FPV drone rules in Poland and the EU in 2026

You can fly an FPV drone legally in Poland in the open category if you are a registered operator, have the required competency, also have compulsory third-party liability insurance for a drone weighing 250 g or more, notify the flight in the DroneTower app, and fly with an observer or within the limits of the temporary exemption issued by the Polish Civil Aviation Authority (ULC). The basis is EU Regulations 2019/947 and 2019/945, and the Polish Aviation Law adds, among other things, a minimum pilot age, compulsory insurance and flight notification to the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA). Below you will find the state of the rules as of October 2026, together with the sources where you can check for any changes.

Which legal acts govern FPV flights

Drone flights in Poland rest on three layers of rules:

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 – rules for conducting operations, categories and subcategories, pilot competencies, operator registration¹;
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 – technical requirements for drones and classes C0 to C6²;
• the Polish Aviation Law Act – including the minimum pilot age, compulsory liability insurance, flight notification to PANSA and penalties³.

On top of this come decisions of the President of ULC, who supervises competencies and operators, and the procedures of PANSA, which runs the flight notification system and publishes geographical zones. EU rules apply directly in all EU countries, which is why competencies obtained in Poland are recognised in other member states⁴. Geographical zones, the way flights are notified and the insurance obligation, on the other hand, are national.

The open category and subcategories for FPV drones

The vast majority of FPV flights fall within the open category. Its general conditions are a take-off mass below 25 kg, flight within visual line of sight (VLOS), no higher than 120 m from the closest point of the surface of the earth, no flights over assemblies of people and no dropping of anything. The drone must also bear a class label, be privately built or meet the transitional conditions for older models⁵.

For typical FPV drones two subcategories matter⁶:

• A1 – drones under 250 g: privately built with a maximum operating speed below 19 m/s, a class C0 drone or a drone without a class placed on the market before 1 January 2024. The rules allow flying over uninvolved people, but never over assemblies of people – in practice, avoid it anyway.
• A3 – drones up to 25 kg, including typical 5″ freestyle drones: flight in a place where you do not endanger uninvolved people, at least 150 m horizontally from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.

Subcategory A2 requires a class C2 drone, so it is not available for ordinary FPV drones⁶.

Be careful with the notion of a privately built drone. It is a drone assembled by you for your own use, e.g. from parts purchased separately. A ready-made drone or a kit sold as a complete set to be assembled is not one⁷. A ready-made drone without a class label, placed on the market after 1 January 2024, does not fall directly into any of these groups, because the transitional provision covers only older models⁸. Before buying a BNF drone, check whether it has a class label, and if in doubt, ask your national aviation authority (in Poland, ULC).

Operator registration, competency and pilot age

The operator is the person or company responsible for the drone; the pilot is whoever controls it. Often they are the same person. In the open category, operator registration is mandatory when you use a drone weighing 250 g or more or a drone with a sensor able to capture personal data. An FPV camera is such a sensor, so registration also applies to light drones, unless the drone is a toy within the meaning of the Toy Safety Directive⁹. In Poland you register at drony.gov.pl, and you put the operator number you receive on every drone⁹¹⁰. If you live in another EU country, you register with that country's aviation authority instead, because an operator registers in the state of residence (see the section on flying abroad below).

Pilot competency depends on the subcategory. To fly in A3 you need the A1/A3 online training and exam: 40 questions, 75% pass mark, valid for five years⁶¹¹. For a drone under 250 g in A1 (privately built or class C0), EU rules require only familiarity with the manufacturer's instructions, but it is worth passing the A1/A3 exam straight away – without it you will not be able to fly a heavier drone⁶. Carry the document confirming your competency with you when flying¹².

The minimum pilot age in the open and specific categories in Poland is 14. A minor takes part in training and exams with the consent of a parent or legal guardian³. The lowered age applies only in Poland: a 14- or 15-year-old cannot fly on these terms in another EU country. There is no age limit for flying, for example, a privately built drone under 250 g, or under the direct supervision of a pilot who meets the requirements¹³.

Flying with goggles – the observer and the temporary ULC exemption

FPV goggles do not allow you to keep the drone within visual line of sight, so EU rules allow them in the open category only with an observer⁵¹⁴. The observer stands next to you, watches the drone with the naked eye, without binoculars, and warns you of obstacles, people and other aircraft. You must have an agreed, clear way of communicating, and responsibility for the flight still rests with you¹²¹⁵.

In Poland, a temporary exemption from the VLOS requirement for FPV flights in the open category, issued by the President of ULC, is in force from 12 February to 12 October 2026¹⁶. Under it:

• in A1 (up to 250 g for a privately built drone or class C0, up to 900 g for class C1) and in A2 (up to 4 kg, class C2) the drone may fly at most 200 m horizontally away from you;
• in A3 (up to 4 kg) – at most 500 m, while keeping 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas;
• in every case you fly at most 50 m above the ground, and the other requirements of the subcategory apply unchanged.

At its September 2026 briefing, ULC announced that the exemption would be extended¹⁷. If you are reading this after 12 October 2026, check the "Odstępstwa/AltMoC" (derogations/AltMoC) section of the ULC website to see whether a new decision has been issued. Without one, the observer is mandatory again.

Compulsory third-party liability insurance

Since 13 November 2025, the operator of a drone with a take-off mass from 0.25 kg to 20 kg must have third-party liability insurance for damage connected with the operations performed³. The minimum sum insured is the equivalent of 50,000 SDR per occurrence, and you must take out the policy no later than the day before the operations begin¹⁸. Not having a policy carries a financial penalty of PLN 4,000³.

Note the exclusions: compulsory liability insurance does not cover damage from flights made without the required competency document or in breach of the rules on drone operations¹⁸. So a policy is no substitute for a legal flight. Drones under 250 g are not covered by the obligation, but voluntary liability insurance is sensible protection. ULC has announced work on changing the scope of the insurance obligation, so check the current state of the rules before buying or renewing a policy¹⁷.

Geographical zones, flight notification and night flights

In Poland you notify PANSA of your intention to carry out every drone operation through an IT system³. In practice this is done with the DroneTower app: you check in before take-off and close the check-in after landing¹⁹. Some flights require a mission plan submitted in advance, including all BVLOS flights and flights closer than 1 km to the boundary of a controlled aerodrome. You submit a mission for a VLOS flight no later than 5 minutes before the planned flight, and for a BVLOS flight 6 hours in advance²⁰.

You can check geographical zones, i.e. height restrictions, flight bans and entry conditions, on the DroneMap map²¹. Before every flight you are obliged to familiarise yourself with the current zones and comply with their conditions¹². Along the eastern border there are temporary military zones banning civilian flights – one example is zone R134, established from 10 September to 9 December 2026²². Also keep away from places where an emergency response is under way, unless the emergency services have given permission¹².

At night, a drone in the open category must have a flashing green light switched on¹². Also remember that in the dark an observer is much worse at judging the drone's distance from obstacles.

Remote identification, flying abroad and model aircraft clubs

Direct remote identification (Remote ID) is required in the open category for class C1, C2 and C3 drones, and in the specific category for every drone flying below 120 m⁶²³. A typical privately built FPV drone flying in A1 or A3 does not need it. If you move on to the specific category, you will need a Remote ID module.

Abroad, a Polish operator flies on the basis of their Polish registration, because an operator can be registered in only one EU country – the one where they live or have their principal place of business⁹. In the open category you do not need any additional permission in another EU country, but before flying you must check that country's geographical zones⁴. It is also worth checking the destination country's national requirements, e.g. on insurance. The same applies the other way round: if you are registered in another EU country and come to fly in Poland, you fly on the basis of your home registration, and you check the Polish geographical zones and national requirements described above. A separate route is flying within model aircraft clubs and associations, which may operate under an authorisation issued in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation 2019/947. The conditions set out in that authorisation then apply²⁴.

Key points

• FPV flights in Poland are based on EU Regulations 2019/947 and 2019/945 and the Polish Aviation Law; most fall within subcategories A1 and A3.
• A drone with a camera requires operator registration regardless of its weight, and you put the operator number on every drone.
• From 250 g to 20 kg, liability insurance with a sum insured of at least 50,000 SDR is compulsory, and the policy does not cover damage from flights that break the rules.
• You notify every flight in DroneTower and check the zones on DroneMap.
• With goggles you fly with an observer; the temporary ULC exemption applies until 12 October 2026, and you need to check whether it has been extended.
• The minimum pilot age in Poland is 14, but the lowered age does not apply abroad.