When someone wants to fly a drone for professional purposes, the first technical question that comes up is: "is this open or specific category?". The answer is no small matter, because it shapes everything that follows: the pilot's training, the permits to be processed, the safety distances and, ultimately, whether the job can be carried out as a routine operation or whether prior authorisation from AESA is required.
The good news is that the concept is simpler than it seems. In this guide we explain what each category is, how the open category and the specific category differ, and —most usefully— when you need each one. And yes, we'll be honest: for most everyday commercial jobs the open category is enough.
Open category: the everyday
The open category is designed for low-risk operations. It covers the vast majority of everyday commercial flights: real estate photography, tourism video, simple inspections or construction monitoring in uncomplicated areas. It does not require individual authorisation from AESA for each flight; it is enough to comply with a set of fixed rules and to hold the corresponding training.
Within the open category there are three subcategories, ordered from least to most proximity to people:
A1 — flying close to people
- Allows flying over isolated people (never crowds) with lightweight drones.
- Designed for the smallest aircraft, weighing just a few hundred grams.
- It is the subcategory with the most basic training requirements.
A2 — flying close but with a safety distance
- Allows operating close to people while maintaining a horizontal safety distance (as a general reference, around 30 metres, reducible to 5 m in low-speed mode depending on the aircraft).
- Requires an A2 remote pilot certificate, with an additional exam.
- It is the typical band for mid-range drones in environments with people nearby.
A3 — flying far from people
- Operations away from people and from residential, commercial or industrial areas.
- Allows heavier drones within the limit of the open category (up to 25 kg).
- It is the subcategory for open spaces, open fields or industrial estates with no people.
In the open category you must always fly in direct line of sight (VLOS), below 120 metres in altitude, with drones up to 25 kg and without flying over crowds. If your job fits within these limits, you are most likely in the open category. When you go beyond them —flying higher, out of sight, over people or with larger aircraft— you enter the territory of the specific category.
Specific category: when the open one falls short
The specific category comes into play when the operation carries a higher risk and no longer fits within the limits of the open category. Here there are no fixed rules that authorise you automatically: an operational authorisation from AESA is required, based on a risk assessment, before you can fly.
You enter the specific category, for example, when you want to:
- Fly beyond direct line of sight (BVLOS), beyond what the pilot's eye can see.
- Operate above 120 metres in altitude.
- Use heavier drones or configurations that exceed the limits of the open category.
- Fly over gatherings of people or in dense urban environments where the open category's distances cannot be guaranteed.
Standard scenarios (STS)
To simplify the most common operations in the specific category, European regulations define standard scenarios or STS (Standard Scenarios). These are predefined operation "templates" —such as STS-01 (line-of-sight flight over a controlled ground area, in a populated environment) and STS-02 (beyond-line-of-sight flight over a controlled ground area, in a sparsely populated environment)—. If your job fits within an STS, instead of requesting a bespoke authorisation it is enough to file an operational declaration with AESA, which greatly speeds up the process.
EARO and authorised operators
To operate in the specific category, the organisation must be recognised as an operator and, depending on the case, hold an EARO (Recognised Accredited Operator Entity) or the corresponding authorisations that prove it has the procedures, training and means to manage higher-risk operations. It is not a form-filling exercise: it involves operations manuals, risk analysis (often using the SORA methodology) and pilots with specific training for each scenario.
So, which one do I need?
Here comes the honest, practical part. For the majority of commercial jobs —aerial photography and video, inspections of accessible roofs or façades, construction monitoring, tourism, real estate— the open category is enough. It is more agile, it does not require prior authorisation for each flight and it covers most of what a client typically asks for.
The specific category is reserved for complex operations: beyond-line-of-sight flights, at great altitude, with large drones or —very important in our area— flights in a dense urban environment within the Barcelona CTR, where the open category's safety distances often cannot be maintained and a bespoke authorisation is required. In these cases, trying to force the open category is not only incorrect: it can be outright illegal.
Open = low risk, fixed rules, no prior authorisation, ideal for the bulk of commercial jobs. Specific = higher risk, requires authorisation or declaration (STS) and an authorised operator (EARO), for complex operations or in a controlled urban area. Our advice: don't overcomplicate things, but don't come up short on permits either. If you have doubts about where your job fits, it's better to ask before you fly.
Want to know whether you can fly in a specific location? We have a tool to check it at can you fly here?, and if you want to understand the whole process step by step —AESA, ENAIRE and the Barcelona CTR zone— we explain it in the drone permits guide for Barcelona. As an AESA-authorised operator, we make sure every flight is in the right category and with all permits in order.
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