The drone compliance guide, written for operators.
EASA regulation, AlphaTango, compliance, insurance: practical guides written for operators — not for lawyers.
Operating a professional drone in France starts with preparing every flight: reading the airspace over the site, choosing the flight's framework — Open category, STS-01, STS-02, PDRA or SORA — and spotting the formalities it requires.
Then come the formalities, each with its own deadline: the prefecture declaration at least 10 working days before a flight over a populated area, the notification to the Ministry of the Armed Forces for every beyond-sight flight, registering the operator and its aircraft on AlphaTango and, every January, the annual activity report.
Finally, the operator keeps its operation ready for a DSAC inspection: an up-to-date operations manual (MANEX) in the Specific category, valid remote-pilot certificates, aviation liability insurance covering every aircraft, and the documents to show at the flight site.
The guides below follow these three stages. Each one answers the question first, cites its official sources and says what Dronops does for you. If you are new to this, start with preparing a mission: it points to each formality at the moment it arises. Each guide reads on its own, points to the neighbouring guides of the same stage and shows when it was published and last updated.
How do you prepare a professional drone mission, from the area to the flight file?
Preparing a mission means checking that the flight is allowed there, at that time and in that scenario, then filing in time: read the airspace (SIA zones, NOTAM, SUP AIP), qualify the ground, choose the scenario, declare or report the flight, and gather crew, aircraft and insurance in one flight file.
Read the guide
Prepare and fly
Before every flight: where the drone may fly, under which regulatory framework, and how to put the mission file together.
Specific category: STS-01, STS-02, PDRA or SORA — which framework?
The Specific category covers what the Open category does not allow.
11 min · RegulationAirspace and zones: where can a drone fly in France?
Before every flight, the operator checks the site against the aeronautical information: the AIP for permanent zones, NOTAMs and SUP AIPs for temporary ones.
9 min · RegulationWhich drone map should you use in France?
No map shows everything: each covers part of the restrictions.
8 min ·Declare
The formalities with the administration, with their deadlines: the prefecture, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, AlphaTango and the January report.
Flying over a populated area: how do you declare a drone flight to the prefecture?
Before a flight over a populated area, the operator declares it to the competent prefecture at least 10 working days ahead.
8 min · AlphaTangoDrone flights: when and how do you notify the French Ministry of the Armed Forces?
Every beyond-sight flight, and every flight of a drone over 900 g in a military low-level training area during its activity hours, is notified to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces on AlphaTango.
6 min · AlphaTangoAlphaTango: how do you register your operation and notify your flights?
UAS operator registration, registration of the relevant aircraft, and the declarations tied to your scenarios all go through AlphaTango.
9 min · AlphaTangoAlphaTango annual activity report: when is it due and what goes in it?
Every January, a French drone operator declares on AlphaTango the past year's flight hours and a summary of its incidents.
6 min ·Team, credentials and compliance
What a DSAC inspection checks: the operations manual, the remote pilots' certificates, insurance and the documents to show.
What goes into a drone operations manual (MANEX)?
The MANEX, or operations manual, describes how your organisation flies its drones safely.
7 min · ComplianceDSAC drone inspection: which documents to show, and how to prepare?
The DGAC sets the documents the operator must have at the flight site and present on inspection; a company audit goes further, down to the registers.
8 min · RegulationRemote-pilot certificate: what expires in 2026, and how do you renew it?
European remote-pilot credentials obtained in 2021 reach the end of their 5-year validity in 2026.
8 min · InsuranceIs drone insurance mandatory for a professional?
Yes, for professional use.
7 min ·