Flying a drone in Spain: the regulations guide

1 · The open category

The European regulation has applied in Spain since 31 December 2020, and national regulation — Real Decreto 517/2024, in force since 25 June 2024 — supplements it. The AESA, the air safety agency, describes the open category: a drone under 25 kg, in direct sight, at a maximum of 120 m; see the European framework. The distances:

• ▸A1 — flying over uninvolved people is avoided, and gatherings of people are never overflown. Class C0 (under 250 g) or C1 (under 900 g).
• ▸A2 — at least 30 m from uninvolved people (5 m with low-speed mode, under the European regulation). Class C2.
• ▸A3 — where no uninvolved person is put at risk, and at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

• ▸Drones with no class placed on the market before 1 January 2024: A1 if under 250 g, A3 if under 25 kg.
• ▸Minimum age: 16, lowered in Spain (RD 517/2024, art. 7) — 12 in A1 with a C0 that is not a toy, or a drone with no class under 250 g; 14 in A1 with a C1, in A2 or A3 with a C2, in A3 with a C3, a C4, a privately built drone or one with no class under 25 kg. No minimum age for a C0 toy, a privately built drone under 250 g, or under the direct supervision of a certified pilot over 16.
• ▸At night: the European regulation requires a flashing green light on the drone.

2 · Geographical zones: RD 517/2024 and ENAIRE Drones

The official map is the ENAIRE Drones app, which shows where flying is prohibited or restricted for aeronautical reasons. RD 517/2024 sets the zones — including these, the ones most relevant to recreational flying:

• ▸Around aerodromes and heliports (art. 41): drone flight is prohibited. For a public aerodrome, up to a height of 45 m: 6 km from the runway ends and 5 km either side of the centreline; from 45 to 900 m: 10 km by 7.5 km. For a public heliport: 2.5 km up to 90 m, 3.3 km above.
• ▸Controlled airspace and flight information zones (art. 42): prohibited, except in direct sight at a maximum of 60 m and outside aerodrome zones, or with coordination with the air traffic service.
• ▸Urban environments (art. 40; residential, commercial and industrial zones, and public recreational areas — including beaches and municipal parks — up to 300 m above the highest obstacle): an operator who must be registered notifies the Ministry of the Interior at least five days in advance; in the open category, no building, house or home may be overflown (gardens and patios included), with a 5 m distance for a C1 of 250 g or more and 30 m for a C2. The owner or the authority may lift the prohibition on request.
• ▸Essential infrastructure (power plants, ports, roads, networks, hospitals… — art. 39): no operation without the prior, express agreement of the holder or manager. Military sites (art. 38): prior, express agreement.
• ▸Protected natural areas: prior coordination with the area’s manager is necessary, according to the AESA.

⚠️ Glydar’s map does not display Spain’s regulations: the ENAIRE Drones map prevails, to be checked before every flight — see the coverage, country by country.

3 · Registration, training and insurance

• ▸Operator registration with the AESA: mandatory for a drone of 250 g or more, or fitted with a personal data sensor (a camera) unless it is a toy. It is free, done online in the State of residence, and the operator number goes on every drone. Certificates issued after 25 June 2024 are valid for three years.
• ▸Training: the A1/A3 certificate is online and free (40 questions in 40 minutes, 75% correct answers, valid for five years); the A2 adds a declared practical self-training and an exam. Under 250 g (C0, no class or privately built), only familiarisation with the manufacturer’s manual is required; a C1 requires the A1/A3 certificate.
• ▸Third-party liability insurance: according to the AESA “Normativa” page, A1 and A3 operations with a drone under 20 kg are excepted from the obligations of Ley 48/1960; A2 is not. Another AESA page says more broadly that a liability policy is required. Insurance may cover each flight, with no permanent policy.

4 · FPV and immersive flying

The AESA pages consulted set no FPV-specific rule: the European framework applies. In the open category, the remote pilot keeps the drone in direct sight, except in “follow-me” mode or with an observer — immersive flying therefore requires an observer, with clear communication between the observer and the pilot.

5 · Before every flight

• ▸Check ENAIRE Drones: aerodromes and heliports, controlled airspace, temporary zones.
• ▸In town: notify the Ministry of the Interior five days ahead, overfly no building or home.
• ▸Operator number on the drone, certificate if the drone exceeds 250 g, insurance, flashing green light at night.

This guide is a plain-language summary — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. When in doubt: AESA, ENAIRE Drones, BOE.

6 · Penalties: what the law says

Ley 21/2003 on air safety expressly covers drones. Here is what the text provides, with nothing added:

• ▸Minor infringements (art. 45 ter): not being registered as an operator when required; not having affixed the registration number or not activating remote identification when required; not complying with the requirements or limits of the open category; flying in a geographical zone in breach of its prohibitions, limits or conditions.
• ▸They become serious or very serious depending on the circumstances of art. 44 (serious incident, injuries, material damage, death…).
• ▸Fines for an individual (art. 55): minor, from €60 to €45,000 (or a warning); serious, from €45,001 to €90,000; very serious, from €90,001 to €225,000. For commercial or paid activity, up to €4,500,000. The authority that sanctions is the AESA’s management (art. 58).
• ▸Citizen security (Ley Orgánica 4/2015, art. 39, to which RD 517/2024 refers for urban zones): minor €100 to €600; serious €601 to €30,000; very serious €30,001 to €600,000 — for example intrusion, overflight included, into an essential services installation with a risk to life.

These are ceilings: the authority exercises discretion. They are those of the text on the date this guide was checked (October 2026) — the text of the law prevails, not this page.

7 · Your responsibility, and what Glydar does

Glydar informs; it exempts from nothing. This guide draws on official sources but is not an official source, does not guarantee that they are exhaustive or up to date, and does not amount to authorisation to fly.

The remote pilot remains solely responsible for the flight and for compliance, as the terms of use recall. Everything needed to check is within reach: the coverage, country by country, the official map and the texts cited below.