Can you fly your drone in Spain?

Two separate things are easily confused here. Registration as a drone operator is required as soon as your drone weighs 250 g or more, or has a camera or sensor able to capture personal data — so it covers many sub-250 g drones too, unless they qualify for the toy exemption. The Pilot's Certificate competency certificate is something else: you need it once your drone weighs 250 g or more, or carries a C1 or higher class mark. A camera drone under 250 g therefore needs registration, but no exam. You get the certificate by passing an online theory test with AESA, and it is then valid across the whole EASA area, not just here.

Yes — EU drone rules apply to visitors too. If you are already registered as a drone operator in another EASA country, that registration and your A1/A3 certificate (also A2) are valid in Spain as well. Coming from outside the EASA area, you register once — in the first EASA country where you plan to fly, here with AESA. For any flight in a town or city, or over gatherings of people, Spain requires notifying the Ministry of the Interior at least 5 working days in advance — and this applies to recreational pilots and camera drones under 250 g too.

The short version: Maximum 120 m above ground level (EASA Open Category). On top of that: REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED as a UAS operator if: the drone weighs ≥250 g OR the drone weighs <250 g and is equipped with a camera. Free of charge, valid for 3 years, recognized throughout the EU/EASA. Also: Mandatory A1/A3 online training — general minimum age of 16 (reduced to 12–14 depending on drone class and subcategory, RD 517/2024). These are central aviation rules — location-specific airspace, land, nature, privacy and photography requirements can also apply in Spain, so always check the official sources.

The no-go areas are the restricted zones — typically around airports, prisons, military sites and protected nature. In Spain you can see every zone on the interactive map on this page, and in the DroneKoll app wherever you are standing.

Drone flying in Spain is regulated by AESA. The airspace itself is managed by ENAIRE. You will find both organisations' official pages under Sources below — those are the links worth bookmarking.