The Danish drone exam

It depends on the drone’s weight with camera and equipment fitted, and on its class mark. The class mark is a small label with a number from 0 to 6 that most new drones carry.

• Under 250 g (C0 or no class mark)No certificate
• C1: 250–899 gA1/A3
• C2: 900 g – under 4 kgA2 (or A1/A3 if flown in A3)
• C3 and C4: 4 kg – under 25 kgA1/A3 (flown in A3)
• No class mark: 250 g – 25 kgA1/A3 (flown in A3)

Under 250 grams you don’t need a certificate, but if the drone has a camera you must still register as a drone operator. More on drones under 250 grams.

A1/A3 is the basic theory certificate. It lets you fly in subcategory A1 (for example C1 drones up to 899 grams, without deliberately flying over uninvolved people) and in A3 (heavier drones far from people, at least 150 metres from residential, commercial and recreational areas).

The A2 certificate of competency is for C2 drones under 4 kg that you want to fly closer to people: at least 30 metres horizontally, or 5 metres in low-speed mode. You need A1/A3 first, must complete practical self-training and pass an exam with a provider recognised by Trafikstyrelsen. Read the A2 guide.

Booking the Danish online exam requires MitID. If you live in another EU or EASA country, take the exam with your own country’s aviation authority. Certificates issued by any EASA member state are valid in Denmark, and Trafikstyrelsen says pilots from other European countries fly on the same terms as Danish pilots.

The exam follows the EU syllabus for A1/A3 plus the Danish rules. The subjects are:

• Air safety: distance from people, visual line of sight (VLOS), the height limit and what to do around other traffic.
• Airspace restrictions: geographical drone zones and NOTAMs.
• Regulations: categories, class marks, registration and the pilot’s responsibilities.
• Human performance: what affects your vision, judgement and situational awareness.
• Operational procedures: planning, pre-flight checks and emergency procedures.
• The drone: batteries, lost link, geo-awareness and Remote ID.
• Privacy, insurance and security: GDPR, liability insurance and security risks.

On top of that come the Danish rules, such as distances from airfields, air ambulance sites and emergency scenes. See them in the drone rules guide.

• Read Trafikstyrelsen’s preparation material and the rules for the open category.
• Practise questions until you understand why an answer is right, not just which letter it is.
• Take a 40-question mock exam before you use your real attempts.
• There’s no time limit, so read every question twice.

Try 12 sample A1/A3 questions with answers and explanations.

Trafikstyrelsen warns that the exam can fail, mostly when it runs longer than an hour. If nothing happens two minutes after you finish, take a screenshot showing that you passed, your full name and the date, and email it with your case number, full name and date of birth to droneprover@trafikstyrelsen.dk.

Your certificate is valid for five years from issue. To renew A1/A3 you take the online exam again. If you hold both A1/A3 and A2, you renew both by retaking the A2 exam with a recognised provider. The old certificate stays valid until its expiry date.