd

Cranfield, GB

From Concept to Certification. Trusted UK SORA, Airworthiness & Design Engineering Experts.

Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) is one of the UK's leading aviation engineering and certification organisations, providing independent consultancy services for UK SORA, RPAS airworthiness, aircraft design, modification, and regulatory approval. With over 30 years of aerospace engineering excellence, CAeS supports clients across civil, defence, and uncrewed aviation sectors, helping organisations navigate complex regulatory challenges and bring innovative aircraft and UAV systems into operation safely and compliantly. Our multidisciplinary team delivers end-to-end support, from operational concept development and UK SORA assessments through to aircraft design, safety analysis, flight test programmes, certification planning, and regulatory engagement. We combine practical engineering experience with deep airworthiness expertise to reduce programme risk, accelerate approvals, and enable successful deployment. CAeS has contributed to more than 750 air vehicle programmes, including conventional aircraft, rotorcraft, advanced air mobility platforms, defence systems, and next-generation uncrewed aircraft. Recent projects have included the development of hydrogen-electric propulsion systems and hydrogen-native UAV platforms, placing CAeS at the forefront of sustainable aviation innovation. As a holder of UK CAA Part 21J Design Organisation Approval, BCAR A8-21 approval, and MAA DAOS approval covering aeroplanes, helicopters, and RPAS, CAeS offers a unique combination of regulatory authority, practical engineering capability, and operational experience. Our team regularly supports compliance strategies across CS-23, CS-25, CS-27, CS-29 and equivalent international certification frameworks, working closely with authorities including the UK CAA, EASA, FAA, TCCA, GACA, and military airworthiness organisations worldwide. Whether you require a UK SORA submission, certification strategy, aircraft modification approval, flight-test support, or complete design engineering services, CAeS provides the expertise to take your programme from concept to certified operation.

Cross-border operation

State of registration and state of operation

You register as a UAS operator in the member state where you live (for an individual) or where your principal place of business is (for a company), and you can only be registered in one member state at a time. EASA confirms that the registration number is valid in all EASA member states, as are Open and Specific category remote pilot competency certificates issued in any of them.

That registration state's competent authority is your home authority. It assesses your risk assessment and issues your operational authorization, receives your STS declarations, or grants your LUC. The authority of the country where you want to fly (the state of operation) does not repeat that work. Its role is to check that your operation suits local conditions.

EASA's guidance is clear that you cannot apply directly to the state of operation. You first need the authorization from your state of registration, unless you hold an LUC with the right privileges. This applies even if you only ever intend to fly abroad.

Using an operational authorization in another member state

Article 13(1) covers operations that take place partly or entirely in another member state's airspace. You send the competent authority of the state of operation an application, using the cross-border form published in AMC1 Article 13(1) (EASA also offers it as a download). EASA's acceptable means of compliance (AMC) describe what goes with it:

A copy of the operational authorization issued by your state of registration
The intended location or locations, including the full operational volume and ground risk buffer
Updated mitigation measures, where needed, for the local airspace, terrain, population and climate
The relevant chapters of your operations manual, amended to meet local conditions and apply the mitigations at the new location
Evidence of compliance for the amended procedures, in line with the strength of the mitigations
A list of the local conditions that apply, such as national insurance rules or frequencies to avoid

What the other state's authority does

EASA's guidance material says the state of operation is not expected to review your full risk assessment. It checks the local conditions and the updated mitigations, and if it is satisfied it sends you and your home authority a confirmation of acceptability. You may start flying once you receive that confirmation. Your home authority then records the extra locations and mitigations in a revised operational authorization.

The regulation asks the state of operation to assess the application without undue delay, but sets no fixed timescale, so check the receiving authority's website and build in time. On the form you also declare that you will comply with national rules on privacy, data protection, liability, insurance, security and environmental protection. These areas stay national, so local requirements can differ from home.

STS declarations, LUCs and the Open category

For an operation under an EU standard scenario, you declare to your state of registration first and receive its confirmation of receipt and completeness. You then send the state of operation a copy of the declaration and of that confirmation. EASA says no further verification is needed and you can start once the state of operation acknowledges receipt. You still need to check the zones it publishes.

An LUC holder with self-authorization privileges sends the state of operation a copy of its terms of approval and the intended locations. Under the AMC, if the LUC privileges include assessing local conditions and applying mitigations at new locations, operations can start once receipt and completeness are confirmed. If not, you wait for a confirmation of acceptability.

In the Open category, EASA says no extra authorization is needed to fly in another member state. You do need to check whether the area falls within a UAS geographical zone published by that state.

Geographical zones and operators from outside the EU

Each member state defines its own UAS geographical zones under Article 15. A zone can ban some or all operations, set conditions, require prior flight authorization, or limit access to certain classes or aircraft with features such as remote identification. A zone can also relax some Open category limits. Zones apply to every category, and EASA links to each national authority's drone pages, where zone maps and apps are usually found.

An operator based outside the EU, including in the UK, must follow Regulation (EU) 2019/947 when flying in EU airspace. Its competent authority is the authority of the first member state where it intends to operate, so that is where it registers and makes Specific category applications or declarations. EASA says registration there is then valid across Europe, and that pilot training or qualifications from outside the EU are not currently recognized, so pilots need EU training first.

What a consultant does, and what to ask before hiring

A consultant helps you identify the local conditions, adapt your mitigations and operations manual chapters, prepare the cross-border application and evidence, and deal with questions from both authorities. They cannot issue a confirmation or promise an outcome: the competent authorities decide. Operators can compare vetted consultants on DOC, where regulator experience is shown as verified only where it has been evidenced.

Which member states have you prepared cross-border applications for, and how recently?
How do you find and document the local conditions in the state of operation?
Will you amend our operations manual chapters, or review changes we draft?
Can you work in the language the receiving authority prefers?
How will the change be reflected in our home authorization afterwards?

Common mistakes

Most cross-border delays come from treating the home authorization as automatically valid everywhere. Watch for these:

Applying to the state of operation before holding an authorization from the state of registration
Sending the authorization without updated mitigations for the new location's airspace, terrain and population
Starting work before the confirmation of acceptability arrives
Overlooking national rules on insurance, privacy or security in the host country
Not checking the host state's geographical zones, even for Open category or STS flights
Assuming a UK or other non-EU pilot qualification is recognized in the EU

Common questions

Is my operational authorization valid in other EASA countries?

Not on its own. Your authorization comes from your state of registration, and to use it elsewhere you apply to the competent authority of the state of operation under Article 13. You send a copy of the authorization, the intended locations and any updated mitigations for local conditions. You can start once that authority confirms the updated mitigations are satisfactory.

Can I apply directly to the country where I want to fly?

No. EASA's guidance says the authority of your state of registration must first accept your risk assessment and mitigations and issue the authorization. Only then do you apply to the state of operation, which checks local conditions rather than the whole safety case. The exception is an LUC holder with the right privileges, who sends its terms of approval and locations instead.

Do STS declarations work across borders?

Yes. You declare to your state of registration and receive its confirmation of receipt and completeness. You then send copies of the declaration and that confirmation to the authority of the state of operation. EASA says no further verification is needed and you can start once that authority acknowledges receipt. You still need to check its published geographical zones.

Do I need anything extra to fly in the Open category abroad?

EASA says no additional authorization is needed to fly in the Open category in another EASA member state, and your registration and Open category pilot certificate are recognized across member states. You must check whether your flying area falls within a UAS geographical zone published by that state, since zones can restrict, condition or relax operations.

How does a UK operator fly drones in the EU?

An operator based outside the EU must comply with Regulation (EU) 2019/947 in EU airspace. Its competent authority is the authority of the first member state where it intends to fly, so it registers there and submits declarations or authorization applications there. EASA says training or qualifications from outside the EU are not currently recognized, so pilots need EU training.

How long does a cross-border confirmation take?

The regulation says the state of operation should assess the application without undue delay, but it does not set a fixed number of days. Times depend on the receiving authority and how complete your application is. Check that authority's website for its process, send the full evidence package with the form, and allow time for questions before the job.