---
title: "UAS — UAS Regulation"
description: "The UAS Regulation sets the design, class-label (C0 to C6), conformity assessment, CE marking and operator duties for drones placed on the EU market for the open and declared specific categories. It entered into force on 1 July 2019, and since 1 January 2024 a drone flown in the open category generally needs a class identification label."
type: "guide"
url: "https://www.conphora.com/regulations/uas/"
markdown: "https://www.conphora.com/regulations/uas.md"
locale: "en"
language: "en"
published: "2019-07-01"
updated: "2026-09-13"
author: "Conphora compliance team"
publisher: "Conphora"
reference: "Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945"
celex: "32019R0945"
source: "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R0945"
tags: ["UAS", "Maritime & Transport"]
license: "Free to quote with attribution and a link to the page"
---

# UAS — UAS Regulation

The UAS Regulation sets the design, class-label (C0 to C6), conformity assessment, CE marking and operator duties for drones placed on the EU market for the open and declared specific categories. It entered into force on 1 July 2019, and since 1 January 2024 a drone flown in the open category generally needs a class identification label.

## Key facts

- **Official title:** Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 of 12 March 2019 on unmanned aircraft systems and on third-country operators of unmanned aircraft systems
- **Reference:** Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945
- **CELEX:** 32019R0945
- **Act type:** Regulation
- **In force:** 2019-07-01
- **Applies from:** 2019-07-01
- **Enforced by:** Member States organise market surveillance of UAS placed on the Union market and control of UAS entering it, and their market surveillance and border control authorities must cooperate with the competent authorities designated under Article 17 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947; Article 35(1) still cites Article 15(3) and Articles 16 to 26 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 for surveillance of products placed on the market, Article 35(2) cites Article 15(5) and Articles 27, 28 and 29 for control of products entering it, Article 35(3) cites the information systems of Articles 22 and 23, and Article 36(1) cites Article 21; all of those are read as Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 since 16 July 2021, when Chapter III of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008, containing Articles 15 to 29, was deleted by Article 39(1), point (4), of that regulation, while Article 30 on the general principles of the CE marking, cited in Article 15 and Article 39(1)(a), sits in Chapter IV and survives. Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 lists Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 as point 70 of its Annex I in so far as the design, production and placing on the market of aircraft referred to in points (a) and (b) of Article 2(1) of that regulation, where it concerns unmanned aircraft and their engines, propellers, parts and equipment to control them remotely, are concerned, so it is the basic regulation and not this delegated act that is listed, and Regulation (EU) 2019/945 is not in the Article 4(5) list either, and Article 5(3) of the UAS Regulation itself makes Article 4(1) to (4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 apply from 16 July 2021, so every UAS placed on the market needs an economic operator established in the Union. In Denmark, Trafikstyrelsen is the supervisory authority for the product requirements under executive order nr. 1735 of 24 November 2020 on market surveillance of the drone area (bekendtgørelse om markedsovervågning af droneområdet), issued under the aviation act, and the same authority is the competent authority for drone operations under executive order nr. 1649 of 12 December 2023 supplementing Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947; the product side has never moved to Sikkerhedsstyrelsen or its successor department Markedsovervågning of Erhvervsstyrelsen, because the product act (lov om produkter og markedsovervågning) does not list drones among its product areas. The toolkit is corrective action, a prohibition or restriction of the making available, withdrawal or recall, orders to end formal non-compliance such as a missing CE marking, class identification label, sound power indication, serial number, manual, information notice, EU declaration of conformity, technical documentation or operator identification, and in Denmark orders to warn users, stop misleading marketing, remedy, stop sales, withdraw, recall or destroy a drone, orders to an online interface to change or remove content referring to a non-compliant drone, and fines with corporate liability under chapter 5 of the criminal code.
- **Category:** Maritime & Transport

## Who it applies to

**Covered by the act:** The design and manufacture of unmanned aircraft systems intended to be operated under the rules and conditions of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, and of remote identification add-ons, plus the rules on making UAS, accessories kits and remote identification add-ons available on the market and on their free movement in the Union; Chapter II products: UAS intended to be operated under the rules of the open category or under an operational declaration in the specific category, other than privately built UAS, bearing one of the seven class identification labels of Parts 1 to 5, 16 and 17 of the Annex, that is C0, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 and C6; class C5 accessories kits as set out in Part 16; and direct remote identification add-ons as set out in Part 6; Chapter III: UAS operated in the certified category and in the specific category other than under a declaration, whose design, production and maintenance must be certified where the UAS has a characteristic dimension of 3 metres or more and is designed to be operated over assemblies of people unless lighter than air, is designed to transport people, is designed to carry dangerous goods and requires a high level of robustness, or where the competent authority has concluded that the operational risk cannot be mitigated without certification; Chapter IV: UAS operators that have their principal place of business, are established or reside in a third country, if their UAS are operated in the Union (Art. 2(3)); those operators must comply with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 for UAS operations within the single European sky airspace, meaning the airspace above the territory to which the Treaties apply and any other airspace where Member States apply Regulation (EC) No 551/2004 (Art. 1, Art. 3, point (34), and Art. 41(1)); The economic operators in the chain, defined as the manufacturer, the authorised representative of the manufacturer, the importer and the distributor of the UAS, with an importer or distributor treated as the manufacturer where it places a product on the market under its own name or trademark or modifies a product already on the market in a way that may affect compliance

**Derived and downstream products:** The regulation does not apply to UAS intended to be exclusively operated indoors, and the basic regulation it is adopted under does not apply to aircraft and their remote control equipment while carrying out military, customs, police, search and rescue, firefighting, border control, coastguard or similar activities or services under the control and responsibility of a Member State (Art. 2(4) of the UAS Regulation; Art. 2(3)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139); The seven class identification labels map onto the operating rules: C0 and C1 are flown in open subcategory A1, C2 in subcategory A2, and C2, C3 and C4 in subcategory A3, while C5 is the aircraft for standard scenario STS-01, visual line of sight over a controlled ground area in a populated environment, and C6 for STS-02, beyond visual line of sight with airspace observers, both in the specific category under an operational declaration (Art. 4(1)(a) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and points UAS.OPEN.020, UAS.OPEN.030, UAS.OPEN.040, UAS.STS-01.020 and UAS.STS-02.020 of its Annex); The class limits are cumulative design targets, not just mass bands: C0 is below 250 g with a maximum level-flight speed of 19 m/s and a 120 m height limit; C1 is below 900 g or transmits less than 80 J to a human head on impact at terminal velocity, with the same speed and height limits, a serial number, direct remote identification, geo-awareness, lights and a sound power level within the Part 15 limits; C2 is below 4 kg with a low-speed mode of no more than 3 m/s, a protected command and control link and the same identification and awareness functions; C3 is below 25 kg and less than 3 m in characteristic dimension; C4 is below 25 kg with no automatic control modes beyond flight stabilisation and lost-link assistance; C5 follows the C3 requirements with a flight termination function, a 5 m/s low-speed mode and link monitoring; and C6 follows the C3 requirements with a maximum ground speed of 50 m/s, programmable operational volume limits and flight termination (Annex, Parts 1 to 5, 16 and 17); Internal production control under Part 7 is only available for products assessed against Parts 1, 5, 6, 16 or 17, that is classes C0, C4, C5 and C6 and remote identification add-ons, and only where the manufacturer has applied harmonised standards for all requirements for which such standards exist; classes C1, C2 and C3 always go through EU-type examination with conformity to type under Part 8 or full quality assurance under Part 9, and Part 9 may not be used for a UAS that is a toy (Art. 13(2)); The notified body identification number is added after the CE marking only where the full quality assurance procedure of Part 9 is applied; a product assessed under Part 8 carries the CE marking and the class label without a notified body number even though a notified body issued the EU-type examination certificate (Art. 16(5) and Art. 39(1)(c)); A UAS that is a toy within the meaning of Directive 2009/48/EC must comply with that directive as well, and points (4), (5) and (6) of Part 1 on controllability, injury minimisation and electric power do not apply to class C0 toys; a UAS that is not a toy must meet the relevant health and safety requirements of Directive 2006/42/EC only for risks other than those linked to the safety of the flight, a reference read against Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 from 20 January 2027 (Art. 4(2), Annex Part 1 point (10), recitals 5 and 6 of the base act; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, Art. 51(2) and Art. 54 as corrected by corrigendum 32023R1230R(01)); the toy directive is itself repealed by Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 on the safety of toys with effect from 1 August 2030, from when the three references to Directive 2009/48/EC in this Regulation are read as references to that regulation (Regulation (EU) 2025/2509, Art. 56 and Art. 59); Directive 2014/53/EU on radio equipment applies to unmanned aircraft that are not subject to certification and are not intended to be operated only on frequencies allocated for protected aeronautical use, where they intentionally emit or receive electromagnetic waves below 3 000 GHz, and Directive 2014/30/EU on electromagnetic compatibility applies where they fall outside the radio directive, so most consumer drones carry a single CE marking covering several acts (recitals 7 to 9 of the base act and Art. 14(4)); Software updates of a product already made available on the market may only be made if they do not affect the product's compliance, which makes over-the-air firmware a conformity matter and not only a feature matter (Art. 4(3)); A product in conformity with harmonised standards whose references are published in the Official Journal is presumed to conform to the requirements those standards cover; the only harmonised standard listed so far is EN 4709-002:2023, Aerospace series - Unmanned Aircraft Systems - Part 002: Direct Remote identification, published by Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2103 of 30 July 2024 and published with a restriction: it does not confer a presumption of conformity with the broadcast requirements in point (12)(b) of Part 2, point (14)(b) of Part 3, point (9)(b) of Part 4 and point (3) of Part 6 of the Annex (Art. 12; Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2103, Art. 1 and Annex); Classes C5 and C6 sit at the boundary with the specific category: a class C5 UAS may be a class C3 UAS fitted with an accessories kit that converts it, the class C5 label must then be affixed to every accessory, the kit may be placed on the market on its own, and it must not change the software of the class C3 UAS (Annex, Part 16, point (8)); Seven corrigenda have been published to the original act, on 19 June 2019, 25 June 2019, 4 October 2019, 6 January 2022, 24 November 2022, 27 June 2024 and 12 January 2026, but none of them concerns the English language version: they correct the Czech and Spanish, French, Danish and Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Hungarian and Maltese versions respectively, which is why the English consolidated text carries no corrigendum markers (CELEX 32019R0945R(01) to 32019R0945R(07))

**Roles under the act:**

- **Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers)** — Any natural or legal person who manufactures a product or has a product designed or manufactured, and markets that product under their name or trademark; an importer or distributor that places a product on the market under its own name or trademark, or modifies a product already placed on the market in such a way that compliance with Chapter II may be affected, is considered a manufacturer and carries the Article 6 obligations.
- **Authorised representative** — Any natural or legal person established within the Union who has received a written mandate from a manufacturer to act on their behalf in relation to specified tasks; the duty to design and manufacture the product in compliance with the Annex and the duty to draw up the technical documentation cannot form part of the mandate.
- **Importer** — Any natural or legal person established within the Union who places a product from a third country on the Union market.
- **Distributor (wholesaler, retailer or online seller of drones)** — Any natural or legal person in the supply chain, other than the manufacturer or the importer, who makes a product available on the market.
- **UAS operator, including third-country UAS operators** — Any legal or natural person operating or intending to operate one or more UAS; where the operator has its principal place of business, is established or resides in a third country, it must comply with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 for operations within the single European sky airspace, and the competent authority is that of the first Member State where it intends to operate.

## Key dates

- 2019-07-01: Entry into force of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, the twentieth day after publication in OJ L 152 of 11 June 2019; the Part 15 sound power limits for classes C1 and C2 run from this date
- 2020-08-09: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1058 in force: classes C5 and C6 and class C5 accessories kits are added, Chapter II is extended to declared operations in the specific category, and Article 4(1) to (4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 is made applicable from 16 July 2021
- 2020-12-31: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 applies, so the open, specific and certified categories, operator registration, the UAS geographical zones and the class-to-subcategory mapping take effect
- 2021-01-01: Danish executive order nr. 1735 of 24 November 2020 on market surveillance of the drone area in force, making Trafikstyrelsen the supervisory authority for the product requirements of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 and giving it inspection, sampling, order and publication powers
- 2021-07-16: Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 applies: Chapter III, Articles 15 to 29, of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 cited by Article 35 is deleted, Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 is point 70 of Annex I as regards unmanned aircraft, and Article 5(3) of the UAS Regulation makes Article 4(1) to (4) apply, so every UAS placed on the market needs an economic operator established in the Union
- 2022-06-21: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/851 in force, correcting the Portuguese language version of Article 17(4), Article 40(1)(d) and Part 8 of the Annex with retroactive application from 9 August 2020; the other language versions are not affected
- 2023-12-31: End of the transitional period of Article 22 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, during which UAS not complying with Parts 1 to 5 of the Annex to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 could still be used in the open category under mass-based conditions of 500 g, 2 kg and 25 kg
- 2024-01-01: The class identification label becomes the gate to the open category: a UAS placed on the market from this date must belong to one of the classes or be privately built to be flown there, while UAS placed on the market before it may still be flown in subcategory A1 below 250 g or A3 below 25 kg; operational declarations under standard scenarios apply; Danish executive order nr. 1649 of 12 December 2023 in force, repealing nr. 2253 of 29 December 2020
- 2024-06-12: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1108 in force, redefining unmanned aircraft system around the control and monitoring unit, rewriting the Article 40 certification conditions and adding the low-battery warning to classes C1, C2 and C3
- 2025-05-01: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1108 applies, so the certified-category conditions, the research and experimental derogation and the low-battery warning in Parts 2, 3 and 4 take effect together with the new initial airworthiness rules for certified UAS
- 2025-06-24: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1130 in force, correcting the Dutch language version of Part 17 on class C6; it is the cut-off date of the consolidated text this guide is written from
- 2025-07-01: Danish executive order nr. 527 of 20 May 2025 in force, amending the drone order: tethered drones with a propulsion system follow the drone rules whatever their take-off mass, operator registration is valid for three years and the insurance minimum is lifted for micro drones below 250 g used only privately
- 2026-01-01: Declarations made under national standard scenarios accepted by Member States until 31 December 2023 cease to be valid, so operations in the specific category under declaration need a standard scenario of Appendix 1 and a class C5 or C6 UAS
- 2027-01-20: Directive 2006/42/EC on machinery is repealed and Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies in full, so the reference in Article 4(2) to the machinery health and safety requirements for non-toy UAS is read against the Machinery Regulation and its Annex XII correlation table; machinery placed on the market in conformity with the directive before that date may still be made available, and EC type-examination certificates issued under Article 12 of the directive remain valid until they expire
- 2030-08-01: Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of toys is repealed and Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 applies in full, so the three references to the toy directive in the UAS Regulation, in Article 4(2), Article 13(2)(c) and point (10) of Part 1 of the Annex, are read as references to the Toy Safety Regulation under its Annex VIII correlation table; toys placed on the market in conformity with the directive before that date may still be made available, and EC type-examination certificates issued under Article 20 of the directive remain valid until 1 February 2031

## What you must do

### Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers)

- Decide which class the UAS is designed for and meet every requirement of that Part: for class C0 a maximum take-off mass below 250 g including payload, a maximum level-flight speed of 19 m/s, a height limited to 120 m above the take-off point, safe controllability, minimised injury and sharp edges, exclusively electric power and a follow-me range of no more than 50 m; for class C1 below 900 g or less than 80 J transmitted to a human head at terminal velocity, plus mechanical strength, a lost-link recovery or flight termination method, lights including at least one green flashing light for night conspicuity and a low-battery warning; for class C2 below 4 kg with a selectable low-speed mode of no more than 3 m/s and a command and control link protected against unauthorised access; for class C3 below 25 kg and less than 3 m in characteristic dimension; for class C4 below 25 kg with no automatic control modes beyond flight stabilisation and lost-link assistance; for class C5 the class C3 requirements without the height limitation and geo-awareness duty, plus flight termination, a 5 m/s low-speed mode and link quality monitoring; and for class C6 the class C3 requirements plus a 50 m/s ground speed limit, programmable operational volume limits, trajectory programming and flight termination.
- Build in the identification and awareness functions the class requires: a direct remote identification system that accepts and integrity-checks the UAS operator registration number and broadcasts in real time, over an open and documented protocol receivable by ordinary mobile devices, the registration number and verification code, the unique serial number, the time stamp, the geographical position and height, the course measured clockwise from true north, the ground speed, the remote pilot position or take-off point and the emergency status, while resisting tampering; and, for classes C1, C2 and C3, a geo-awareness function with an interface to load and update the UAS geographical zone data, a warning when a breach of airspace limitations is detected and a warning when positioning or navigation cannot support the function.
- Measure and declare noise where the class requires it: determine the A-weighted sound power level of classes C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6 by the Part 13 noise test code based on EN ISO 3744:2010, hovering at maximum take-off mass over a reflecting plane with a hemispherical microphone array, repeating the measurement until two values differ by no more than 1 dB; keep non fixed-wing class C1 and C2 aircraft within the Part 15 limits, which since 1 July 2023, four years after entry into force, are 81 dB for a class C1 aircraft with a maximum take-off mass of 250 g or more and below 900 g, and 81 + 18,5 lg(m/900) dB for a class C2 aircraft with a maximum take-off mass m of 900 g or more and below 4 000 g, where lg is the base 10 logarithm, so the limit runs from 81 dB at 900 g to about 93 dB at 4 000 g; and affix the guaranteed sound power indication of Part 14, the number in dB with the LWA sign and the pictogram, on the aircraft and its packaging.
- Determine the A-weighted sound power level of classes C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6 by the Part 13 noise test code (EN ISO 3744:2010), and keep non fixed-wing class C1 and C2 aircraft within the Part 15 limits (81 dB for C1; 81 + 18,5 lg(m/900) dB for C2).
- Affix the guaranteed sound power indication of Part 14, the number in dB with the LWA sign and the pictogram, on the aircraft and its packaging.
- Draw up the Part 10 technical documentation before placing the product on the market and keep it updated: a complete product description with photographs or illustrations of external features, markings and internal layout, the versions of all software and firmware involved in compliance, the manufacturer's and installation instructions, conceptual design and manufacturing drawings and schemes with the explanations needed to understand them, the list of harmonised standards applied in full or in part and the solutions adopted where they were not, a copy of the EU declaration of conformity, the EU-type examination certificate where Part 8 was used, design calculations, examination results and test reports, copies of what was submitted to the notified body, supporting evidence for the design solution and the addresses of the places of manufacture and storage; draw it up in an official language of the notified body's Member State or a language that body accepts.
- Run the conformity assessment that fits the product: internal production control under Part 7 only for products assessed against Parts 1, 5, 6, 16 or 17, that is classes C0, C4, C5 and C6 and remote identification add-ons, and only where harmonised standards have been applied for every requirement for which such standards exist; otherwise EU-type examination by a notified body followed by conformity to type based on internal production control under Part 8, or conformity based on full quality assurance under Part 9, which may not be used for a toy. Classes C1, C2 and C3 therefore always involve a notified body, and the assessment must take account of all intended and foreseeable operating conditions.
- Draw up the EU declaration of conformity to the Part 11 model, stating that compliance with Parts 1 to 6, 16 and 17 has been demonstrated and identifying the class of the UAS and, for non fixed-wing aircraft, the guaranteed sound power level, keep it continuously updated, translate it into the languages the Member State of placing or making available requires, and issue a single declaration where several Union acts apply; supply each product with a copy of it or with a simplified declaration under Part 12 giving the exact internet address of the full text. By drawing it up you assume responsibility for the product's compliance.
- Mark the product before placing it on the market: the CE marking visibly, legibly and indelibly on the product or its data plate, or on the packaging where size does not allow it, followed by the notified body's identification number where Part 9 was applied; the class identification label at least 5 mm high, visibly, legibly and indelibly on the aircraft and its packaging, and on every accessory of a class C5 accessories kit, with no misleading markings or signs; the sound power indication where applicable; a type within the meaning of Decision No 768/2008/EC on every UA, plus a unique serial number to standard ANSI/CTA-2063-A-2019 for the aircraft of classes C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6 and for remote identification add-ons, and, for a class C5 accessories kit, a type and a unique serial number allowing the kit to be identified, which the Annex does not tie to that standard; in every case the unique serial number is repeated on the EU declaration of conformity or the simplified one; and your name, registered trade name or registered trademark, website address and a single postal contact address, on the product or, where that is not possible, on the packaging or an accompanying document, in a language end-users and market surveillance authorities easily understand.
- Affix the CE marking visibly, legibly and indelibly on the product or its data plate, or on the packaging where size does not allow it, followed by the notified body's identification number where Part 9 was applied.
- Affix the class identification label, at least 5 mm high, visibly, legibly and indelibly on the aircraft and its packaging, and on every accessory of a class C5 accessories kit, with no misleading markings or signs.
- Mark every UA with a type and, for classes C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6 aircraft and remote identification add-ons, a unique serial number to ANSI/CTA-2063-A-2019, repeated on the EU declaration of conformity or the simplified one.
- Indicate your name, registered trade name or registered trademark, website address and a single postal contact address on the product or, where not possible, on the packaging or an accompanying document, in a language end-users and authorities easily understand.
- Ship the product with the manufacturer's instructions and information notice the relevant Part requires, in a language consumers and other end users easily understand as determined by the Member State concerned, covering the class, the aircraft mass and maximum take-off mass, the allowed payloads, the control equipment and software, the behaviour on loss of the command and control link and how to recover it, the procedure to upload the operator registration number and the airspace limitations, the transmission protocol reference, the sound power level, operational instructions and limitations, maintenance and troubleshooting and a description of the risks adapted to the user; include the information notice published by EASA on the applicable limitations and obligations. Keep the technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity for 10 years after placing on the market, keep series production in conformity while taking account of design, characteristics, software and standards changes, sample-test marketed products where the risks warrant it, keep a complaints, non-conformity and recall register and inform distributors, correct, withdraw or recall non-conforming products and inform the market surveillance authorities where the product presents a risk, identify your suppliers and customers for 10 years, notify the market surveillance authority of your principal place of business when placing a class C5 or C6 UAS or a class C5 add-on on the market, and make sure software updates do not affect compliance.
- Ship the product with the manufacturer's instructions required by the relevant Part and the EASA information notice, in a language consumers and other end users easily understand as the Member State determines.
- Keep the technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity for 10 years after the product was placed on the market.
- Keep series production in conformity, taking account of changes in design, characteristics, software and the referenced standards, and make sure software updates do not affect compliance.
- Where the risks warrant it, sample-test products made available, investigate, keep a register of complaints, non-conforming products and recalls, and keep distributors informed.
- Correct, withdraw or recall non-conforming products and, where a product presents a risk, immediately inform the market surveillance authorities of the Member States where you made it available.
- Be able to identify to the market surveillance authorities the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied, for 10 years.
- When placing a class C5 or C6 UAS or a class C5 accessories kit on the market, notify the market surveillance authority of the Member State of your principal place of business.

### Authorised representative

- Act under a written mandate that at least allows you to keep the EU declaration of conformity and the technical documentation at the disposal of the national market surveillance authorities for 10 years after the product was placed on the Union market, to provide a market surveillance or border control authority on reasoned request with all information and documentation needed to demonstrate conformity, and to cooperate with those authorities on any action to eliminate the non-conformity of the products in your mandate or the safety risks they pose.
- Do not take over the manufacturer's duty to design and manufacture the product in compliance with Parts 1 to 6, 16 and 17 of the Annex or the duty to draw up the technical documentation; neither can form part of the mandate.
- Where the mandate specifies it, lodge the application for EU-type examination or for the assessment of the quality system with a single notified body of your choice, giving your name and address alongside the manufacturer's, and where the notified body instructs it affix its identification number after the CE marking; be able to identify the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied for 10 years.
- Where the mandate specifies it, lodge the application for EU-type examination or for the assessment of the quality system with a single notified body of your choice, giving your name and address alongside the manufacturer's.
- Where the notified body instructs it, affix its identification number after the CE marking.
- Be able to identify to the market surveillance authorities the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied, for 10 years.
- Where the manufacturer is not established in the Union and no importer exists, you may be the economic operator established in the Union that Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 requires since 16 July 2021 for every UAS placed on the market: verify that the declaration of conformity and the technical documentation exist, keep the declaration available, provide information on reasoned request, inform the authorities when you believe the product presents a risk and cooperate on corrective action, with your name and contact details indicated on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document.
- Where the manufacturer is not established in the Union and no importer exists, you may be the economic operator established in the Union that Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 requires for every UAS placed on the market.
- As that economic operator, verify that the declaration of conformity and the technical documentation exist, and keep the declaration available to the authorities.
- As that economic operator, provide information on reasoned request, inform the authorities when you believe the product presents a risk and cooperate on corrective action.
- As that economic operator, have your name and contact details indicated on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document.

### Importer

- Place only compliant products on the Union market, and before placing a product on the market verify that the manufacturer carried out the appropriate conformity assessment procedure of Article 13, drew up the Part 10 technical documentation, affixed the CE marking and, where required, the UA class identification label and the sound power indication, applied the type and unique serial number and the name, trade name or trademark, website address and postal address, and that the product is accompanied by the manufacturer's instructions, the information notice and the EU declaration of conformity or a simplified one.
- Do not place a product on the market where you consider or have reason to believe that it does not conform to Parts 1 to 6, 16 and 17 of the Annex until it has been brought into conformity, and where the product presents a risk for the health and safety of consumers and third parties inform the manufacturer and the competent national authorities.
- Indicate your own name, registered trade name or registered trademark, website and postal contact address on the product or, where that is not possible, on its packaging or in an accompanying document, in a language end-users and market surveillance authorities easily understand, and make sure the product is accompanied by the manufacturer's instructions and information notice in a language consumers and other end users easily understand as determined by the Member State concerned, clear, understandable and legible.
- Indicate your own name, registered trade name or registered trademark, website and postal contact address on the product or, where not possible, on its packaging or in an accompanying document, in a language end-users and authorities easily understand.
- Make sure the product is accompanied by the manufacturer's instructions and information notice in a language consumers and other end users easily understand, as the Member State determines, clear, understandable and legible.
- Make sure that storage and transport conditions while the product is under your responsibility do not jeopardise its compliance with Article 4, and where the risks warrant it sample-test products made available on the market, investigate, keep a register of complaints, non-conforming products and recalls where necessary and keep distributors informed.
- Make sure that storage and transport conditions while the product is under your responsibility do not jeopardise its compliance with Article 4.
- Where the risks warrant it, sample-test products made available, investigate, keep a register of complaints, non-conforming products and recalls, and keep distributors informed.
- Where a product you placed on the market does not conform, immediately take the corrective measures to bring it into conformity, withdraw it or recall it as appropriate, and where it presents a risk immediately inform the market surveillance authorities of the Member States where you made it available, with details of the non-compliance and the corrective measures; when placing a class C5 or C6 UAS or a class C5 add-on on the market, inform the market surveillance authority of the Member State of your principal place of business.
- Where a product you placed on the market does not conform, immediately take corrective measures, withdraw or recall it, and where it presents a risk immediately inform the market surveillance authorities of the Member States where you made it available, with details.
- When placing a class C5 or C6 UAS or a class C5 accessories kit on the market, notify the market surveillance authority of the Member State of your principal place of business.
- Keep a copy of the EU declaration of conformity at the disposal of the market surveillance authorities for 10 years after the product was placed on the market and make sure the technical documentation can be made available on request, provide conformity information and documentation on reasoned request in a language the authority easily understands, cooperate on risk-elimination action, and identify the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied for 10 years. If you place a product on the market under your own name or trademark, or modify a product already placed on the market in a way that may affect compliance, you carry the manufacturer's Article 6 obligations.
- Keep a copy of the EU declaration of conformity at the disposal of the market surveillance authorities for 10 years after the product was placed on the market, and make sure the technical documentation can be made available on request.
- On reasoned request, provide the competent national authority with all information and documentation, in paper or electronic form and in a language it easily understands, needed to demonstrate the product's conformity, and cooperate on any action to eliminate the risks it poses.
- Be able to identify to the market surveillance authorities the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied, for 10 years.
- If you place a product on the market under your own name or trademark, or modify a product already placed on the market in a way that may affect compliance, you carry the manufacturer's Article 6 obligations.

### Distributor (wholesaler, retailer or online seller of drones)

- Act with due care in relation to Chapter II and, before making a product available on the market, verify that it bears the CE marking and, where applicable, the UA class identification label and the sound power indication, that it is accompanied by the manufacturer's instructions, the information notice and the EU declaration of conformity or a simplified one, and that the manufacturer and the importer applied the type and serial number and their name, trade name or trademark, website address and postal address.
- Make sure the product is accompanied by the manufacturer's instructions and information notice in a language consumers and other end users easily understand as determined by the Member State concerned, and that those documents and any labelling are clear, understandable and legible.
- Do not make a product available where you consider or have reason to believe that it does not conform to the requirements of Article 4 until it has been brought into conformity, and where it presents a risk inform the manufacturer or the importer and the competent market surveillance authorities; keep storage and transport conditions from jeopardising compliance while the product is under your responsibility.
- Do not make a product available where you consider or have reason to believe that it does not conform to Article 4 until it has been brought into conformity, and where it presents a risk inform the manufacturer or the importer and the market surveillance authorities.
- Make sure that storage and transport conditions while the product is under your responsibility do not jeopardise its compliance with Article 4.
- Where a product you made available does not conform, make sure the corrective measures to bring it into conformity, withdraw it or recall it are taken, and where it presents a risk immediately inform the market surveillance authorities of the Member States where you made it available, with details of the non-compliance and the corrective measures.
- On reasoned request from the competent national authority provide all information and documentation in paper or electronic form needed to demonstrate the product's conformity and cooperate on any action to eliminate the risks it poses, and identify the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied for 10 years. If you sell a drone under your own name or trademark or modify one already placed on the market in a way that may affect compliance, you take on the manufacturer's obligations; in Denmark Trafikstyrelsen may also order an online interface to change or remove content referring to a non-compliant drone.
- On reasoned request, provide the competent national authority with all information and documentation, in paper or electronic form and in a language it easily understands, needed to demonstrate the product's conformity, and cooperate on any action to eliminate the risks it poses.
- Be able to identify to the market surveillance authorities the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied, for 10 years.
- If you place a product on the market under your own name or trademark, or modify a product already placed on the market in a way that may affect compliance, you carry the manufacturer's Article 6 obligations.

### UAS operator, including third-country UAS operators

- Fly only aircraft that fit the category: in the open category the UAS must belong to one of the seven classes, be privately built or meet the Article 20 legacy conditions, have a maximum take-off mass below 25 kg, be kept in visual line of sight and within 120 metres of the closest point of the surface, be kept at a safe distance from people and never flown over assemblies of people, and carry no dangerous goods and drop no material; class C0 and C1 aircraft fly in subcategory A1, class C2 in A2 and classes C2, C3 and C4 in A3.
- For operations that fall outside the open category, obtain an operational authorisation from the competent authority of the Member State of registration on the basis of a risk assessment with mitigating measures, or submit an operational declaration where the operation complies with a standard scenario of Appendix 1, which since 1 January 2026 means STS-01 with a class C5 aircraft or STS-02 with a class C6 aircraft; a light UAS operator certificate with the appropriate privileges replaces both.
- Register as a UAS operator with the Member State's registration system, upload the registration number into the direct remote identification system of every aircraft you fly and check that the consistency check passes, and keep the aircraft's geo-awareness data current; in Denmark registration is valid for three years and must be renewed.
- If you are established, resident or have your principal place of business in a third country, comply with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 for operations within the single European sky airspace; the competent authority is that of the first Member State where you intend to operate, and a third-country remote pilot or operator certificate counts only where the third country asked for recognition, the certificate is valid there and the Commission, after consulting EASA, has established an equivalent level of safety.
- Fit a Part 6 direct remote identification add-on to a privately built aircraft used in the specific category below 120 metres, install it as the manufacturer's instructions require and upload your operator registration number, and where you install a class C5 accessories kit on a class C3 UAS follow the kit manufacturer's instructions exactly, install every accessory, leave the class C3 software untouched and keep both EU declarations of conformity with the aircraft.

## Requirements

Each duty above as an identified requirement (47); ids are permanent and shared with the compliance engine.

### evidence

- `uas-mfr-build-identification-awareness` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Build in the identification and awareness functions the class requires: a direct remote identification system that accepts and integrity-checks the UAS operator registration number and broadcasts in real time, over an open and documented protocol receivable by ordinary mobile devices, the registration number and verification code, the unique serial number, the time stamp, the geographical position and height, the course measured clockwise from true north, the ground speed, the remote pilot position or take-off point and the emergency status, while resisting tampering; and, for classes C1, C2 and C3, a geo-awareness function with an interface to load and update the UAS geographical zone data, a warning when a breach of airspace limitations is detected and a warning when positioning or navigation cannot support the function. [Annex, Part 2, points (12) and (13), Part 3, points (14) and (15), and Part 4, points (9) and (10)]
- `uas-mfr-measure-noise-limits` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Determine the A-weighted sound power level of classes C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6 by the Part 13 noise test code (EN ISO 3744:2010), and keep non fixed-wing class C1 and C2 aircraft within the Part 15 limits (81 dB for C1; 81 + 18,5 lg(m/900) dB for C2). [Annex, Part 2, points (8) and (9), Part 3, points (10) and (11), Part 4, point (6), Part 13 and Part 15]
- `uas-mfr-draw-part-technical` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Draw up the Part 10 technical documentation before placing the product on the market and keep it updated: a complete product description with photographs or illustrations of external features, markings and internal layout, the versions of all software and firmware involved in compliance, the manufacturer's and installation instructions, conceptual design and manufacturing drawings and schemes with the explanations needed to understand them, the list of harmonised standards applied in full or in part and the solutions adopted where they were not, a copy of the EU declaration of conformity, the EU-type examination certificate where Part 8 was used, design calculations, examination results and test reports, copies of what was submitted to the notified body, supporting evidence for the design solution and the addresses of the places of manufacture and storage; draw it up in an official language of the notified body's Member State or a language that body accepts. [Art. 17 and Annex, Part 10]
- `uas-mfr-run-conformity-assessment` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Run the conformity assessment that fits the product: internal production control under Part 7 only for products assessed against Parts 1, 5, 6, 16 or 17, that is classes C0, C4, C5 and C6 and remote identification add-ons, and only where harmonised standards have been applied for every requirement for which such standards exist; otherwise EU-type examination by a notified body followed by conformity to type based on internal production control under Part 8, or conformity based on full quality assurance under Part 9, which may not be used for a toy. Classes C1, C2 and C3 therefore always involve a notified body, and the assessment must take account of all intended and foreseeable operating conditions. [Art. 13 and Annex, Parts 7, 8 and 9]
- `uas-mfr-draw-declaration-conformity` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Draw up the EU declaration of conformity to the Part 11 model, stating that compliance with Parts 1 to 6, 16 and 17 has been demonstrated and identifying the class of the UAS and, for non fixed-wing aircraft, the guaranteed sound power level, keep it continuously updated, translate it into the languages the Member State of placing or making available requires, and issue a single declaration where several Union acts apply; supply each product with a copy of it or with a simplified declaration under Part 12 giving the exact internet address of the full text. By drawing it up you assume responsibility for the product's compliance. [Art. 6(8), Art. 14 and Annex, Parts 11 and 12]
- `uas-mfr-supply-instructions-information-notice` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product-market, before-market) — Ship the product with the manufacturer's instructions required by the relevant Part and the EASA information notice, in a language consumers and other end users easily understand as the Member State determines. [Art. 6(7) and Annex, Part 1, points (8) and (9), Part 2, points (18) and (19), Part 3, points (19) and (20), Part 4, points (15) and (16), Part 5, points (4) and (5), and Part 6, point (5)]
- `uas-oth-act-written-mandate` (Authorised representative, company, before-market) — Act under a written mandate that at least allows you to keep the EU declaration of conformity and the technical documentation at the disposal of the national market surveillance authorities for 10 years after the product was placed on the Union market, to provide a market surveillance or border control authority on reasoned request with all information and documentation needed to demonstrate conformity, and to cooperate with those authorities on any action to eliminate the non-conformity of the products in your mandate or the safety risks they pose. [Art. 7(2)]

### mark

- `uas-mfr-affix-sound-power-indication` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Affix the guaranteed sound power indication of Part 14, the number in dB with the LWA sign and the pictogram, on the aircraft and its packaging. [Annex, Part 14]
- `uas-mfr-affix-ce-marking` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Affix the CE marking visibly, legibly and indelibly on the product or its data plate, or on the packaging where size does not allow it, followed by the notified body's identification number where Part 9 was applied. [Art. 15 and Art. 16]
- `uas-mfr-affix-class-identification-label` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Affix the class identification label, at least 5 mm high, visibly, legibly and indelibly on the aircraft and its packaging, and on every accessory of a class C5 accessories kit, with no misleading markings or signs. [Art. 16 and Annex, Parts 2 to 4, 16 and 17]
- `uas-mfr-mark-type-serial-number` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), unit, before-market) — Mark every UA with a type and, for classes C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6 aircraft and remote identification add-ons, a unique serial number to ANSI/CTA-2063-A-2019, repeated on the EU declaration of conformity or the simplified one. [Art. 6(5) and Annex, Parts 2 to 4, 6, 16 and 17]
- `uas-mfr-indicate-name-address` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Indicate your name, registered trade name or registered trademark, website address and a single postal contact address on the product or, where not possible, on the packaging or an accompanying document, in a language end-users and authorities easily understand. [Art. 6(6)]
- `uas-oth-affix-notified-body-number` (Authorised representative, product, before-market) — Where the notified body instructs it, affix its identification number after the CE marking. [Art. 16(5)]
- `uas-oth-indicate-name-contact` (Authorised representative, product, before-market) — As that economic operator, have your name and contact details indicated on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document. [Art. 4(4)]
- `uas-imp-indicate-name-address` (Importer, product, before-market) — Indicate your own name, registered trade name or registered trademark, website and postal contact address on the product or, where not possible, on its packaging or in an accompanying document, in a language end-users and authorities easily understand. [Art. 8(3)]

### decision

- `uas-mfr-decide-class-uas` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — Decide which class the UAS is designed for and meet every requirement of that Part: for class C0 a maximum take-off mass below 250 g including payload, a maximum level-flight speed of 19 m/s, a height limited to 120 m above the take-off point, safe controllability, minimised injury and sharp edges, exclusively electric power and a follow-me range of no more than 50 m; for class C1 below 900 g or less than 80 J transmitted to a human head at terminal velocity, plus mechanical strength, a lost-link recovery or flight termination method, lights including at least one green flashing light for night conspicuity and a low-battery warning; for class C2 below 4 kg with a selectable low-speed mode of no more than 3 m/s and a command and control link protected against unauthorised access; for class C3 below 25 kg and less than 3 m in characteristic dimension; for class C4 below 25 kg with no automatic control modes beyond flight stabilisation and lost-link assistance; for class C5 the class C3 requirements without the height limitation and geo-awareness duty, plus flight termination, a 5 m/s low-speed mode and link quality monitoring; and for class C6 the class C3 requirements plus a 50 m/s ground speed limit, programmable operational volume limits, trajectory programming and flight termination. [Art. 4(1) and Annex, Parts 1 to 5, 16 and 17]
- `uas-imp-place-product-market` (Importer, product, on-event) — Do not place a product on the market where you consider or have reason to believe that it does not conform to Parts 1 to 6, 16 and 17 of the Annex until it has been brought into conformity, and where the product presents a risk for the health and safety of consumers and third parties inform the manufacturer and the competent national authorities. [Art. 8(2), second subparagraph]
- `uas-dist-withhold-non-conforming-product` (Distributor (wholesaler, retailer or online seller of drones), product, on-event) — Do not make a product available where you consider or have reason to believe that it does not conform to Article 4 until it has been brought into conformity, and where it presents a risk inform the manufacturer or the importer and the market surveillance authorities. [Art. 9(2), third subparagraph]

### procedure

- `uas-mfr-keep-series-production-conformity` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), company, ongoing) — Keep series production in conformity, taking account of changes in design, characteristics, software and the referenced standards, and make sure software updates do not affect compliance. [Art. 6(4)]
- `uas-mfr-sample-test-register-complaints` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, on-event) — Where the risks warrant it, sample-test products made available, investigate, keep a register of complaints, non-conforming products and recalls, and keep distributors informed. [Art. 6(4)]
- `uas-imp-sample-test-register-complaints` (Importer, product, on-event) — Where the risks warrant it, sample-test products made available, investigate, keep a register of complaints, non-conforming products and recalls, and keep distributors informed. [Art. 8(6)]

### submission

- `uas-mfr-correct-withdraw-recall` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, on-event) — Correct, withdraw or recall non-conforming products and, where a product presents a risk, immediately inform the market surveillance authorities of the Member States where you made it available. [Art. 6(9)]
- `uas-mfr-notify-c5-c6-placing` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, before-market) — When placing a class C5 or C6 UAS or a class C5 accessories kit on the market, notify the market surveillance authority of the Member State of your principal place of business. [Art. 6(10) and (11)]
- `uas-oth-lodge-eu-type-application` (Authorised representative, product, before-market) — Where the mandate specifies it, lodge the application for EU-type examination or for the assessment of the quality system with a single notified body of your choice, giving your name and address alongside the manufacturer's. [Annex, Part 8, Module B, point 3, and Part 9, point 3(1)]
- `uas-imp-correct-withdraw-recall` (Importer, product, on-event) — Where a product you placed on the market does not conform, immediately take corrective measures, withdraw or recall it, and where it presents a risk immediately inform the market surveillance authorities of the Member States where you made it available, with details. [Art. 8(7)]
- `uas-imp-notify-c5-c6-placing` (Importer, product, before-market) — When placing a class C5 or C6 UAS or a class C5 accessories kit on the market, notify the market surveillance authority of the Member State of your principal place of business. [Art. 8(10)]
- `uas-dist-make-sure-corrective` (Distributor (wholesaler, retailer or online seller of drones), product, on-event) — Where a product you made available does not conform, make sure the corrective measures to bring it into conformity, withdraw it or recall it are taken, and where it presents a risk immediately inform the market surveillance authorities of the Member States where you made it available, with details of the non-compliance and the corrective measures. [Art. 9(4)]

### verification

- `uas-oth-verify-keep-declaration` (Authorised representative, product, before-market) — As that economic operator, verify that the declaration of conformity and the technical documentation exist, and keep the declaration available to the authorities. [Art. 4(3)(a)]
- `uas-imp-place-compliant-products` (Importer, product, before-market) — Place only compliant products on the Union market, and before placing a product on the market verify that the manufacturer carried out the appropriate conformity assessment procedure of Article 13, drew up the Part 10 technical documentation, affixed the CE marking and, where required, the UA class identification label and the sound power indication, applied the type and unique serial number and the name, trade name or trademark, website address and postal address, and that the product is accompanied by the manufacturer's instructions, the information notice and the EU declaration of conformity or a simplified one. [Art. 8(1) and (2)]
- `uas-imp-ensure-instructions-information-notice` (Importer, product-market, before-market) — Make sure the product is accompanied by the manufacturer's instructions and information notice in a language consumers and other end users easily understand, as the Member State determines, clear, understandable and legible. [Art. 8(4)]
- `uas-dist-act-due-care` (Distributor (wholesaler, retailer or online seller of drones), product, before-market) — Act with due care in relation to Chapter II and, before making a product available on the market, verify that it bears the CE marking and, where applicable, the UA class identification label and the sound power indication, that it is accompanied by the manufacturer's instructions, the information notice and the EU declaration of conformity or a simplified one, and that the manufacturer and the importer applied the type and serial number and their name, trade name or trademark, website address and postal address. [Art. 9(1) and (2)]
- `uas-dist-make-sure-product` (Distributor (wholesaler, retailer or online seller of drones), product-market, before-market) — Make sure the product is accompanied by the manufacturer's instructions and information notice in a language consumers and other end users easily understand as determined by the Member State concerned, and that those documents and any labelling are clear, understandable and legible. [Art. 9(2), second subparagraph]

### standing

- `uas-mfr-keep-documentation-declaration` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), product, ongoing) — Keep the technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity for 10 years after the product was placed on the market. [Art. 6(3)]
- `uas-mfr-identify-suppliers-customers` (Manufacturer (including brand owners and modifiers), company, ongoing) — Be able to identify to the market surveillance authorities the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied, for 10 years. [Art. 11]
- `uas-oth-identify-suppliers-customers` (Authorised representative, company, ongoing) — Be able to identify to the market surveillance authorities the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied, for 10 years. [Art. 11]
- `uas-oth-inform-cooperate-authorities` (Authorised representative, company, ongoing) — As that economic operator, provide information on reasoned request, inform the authorities when you believe the product presents a risk and cooperate on corrective action. [Art. 4(3)(b) to (d)]
- `uas-imp-keep-storage-transport-conditions` (Importer, company, ongoing) — Make sure that storage and transport conditions while the product is under your responsibility do not jeopardise its compliance with Article 4. [Art. 8(5)]
- `uas-imp-keep-declaration-copy` (Importer, product, ongoing) — Keep a copy of the EU declaration of conformity at the disposal of the market surveillance authorities for 10 years after the product was placed on the market, and make sure the technical documentation can be made available on request. [Art. 8(8)]
- `uas-imp-provide-information-request` (Importer, company, ongoing) — On reasoned request, provide the competent national authority with all information and documentation, in paper or electronic form and in a language it easily understands, needed to demonstrate the product's conformity, and cooperate on any action to eliminate the risks it poses. [Art. 8(9)]
- `uas-imp-identify-suppliers-customers` (Importer, company, ongoing) — Be able to identify to the market surveillance authorities the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied, for 10 years. [Art. 11]
- `uas-dist-keep-storage-transport-conditions` (Distributor (wholesaler, retailer or online seller of drones), company, ongoing) — Make sure that storage and transport conditions while the product is under your responsibility do not jeopardise its compliance with Article 4. [Art. 9(3)]
- `uas-dist-provide-information-request` (Distributor (wholesaler, retailer or online seller of drones), company, ongoing) — On reasoned request, provide the competent national authority with all information and documentation, in paper or electronic form and in a language it easily understands, needed to demonstrate the product's conformity, and cooperate on any action to eliminate the risks it poses. [Art. 9(5)]
- `uas-dist-identify-suppliers-customers` (Distributor (wholesaler, retailer or online seller of drones), company, ongoing) — Be able to identify to the market surveillance authorities the economic operators who supplied you and whom you supplied, for 10 years. [Art. 11]

## Penalties

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 contains no penalty article of its own, because it is a Commission delegated act adopted under Articles 58 and 61 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139; the duty to penalise sits in the basic regulation instead. Article 131 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 requires Member States to lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringement of that regulation and of the delegated and implementing acts adopted on the basis thereof, and to make those penalties effective, proportionate and dissuasive. Article 41 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 does not add to that, because it only covers the Union harmonisation legislation listed in Annex II to that regulation, and neither Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 nor this Regulation is on that list. Everything else runs through the market surveillance chapter and national law. Market surveillance authorities that have sufficient reason to believe a product presents a risk to health or safety or to other public interests evaluate it against all the requirements of Chapter II, require the economic operator without delay to take corrective action, withdraw or recall the product within a period commensurate with the risk, inform the notified body, and where the operator does not act take provisional measures to prohibit or restrict the making available, withdraw or recall it, notifying the Commission and the other Member States; a measure not objected to within three months is deemed justified and the Union safeguard procedure settles disputes, and a compliant product that still presents a risk can be treated the same way. Formal non-compliance must be ended in eleven listed cases: a CE marking affixed in violation of Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 or of Article 15 or 16, a missing CE marking or type, a missing or wrongly affixed notified body number where Part 9 was applied, a missing class identification label, a missing sound power indication where required, a missing serial number or one in the wrong format, a missing manual or information notice, a missing, undrawn or incorrectly drawn EU declaration of conformity, missing or incomplete technical documentation, or missing manufacturer or importer name, trade name, trademark, website address or postal address; where it persists the Member State restricts or prohibits the making available or has the product withdrawn or recalled. Since 16 July 2021 the surveillance powers come from Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, whose authorities can demand documents and supply-chain information, inspect and acquire products, require corrective action, prohibit the making available and have products withdrawn, recalled or destroyed. In Denmark, Trafikstyrelsen supervises the product requirements under executive order nr. 1735 of 24 November 2020 and may demand access without a court order to business books, documents, information, business premises, storage and means of transport, take any product free of charge for testing, order the operator to warn users, stop misleading marketing, remedy the non-compliance, stop sales, withdraw, recall or destroy the product, order an online interface to change or remove content referring to it, act in the operator's place where it cannot be located or made to comply, and publish the measures; a fine is imposed on anyone who refuses access, withholds documents, refuses to hand over a product, fails to comply with an order or fails to report on the measures taken, with corporate liability under chapter 5 of the criminal code. Breaches of the Danish drone order supplementing Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, including insurance, competency, distance and zone requirements, are likewise punishable by fine.

## Checklist

1. Decide the operating category the product is meant for: the open category and declared operations in the specific category put it under Chapter II and the class regime, while a characteristic dimension of 3 m or more over assemblies of people, carriage of people or of dangerous goods needing high robustness, or a competent authority decision, put it under the certification regime of Article 40.
2. Pick the target class and design to every point of the relevant Part, checking maximum take-off mass, speed, height limitation, mechanical strength, lost-link behaviour, low-speed mode, link protection, flight termination and operational volume limits against Parts 1 to 5, 16 and 17.
3. Build in the class-specific functions: direct remote identification with the integrity check and the full broadcast data set, geo-awareness with the zone data interface and the warning alerts, the low-battery warning, the night lighting with at least one green flashing light, and the ANSI/CTA-2063-A-2019 serial number.
4. Run the noise test of Part 13 for classes C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6, keep non fixed-wing classes C1 and C2 within the Part 15 limits and prepare the Part 14 guaranteed sound power indication.
5. Choose the conformity assessment route: internal production control under Part 7 only for classes C0, C4, C5 and C6 and remote identification add-ons with full harmonised standard coverage, otherwise EU-type examination plus conformity to type under Part 8 or full quality assurance under Part 9, which is closed to toys; engage a notified body for classes C1, C2 and C3.
6. Compile the Part 10 technical documentation with the software and firmware versions, drawings, standards list, test reports and manufacturing and storage addresses, and keep it and the declaration for 10 years.
7. Draw up the Part 11 EU declaration of conformity identifying the class and the guaranteed sound power level, or a Part 12 simplified declaration with the internet address, translated into the languages the Member State requires, as a single declaration where the radio, electromagnetic compatibility, toy or machinery rules also apply.
8. Affix the CE marking, the notified body number where Part 9 was used, the class identification label at least 5 mm high on the aircraft, on every accessory of a C5 kit and on the packaging, the sound power indication, the type and serial number and the manufacturer and importer identification with website and postal address before placing the product on the market.
9. Ship the manufacturer's instructions and the EASA information notice in the language the Member State determines, covering the class, payloads, lost-link behaviour, the registration number and airspace upload procedures, the transmission protocol, maintenance, troubleshooting and the risks.
10. Set up the compliance aftercare: an economic operator established in the Union under Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, notification to the market surveillance authority for classes C5 and C6 and C5 add-ons, 10-year supplier and customer traceability, sample testing and a complaints and recall register, a software update policy that preserves conformity, and a corrective action route to the national authority, in Denmark Trafikstyrelsen.

## Questions

### What are the drone classes C0 to C6 and what do they mean?

They are the seven class identification labels a UAS must bear to be operated in the open category or under an operational declaration in the specific category. Class C0 is below 250 g with a maximum level-flight speed of 19 m/s and a 120 m height limit; class C1 is below 900 g or transmits less than 80 J to a human head on impact at terminal velocity and adds direct remote identification, geo-awareness, night lighting, a low-battery warning and a sound power limit; class C2 is below 4 kg with a selectable low-speed mode of no more than 3 m/s and a command and control link protected against unauthorised access; class C3 is below 25 kg and less than 3 m in characteristic dimension; class C4 is below 25 kg with no automatic control modes beyond flight stabilisation and lost-link assistance; class C5, added in 2020, follows the class C3 requirements plus flight termination, a 5 m/s low-speed mode and link monitoring; and class C6 follows class C3 plus a 50 m/s ground speed limit, programmable operational volume limits and flight termination. Classes C0 and C1 fly in open subcategory A1, C2 in A2, and C2, C3 and C4 in A3, while C5 and C6 are the aircraft for standard scenarios STS-01 and STS-02 in the specific category.

### Can I still sell or fly a drone without a C class label?

A drone without a class identification label and not privately built may only be flown in the open category if it was placed on the market before 1 January 2024, and then only in subcategory A1 if its maximum take-off mass including payload is below 250 g, or in subcategory A3 if it is below 25 kg including fuel and payload. The wider transitional rules of Article 22 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, which allowed unlabelled aircraft up to 500 g, 2 kg and 25 kg under competency and distance conditions, ended on 31 December 2023. Because Article 4(1)(a) requires an open-category UAS to belong to one of the classes, to be privately built or to meet the Article 20 conditions, new units placed on the market from 1 January 2024 without a class label cannot lawfully be flown there, which is why retailers stopped listing them; Trafikstyrelsen ran a public campaign on the change and stresses that retailers are responsible for what they sell.

### Do I need a notified body for my drone?

It depends on the class. Internal production control under Part 7 of the Annex, without a notified body, is available only when you assess a product against Parts 1, 5, 6, 16 or 17, that is classes C0, C4, C5 and C6 and remote identification add-ons, and only if you have applied harmonised standards for every requirement for which such standards exist. For classes C1, C2 and C3 you must use EU-type examination by a notified body followed by conformity to type based on internal production control under Part 8, or conformity based on full quality assurance under Part 9, which is closed to products that are toys within the meaning of Directive 2009/48/EC. The notified body's identification number goes after the CE marking only where Part 9 was used.

### How does Regulation (EU) 2019/945 relate to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947?

They are a pair adopted the same spring under Regulation (EU) 2018/1139: 2019/945 is the product law and 2019/947 is the operating law. 2019/945 sets what a drone must be, the class requirements, the conformity assessment, the CE marking and the class identification label, and the duties of manufacturers, authorised representatives, importers and distributors; 2019/947 sets the open, specific and certified categories, the subcategories A1, A2 and A3, remote pilot competency, operator registration, the UAS geographical zones, the operational authorisations, the standard scenarios STS-01 and STS-02 and the designation of national competent authorities. The bridge is the class label: the class a drone carries under 2019/945 decides which subcategory or standard scenario it may be used in under 2019/947, and Article 35(3) of 2019/945 requires market surveillance and border control authorities to cooperate with the authorities designated under Article 17 of 2019/947.

### What else must a drone comply with besides the UAS Regulation?

Usually several acts at once. A UAS that is a toy within the meaning of Directive 2009/48/EC must also meet the toy directive, and a UAS that is not a toy must meet the relevant health and safety requirements of Directive 2006/42/EC for risks other than those linked to the safety of the flight, a reference that is read against Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery once the directive is repealed on 20 January 2027. Directive 2009/48/EC is in turn repealed by Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 on the safety of toys with effect from 1 August 2030, so from that date the toy references in Article 4(2), Article 13(2)(c) and point (10) of Part 1 of the Annex are read as references to the Toy Safety Regulation; toys placed on the market before then may still be made available and EC type-examination certificates run until 1 February 2031. Directive 2014/53/EU on radio equipment applies to unmanned aircraft that are not subject to certification, that are not intended to be operated only on frequencies allocated for protected aeronautical use and that intentionally emit or receive electromagnetic waves below 3 000 GHz, and Directive 2014/30/EU on electromagnetic compatibility applies where the radio directive does not. Where several Union acts require a declaration, a single EU declaration of conformity covers them all, and the CE marking stands for the whole set.

### Who enforces the drone product rules in Denmark?

Trafikstyrelsen. Executive order nr. 1735 of 24 November 2020 on market surveillance of the drone area, in force since 1 January 2021 and issued under the aviation act, makes Trafikstyrelsen the supervisory authority for the product requirements of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 unless other legislation provides otherwise, and gives it the power to demand access without a court order to business books, documents, information, business premises, storage and means of transport, to take any product free of charge for testing and technical examination, to obtain expert opinions, to order warnings to users, an end to misleading marketing, remedial action, a stop to sales, withdrawal, recall or destruction, to order an online interface to change or remove content referring to a non-compliant drone, to act in the operator's place and to publish the measures. The same authority is the competent authority for drone operations under executive order nr. 1649 of 12 December 2023, which supplements Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and has applied since 1 January 2024. Drones are not one of the product areas of the Danish product act, so the market surveillance department of Erhvervsstyrelsen that took over Sikkerhedsstyrelsen's tasks in January 2026 has no role here.

### What is a class C5 accessories kit?

A class C5 UAS may be built as such, or it may be a class C3 UAS fitted with an accessories kit that converts it into a class C5 one. Where the conversion route is used, the class C5 label must be affixed to every accessory in the kit, the kit may only convert a class C3 UAS that is not a fixed-wing aircraft unless tethered and that provides the necessary interfaces, and it must not change the software of the class C3 UAS. The kit may be placed on the market independently of the aircraft, in which case the manufacturer must place a single conversion kit on the market that does not alter the class C3 UAS compliance with Part 4, makes the converted UAS meet the additional class C5 requirements, and comes with instructions listing every class C3 UAS it fits and explaining installation and operation. For the operation to be lawful under standard scenario STS-01 the UAS must be accompanied by both EU declarations of conformity and carry the class C5 label.

### Does the UAS Regulation apply to a drone I built myself or fly only indoors?

No to both, with one qualification. The regulation does not apply at all to UAS intended to be exclusively operated indoors, and a privately built UAS, meaning one assembled or manufactured for the builder's own use and not assembled from a ready-to-assemble kit placed on the market by a manufacturer, is excluded from the product chapter, so it carries no class label, no CE marking under this regulation and no EU declaration of conformity. A privately built aircraft may still be flown in the open category, in subcategory A1 below 250 g and in subcategory A3 below 25 kg, and where it is operated in the specific category below 120 metres it must carry a direct remote identification add-on meeting Part 6 of the Annex, whose own serial number is broadcast in place of the aircraft's. Military, customs, police, search and rescue, firefighting, border control and coastguard flights under the responsibility of a Member State fall outside the basic regulation altogether.

## What changed

- 2026-09-13 (guidance): **Guide rebuilt on the SPEC-62 model from the consolidated text** — The guide was rewritten from the consolidated text of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 of 24 June 2025, the four amending acts, the consolidated text of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 of 1 May 2025, Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 and the Danish executive orders nr. 1735/2020, nr. 1649/2023 and nr. 527/2025. Two corrections to the previous version: the class system runs from C0 to C6, seven classes, not C0 to C4, because Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1058 added classes C5 and C6 and class C5 accessories kits from 9 August 2020; and Denmark's enforcement is Trafikstyrelsen on both sides, as the supervisory authority for the product requirements under executive order nr. 1735/2020 and as the competent authority for operations under executive order nr. 1649/2023, not only for operations and operator registration. The exact class limits, the conformity assessment routes and the cases where a notified body is needed, the noise test code and the Part 15 sound power limits, the marking and instruction requirements, the Article 39 list of formal non-compliance, the Article 40 certification conditions as rewritten in 2024, the remote identification add-on and the class C5 accessories kit now replace the earlier general description, and the market surveillance reference in Article 35 is read as Regulation (EU) 2019/1020.
- 2026-01-01 (applies): **Declarations based on national standard scenarios cease to be valid** — Declarations that Member States accepted until 31 December 2023 on the basis of national standard scenarios or equivalents stop being valid, so an operation in the specific category under declaration must follow standard scenario STS-01 or STS-02 of Appendix 1 to the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and therefore use a class C5 or class C6 UAS assessed under Parts 16 and 17 of the Annex to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945.
- 2025-07-01 (applies): **Danish executive order nr. 527 of 20 May 2025 in force** — The Danish drone order is amended: a tethered drone with a propulsion system must follow the drone rules whatever its take-off mass, registration as a UAS operator is valid for three years and must be renewed, the minimum insurance sum of 0,75 million SDR does not apply to micro drones below 250 g with a maximum speed of 19 m/s used only for private or hobby purposes, and new definitions of commercial purpose, IMC and VMC aerodromes and the press are added.
- 2025-06-24 (amendment): **Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1130 enters into force** — The delegated regulation of 18 March 2025, published in the Official Journal of 4 June 2025, corrects an error in the Dutch language version of the third paragraph, point 3, of Part 17 of the Annex, one of the requirements for a class C6 unmanned aircraft system; the other language versions, including the English one, are not affected. Its entry into force is the cut-off date of the consolidated version this guide is written from.
- 2025-05-01 (applies): **The 2024 amendment applies: control and monitoring unit, new certification conditions, low-battery warning** — Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1108 takes effect after a transition intended to give stakeholders time to comply with the new initial airworthiness framework for certified UAS: the unmanned aircraft system is now the aircraft plus its control and monitoring unit, Article 40(1) lists the four cases where design, production and maintenance must be certified, research and experimental UAS produced in very limited numbers fly under a permit to fly instead, certified UAS follow Regulations (EU) No 748/2012, (EU) 2015/640 and (EU) 2024/1107, and classes C1, C2 and C3 must warn the remote pilot when the battery of the aircraft or its control and monitoring unit runs low.
- 2024-06-12 (amendment): **Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1108 enters into force** — The delegated regulation of 13 March 2024, published in the Official Journal of 23 May 2024, amends Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 on the initial airworthiness of certified unmanned aircraft systems and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on the definitions of unmanned aircraft system, control and monitoring unit and C2 link, on the Article 40 certification conditions and on the low-battery warning in Parts 2, 3 and 4 of the Annex; it applies from 1 May 2025.
- 2024-01-01 (applies): **The class identification label becomes the gate to the open category** — From this date a UAS placed on the market must belong to one of the seven classes, be privately built or meet the Article 20 conditions in order to be flown in the open category under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947. Drones placed on the market before 1 January 2024 without a class label may still be flown, but only in subcategory A1 below 250 g or in subcategory A3 below 25 kg. Operational declarations under the standard scenarios of Appendix 1 also start to apply, and in Denmark executive order nr. 1649 of 12 December 2023 enters into force, repealing executive order nr. 2253 of 29 December 2020.
- 2023-12-31 (applies): **End of the open-category transitional period for unlabelled drones** — The transitional period of Article 22 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, extended by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/425, ends. Until this date UAS that did not comply with Parts 1 to 5 of the Annex to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 could be used in the open category under mass-based conditions: below 500 g under the subcategory A1 operational requirements with a nationally defined competency level, below 2 kg at a minimum horizontal distance of 50 metres from people with subcategory A2 competency, and below 25 kg under the subcategory A3 requirements.
- 2022-06-21 (amendment): **Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/851 enters into force** — The delegated regulation of 22 March 2022, published in OJ L 150 of 1 June 2022, corrects errors in the Portuguese language version of Article 17(4), Article 40(1)(d) and points 3(2) and 3(5) of Module B in Part 8 of the Annex that altered the meaning of those provisions; the other language versions are not affected and the correction applies retroactively from 9 August 2020 in the interest of a level playing field and legal certainty.
- 2021-07-16 (applies): **Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 replaces the market surveillance articles of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008** — Chapter III, Articles 15 to 29, of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008, which Articles 35 and 36 of the UAS Regulation cite, is deleted; Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 is point 70 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 in so far as the design, production and placing on the market of unmanned aircraft and their engines, propellers, parts and remote control equipment are concerned; and Article 5(3), inserted by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1058, makes Article 4(1) to (4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 apply from this date, so every UAS placed on the market needs an economic operator established in the Union. Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 on the general principles of the CE marking, cited by Article 15, is not affected.
- 2021-01-01 (applies): **Danish executive order nr. 1735 of 24 November 2020 in force** — Denmark gives its aviation authority, then Trafik-, Bygge- og Boligstyrelsen and now Trafikstyrelsen, the role of supervisory authority for the product requirements of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, with powers to inspect documents and premises without a court order, take products free of charge for testing, order warnings, remedies, sales stops, withdrawal, recall or destruction, order online interfaces to remove content referring to non-compliant drones, act in the operator's place and publish the measures, backed by fines.
- 2020-12-31 (applies): **Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 applies** — The operating rules take effect after Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/746 postponed them from 1 July 2020: the open, specific and certified categories, the subcategories A1, A2 and A3 with their class requirements, remote pilot competency, UAS operator registration, the UAS geographical zones and the designation of national competent authorities. From this date the class identification label under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 has a direct operational consequence.
- 2020-08-09 (amendment): **Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1058 enters into force** — The delegated regulation of 27 April 2020, published in OJ L 232 of 20 July 2020, creates classes C5 and C6 in Parts 16 and 17 of the Annex together with class C5 accessories kits, extends Chapter II to UAS covered by an operational declaration in the specific category so that the Annex is read as Parts 1 to 6, 16 and 17, adds the definitions of command unit, C2 link service and night, requires ANSI/CTA-2063-A-2019 serial numbers and remote identification for specific-category UAS below 120 metres, adds the night lighting requirement and the notification duty for classes C5 and C6, and makes Article 4(1) to (4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 applicable from 16 July 2021.
- 2019-07-01 (in-force): **Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 enters into force** — Adopted on 12 March 2019 under Articles 58 and 61 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 and on the basis of EASA Opinion No 01/2018, and published in OJ L 152 on 11 June 2019, the regulation entered into force on the twentieth day after publication. It applies directly in all Member States without transposition, and the transition periods in Part 15 of the Annex for the maximum sound power levels of classes C1 and C2 run from this date.

## UAS in plain terms

The UAS Regulation, formally Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft systems and on third-country operators of unmanned aircraft systems, is the EU's product law for drones. It lays down the requirements for the design and manufacture of unmanned aircraft systems intended to be operated under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and of remote identification add-ons, the rules for making those products available on the market and moving them freely in the Union, the types of UAS whose design, production and maintenance must be certified, and the rules for UAS operators based in third countries that fly in the single European sky airspace (Art. 1). A UAS is an unmanned aircraft together with its control and monitoring unit, and an unmanned aircraft is any aircraft operating or designed to operate autonomously or to be piloted remotely without a pilot on board (Art. 3, points (1) and (3)).

The centre of the regulation is the class identification label. Chapter II applies to UAS intended for the open category, or for operational declarations in the specific category, that are not privately built and bear one of the seven class identification labels set out in Parts 1 to 5, 16 and 17 of the Annex, that is C0, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 and C6; it also applies to class C5 accessories kits under Part 16 and to direct remote identification add-ons under Part 6 (Art. 2(1)). The label is not marketing: it states which set of technical requirements the drone meets, and under the operating regulation it decides where and how close to people the drone may be flown. The regulation entered into force on 1 July 2019; classes C5 and C6 arrived with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1058 on 9 August 2020, and the 2024 amendment rebuilt the certification conditions and added a low-battery warning to classes C1, C2 and C3 from 1 May 2025.

> **Official text**
> Read the regulation on EUR-Lex: [consolidated text of 24 June 2025 (CELEX 02019R0945-20250624)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02019R0945-20250624), which incorporates Delegated Regulations (EU) 2020/1058, (EU) 2022/851, (EU) 2024/1108 and (EU) 2025/1130; the [original act (CELEX 32019R0945)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R0945) and the [document information page](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32019R0945) list the amendments and the seven corrigenda; none of those seven touches the English version, which is why the English consolidated text carries no corrigendum markers. The operating rules are in [Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, consolidated text of 1 May 2025](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02019R0947-20250501).

## Scope

Chapter II, the product chapter, covers class-labelled UAS for the open category and for declared operations in the specific category, class C5 accessories kits and direct remote identification add-ons. Chapter III covers UAS operated in the certified category and in the specific category other than under a declaration: since 1 May 2025 their design, production and maintenance must be certified where the UAS has a characteristic dimension of 3 metres or more and is designed to be operated over assemblies of people unless it is lighter than air, is designed to transport people, is designed to carry dangerous goods and needs a high level of robustness to protect third parties in an accident, or where the competent authority has concluded on the operator's risk assessment that the risk cannot be mitigated without certification (Art. 40(1)). Chapter IV covers UAS operators established, resident or with their principal place of business in a third country (Art. 2(3) and Art. 41).

Three things fall outside. UAS intended to be exclusively operated indoors are not covered at all (Art. 2(4)). Privately built UAS, meaning aircraft assembled or manufactured for the builder's own use but not aircraft assembled from a ready-to-assemble kit placed on the market by a manufacturer, are excluded from the class regime (Art. 2(1)(a) and Art. 3, point (22)). And the basic regulation the UAS Regulation rests on does not apply to aircraft and their remote control equipment while carrying out military, customs, police, search and rescue, firefighting, border control, coastguard or similar activities under the control and responsibility of a Member State (Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, Art. 2(3)(a)).

Other product law applies alongside. A drone that is a toy within the meaning of Directive 2009/48/EC must meet the toy directive as well, while points (4), (5) and (6) of Part 1 do not apply to class C0 toys; a drone that is not a toy must meet the relevant health and safety requirements of Directive 2006/42/EC only for risks other than flight safety, a reference read against Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery once the directive is repealed on 20 January 2027 (Art. 4(2); Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, Art. 51(2) and Art. 54, as corrected by corrigendum 32023R1230R(01), OJ L 169, 4.7.2023, p. 35). Directive 2014/53/EU on radio equipment applies to drones that are not subject to certification and are not confined to protected aeronautical frequencies, and Directive 2014/30/EU on electromagnetic compatibility applies where the radio directive does not (recitals 7 to 9). Where several acts require a declaration, one EU declaration of conformity covers them all (Art. 14(4)).

## What you must do

### The seven classes C0 to C6

Class C0 is an aircraft below 250 g including payload, with a maximum speed in level flight of 19 m/s, a height above the take-off point limited to 120 m, safe controllability, a design that minimises injury and avoids sharp edges, exclusively electric power and a follow-me range of no more than 50 m (Part 1). Class C1 is below 900 g, or transmits less than 80 J to a human head on impact at terminal velocity, and adds mechanical strength, a reliable lost-link recovery or flight-termination method, a sound power level within the Part 15 limits, an ANSI/CTA-2063-A-2019 serial number, direct remote identification, geo-awareness, a low-battery warning, controllability lights and at least one green flashing light for night conspicuity (Part 2). Class C2 is below 4 kg and adds a selectable low-speed mode of no more than 3 m/s for non fixed-wing aircraft and a command and control link protected against unauthorised access (Part 3). Class C3 is below 25 kg with a maximum characteristic dimension of less than 3 m (Part 4). Class C4 is below 25 kg and, unusually, must not be capable of automatic control modes beyond flight stabilisation assistance and lost-link assistance (Part 5).

Classes C5 and C6 were added for the specific category under declaration. A class C5 UAS meets the class C3 requirements except the height limitation and the geo-awareness duty, and must be a non fixed-wing aircraft unless tethered, show the remote pilot its height above the surface, offer a selectable low-speed mode of no more than 5 m/s, provide a reliable and independent means to terminate the flight that forces a descent, prevents powered horizontal movement and reduces impact dynamics, and let the remote pilot monitor the link quality with alerts before and on loss (Part 16). A class C6 UAS meets the class C3 requirements except the height limitation, the electric-power rule and the geo-awareness duty, and adds a maximum ground speed of 50 m/s, position, speed and height information in flight, means to prevent breaching a programmable operational volume, independent flight termination and trajectory programming (Part 17).

### Conformity assessment and notified bodies

Article 13 offers three routes: internal production control under Part 7, EU-type examination followed by conformity to type based on internal production control under Part 8, and conformity based on full quality assurance under Part 9. Part 7 is only available when assessing a product against Parts 1, 5, 6, 16 or 17, that is classes C0, C4, C5 and C6 and remote identification add-ons, and only where the manufacturer has applied harmonised standards for every requirement for which such standards exist. Classes C1, C2 and C3 therefore always involve a notified body. Part 9 is closed to products that are toys. The assessment must take account of all intended and foreseeable operating conditions, and a product in conformity with harmonised standards published in the Official Journal is presumed to conform to the requirements they cover (Art. 12); the only harmonised standard listed so far is EN 4709-002:2023 on direct remote identification, published by Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2103 of 30 July 2024 with a restriction: it does not cover the broadcast requirements of point (12)(b) of Part 2, point (14)(b) of Part 3, point (9)(b) of Part 4 and point (3) of Part 6, so a manufacturer cannot rely on it for those points.

### Declaration, CE marking, class label and sound power level

The manufacturer draws up the Part 10 technical documentation before placing the product on the market, keeps it and the EU declaration of conformity for 10 years, and draws the declaration up to the Part 11 model stating that compliance with Parts 1 to 6, 16 and 17 has been demonstrated, identifying the class and, for non fixed-wing aircraft, the guaranteed sound power level. Each product ships with a copy of the declaration or with the Part 12 simplified declaration carrying the exact internet address of the full text (Art. 6(8) and Art. 14). Before placing the product on the market the manufacturer affixes the CE marking visibly, legibly and indelibly, followed by the notified body's identification number only where Part 9 was used; the class identification label at least 5 mm high on the aircraft, on each accessory of a class C5 kit and on the packaging, with no misleading markings; the sound power indication of Part 14 where applicable; the type and unique serial number; and the manufacturer's name, trade name or trademark, website address and a single postal contact address (Art. 15 and Art. 16). Importers add their own identification (Art. 8(3)).

Noise is measured by the Part 13 test code, based on EN ISO 3744:2010, with the rotors at hovering speed under maximum take-off mass over a reflecting plane and a hemispherical microphone array, repeated until two values differ by no more than 1 dB. Part 15 sets maximum sound power levels only for non fixed-wing classes C1 and C2, in three columns: from entry into force, from two years after and from four years after. For class C1, with a maximum take-off mass of 250 g or more and below 900 g, the limits are 85 dB, 83 dB and 81 dB. For class C2, with a maximum take-off mass m of 900 g or more and below 4 000 g, they are 85 + 18,5 lg(m/900) dB, 83 + 18,5 lg(m/900) dB and 81 + 18,5 lg(m/900) dB, where lg is the base 10 logarithm. Because the regulation entered into force on 1 July 2019, the two-year column applied from 1 July 2021 and the strictest column has applied since 1 July 2023, which puts the class C2 ceiling at 81 dB at 900 g and at roughly 93 dB at 4 000 g.

### Remote identification, geo-awareness and the information notice

Classes C1, C2 and C3 must carry direct remote identification that accepts the UAS operator registration number, verifies the integrity of the full string and raises an error if the check fails, and then broadcasts in real time, over an open and documented protocol receivable by ordinary mobile devices, the registration number and verification code, the aircraft's unique serial number, a time stamp, the geographical position and height above the surface or take-off point, the course measured clockwise from true north, the ground speed, the remote pilot's position or the take-off point, and the emergency status, while resisting tampering. The same classes must carry geo-awareness: an interface to load and update UAS geographical zone data without degrading it, a warning when a potential breach of airspace limitations is detected, and a warning when positioning or navigation cannot support the function. A separate direct remote identification add-on under Part 6 broadcasts the add-on's own serial number and is the route for privately built aircraft in the specific category (Art. 40(5)). Every class ships with manufacturer's instructions and the information notice published by EASA on the applicable limitations and obligations, in the language the Member State determines.

### Obligations by role

- **Manufacturers** design to the class, run the conformity assessment, hold the technical documentation, draw up the declaration, apply the CE marking, class label, sound power indication, type and serial number and their contact details, supply instructions and the EASA notice, keep series production in conformity, watch software updates, act on non-conformity, keep 10-year traceability and notify the market surveillance authority when placing a class C5 or C6 UAS or a class C5 add-on on the market (Art. 6).
- **Authorised representatives** act on a written mandate that cannot include designing to the Annex or drawing up the technical documentation, keep the declaration and documentation available for 10 years, answer reasoned requests and cooperate on corrective action (Art. 7).
- **Importers** verify the assessment, documentation, markings and accompanying documents before placing a product on the market, add their own identification, protect compliance in storage and transport, sample-test where the risks warrant it, act on non-conformity, keep the declaration for 10 years and notify for classes C5 and C6 (Art. 8).
- **Distributors** act with due care, verify the CE marking, class label, sound power indication, documents and identification, ensure the instructions and notice are in the right language, hold back products they believe to be non-compliant, protect compliance in storage and transport and cooperate with authorities (Art. 9).
- **UAS operators** register, upload the registration number, keep the geo-awareness data current and fly within the subcategory or authorisation their aircraft's class allows; third-country operators follow Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 in the single European sky airspace (Art. 41).

An importer or distributor that sells under its own name or trademark, or modifies a product already on the market in a way that may affect compliance, becomes the manufacturer for the whole of Chapter II (Art. 10).

### The operating rules in Regulation (EU) 2019/947

The product rules only pay off if the customer can fly. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 has applied since 31 December 2020 and divides operations into the open, specific and certified categories. The open category requires the UAS to belong to one of the seven classes, be privately built or meet the Article 20 legacy conditions, to be below 25 kg, kept in visual line of sight, within 120 metres of the closest point of the surface, at a safe distance from people, never over assemblies of people, and to carry no dangerous goods and drop no material (Art. 4). Class C0 and C1 aircraft fly in subcategory A1, class C2 in A2 at a minimum horizontal distance from uninvolved people, and classes C2, C3 and C4 in A3 well away from residential, commercial and recreational areas. Operations outside those limits need an operational authorisation from the competent authority of the Member State of registration, or an operational declaration where the operation matches standard scenario STS-01, visual line of sight over a controlled ground area in a populated environment with a class C5 aircraft, or STS-02, beyond visual line of sight with airspace observers and a class C6 aircraft (Art. 5). Declarations based on national standard scenarios stopped being valid on 1 January 2026 (Art. 23(4)).

The transition is now closed. Article 22 allowed unlabelled aircraft in the open category until 31 December 2023 under mass-based conditions, and Article 20 still lets drones placed on the market before 1 January 2024 be flown in subcategory A1 below 250 g or A3 below 25 kg. From 1 January 2024 a drone newly placed on the market without a class label cannot lawfully be used in the open category unless it is privately built, which is why the class mark became a selling point that autumn.

## Enforcement and penalties

Member States organise market surveillance of products placed on the Union market and control of products entering it, and must make their market surveillance and border control authorities cooperate with the aviation competent authorities designated under Article 17 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, using the occurrence reporting system of Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 (Art. 35). The articles of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 cited there were deleted on 16 July 2021 by Article 39 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and are read as that regulation, whose Annex I lists Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 as point 70 as regards unmanned aircraft; Article 5(3) of the UAS Regulation separately makes Article 4(1) to (4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 apply from the same date, so every UAS placed on the market needs a responsible economic operator established in the Union. Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 on the general principles of the CE marking, cited in Article 15, survives.

Where an authority has sufficient reason to believe a product presents a risk it evaluates it against all of Chapter II, requires corrective action, withdrawal or recall within a period commensurate with the risk, informs the notified body, and takes provisional measures if the operator does not act, notifying the Commission and the other Member States; an unopposed measure is deemed justified after three months, and the Union safeguard procedure resolves disagreements (Art. 36 to Art. 38). Article 39 lists eleven forms of formal non-compliance that must be ended, from a CE marking affixed in violation of the rules or not at all, through a missing class identification label, sound power indication, serial number, manual or information notice, to a missing or incorrect EU declaration of conformity, incomplete technical documentation and missing manufacturer or importer identification.

The regulation itself sets no penalties, because it is a Commission delegated act; the duty to penalise sits one level up, in Article 131 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, which requires Member States to lay down effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for infringements of that regulation and of the delegated acts adopted under it. The sanctions themselves come from national law. In Denmark, executive order nr. 1735 of 24 November 2020 on market surveillance of the drone area makes Trafikstyrelsen the supervisory authority for the product requirements and lets it demand access without a court order to business books, documents, information, business premises, storage and means of transport, take any product free of charge for testing, obtain expert opinions, order warnings to users, an end to misleading marketing, remedial action, a stop to sales, withdrawal, recall or destruction, order an online interface to change or remove content referring to a non-compliant drone, act in the operator's place where it cannot be located, and publish its measures; refusing access, withholding documents or products, ignoring an order or failing to report on the measures taken is punishable by fine, with corporate liability under chapter 5 of the criminal code (executive order nr. 1735/2020, § 3 to § 12). On the operating side, executive order nr. 1649 of 12 December 2023, in force since 1 January 2024 and amended by executive order nr. 527 of 20 May 2025, makes Trafikstyrelsen the competent authority under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and punishes breaches of its insurance, competency, distance and zone rules with a fine (executive order nr. 1649/2023, § 33). Drones are not one of the product areas of the Danish product act, so the department Markedsovervågning of Erhvervsstyrelsen that continues Sikkerhedsstyrelsen's work from January 2026 has no role in drone product surveillance.

## How Conphora helps

Conphora monitors the UAS Regulation, its amendments, the operating rules in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and the Danish executive orders, and maps your drones against the class requirements, the conformity assessment routes, the marking and instruction duties and the transitional dates, flagging gaps in the class identification label, the CE marking, the sound power indication, the serial number, the EU declaration of conformity and the technical documentation before they become enforcement problems. The platform helps you keep one declaration covering the UAS, radio, electromagnetic compatibility, toy and machinery rules the same product needs, keep the 10-year records and the supplier and customer traceability, and alerts you when a class requirement, a harmonised standard, a Danish executive order or the operating framework changes.

[See how Conphora works](/how-it-works) · [See plans and pricing](/pricing)

## Sources

- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft systems, consolidated text of 24 June 2025 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02019R0945-20250624)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 as published in OJ L 152, 11 June 2019 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R0945)
- [Document information, dates, corrigenda and relationships for CELEX 32019R0945 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32019R0945)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1058 introducing the two new UAS classes C5 and C6 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32020R1058)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/851 correcting the Portuguese language version (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022R0851)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1108 on the initial airworthiness of certified UAS and amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32024R1108)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1130 correcting the Dutch language version (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32025R1130)
- [Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the operation of unmanned aircraft, consolidated text of 1 May 2025 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02019R0947-20250501)
- [Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing EASA (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018R1139)
- [Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance and compliance of products (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R1020)
- [Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, repealing Directive 2006/42/EC from 20 January 2027, consolidated text of 27 July 2026 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02023R1230-20260727)
- [Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 on the safety of toys, repealing Directive 2009/48/EC from 1 August 2030 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32025R2509)
- [Civil drones (unmanned aircraft) domain page (EASA)](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/civil-drones)
- [Drones regulatory framework background (EASA)](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/civil-drones/drones-regulatory-framework-background)
- [Harmonised standards for unmanned aircraft systems (European Commission, DG GROW)](https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/goods/european-standards/harmonised-standards/unmanned-aircraft-systems_en)
- [Bekendtgørelse nr. 1735 af 24. november 2020 om markedsovervågning af droneområdet (Retsinformation)](https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2020/1735)
- [Bekendtgørelse nr. 1649 af 12. december 2023 om supplerende bestemmelser til gennemførelsesforordning (EU) 2019/947 (Retsinformation)](https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2023/1649)
- [Bekendtgørelse nr. 527 af 20. maj 2025 om ændring af dronebekendtgørelsen (Retsinformation)](https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/527)
- [Den åbne kategori: subcategories A1, A2 and A3 and the class marks (Trafikstyrelsen)](https://www.trafikstyrelsen.dk/publikationsliste/luftfart-publikationer/2024/jan/den-aabne-kategori)
- [Hold øje med C-mærket: the class-mark change of 1 January 2024 (Trafikstyrelsen)](https://www.trafikstyrelsen.dk/nyheder/2023/nov/nye-droneregler-kan-paavirke-black-friday-koeb)

*This guide is for general information and is not legal advice.*

## Sources

- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft systems, consolidated text of 24 June 2025 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02019R0945-20250624)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 as published in OJ L 152, 11 June 2019 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R0945)
- [Document information, dates, corrigenda and relationships for CELEX 32019R0945 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32019R0945)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1058 introducing the two new UAS classes C5 and C6 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32020R1058)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/851 correcting the Portuguese language version (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022R0851)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1108 on the initial airworthiness of certified UAS and amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32024R1108)
- [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1130 correcting the Dutch language version (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32025R1130)
- [Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft, consolidated text of 1 May 2025 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02019R0947-20250501)
- [Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing EASA (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018R1139)
- [Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance and compliance of products (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R1020)
- [Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, repealing Directive 2006/42/EC from 20 January 2027, consolidated text of 27 July 2026 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02023R1230-20260727)
- [Corrigendum to Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, OJ L 169, 4.7.2023, p. 35 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32023R1230R(01))
- [Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 on the safety of toys, repealing Directive 2009/48/EC from 1 August 2030 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32025R2509)
- [Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2103 on the harmonised standard EN 4709-002:2023 for direct remote identification (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32024D2103)
- [Civil drones (unmanned aircraft) domain page (EASA)](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/civil-drones)
- [Drones regulatory framework background (EASA)](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/civil-drones/drones-regulatory-framework-background)
- [Harmonised standards for unmanned aircraft systems (European Commission, DG GROW)](https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/goods/european-standards/harmonised-standards/unmanned-aircraft-systems_en)
- [Bekendtgørelse nr. 1735 af 24. november 2020 om markedsovervågning af droneområdet (Retsinformation)](https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2020/1735)
- [Bekendtgørelse nr. 1649 af 12. december 2023 om supplerende bestemmelser til gennemførelsesforordning (EU) 2019/947 (Retsinformation)](https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2023/1649)
- [Bekendtgørelse nr. 527 af 20. maj 2025 om ændring af dronebekendtgørelsen (Retsinformation)](https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/527)
- [Den åbne kategori: subcategories A1, A2 and A3 and the class marks (Trafikstyrelsen)](https://www.trafikstyrelsen.dk/publikationsliste/luftfart-publikationer/2024/jan/den-aabne-kategori)
- [Hold øje med C-mærket: the class-mark change of 1 January 2024 (Trafikstyrelsen)](https://www.trafikstyrelsen.dk/nyheder/2023/nov/nye-droneregler-kan-paavirke-black-friday-koeb)

_Reviewed 2026-09-24 by Conphora compliance team_
