Training
Drone training providers
A short, checked list — plus the reliable way to find an approved provider wherever you are.
This directory used to list far more providers. We removed every entry we could not verify — many had dead websites, and several were real companies that do not actually run training (manufacturers, an industry association, a test centre). What is left is what we could confirm. We would rather list seven providers that exist than a hundred that do not.
Italy
Netherlands
Spain
United Kingdom
Finding an approved provider in your country
A training provider is not the first thing most people need. The A1/A3 test is run by the national authority itself in nearly every country, and it is free or close to it — ENAC runs its own online test in Italy, AESA runs and marks both the A1/A3 and the A2 exam in Spain, and the CAA's Flyer ID test in the UK costs nothing. Where a provider becomes necessary is the A2 certificate of competency in most countries, and anything in the Specific category, where practical training and a skills assessment have to be delivered by an entity the authority has recognised.
That recognition is narrower than it looks. It is granted for named scenarios rather than as a general seal of approval, and the detail is published. The Netherlands lists four recognised entities for standard scenarios, and only two of them cover both STS-01 and STS-02. Italy publishes each entity's approved flying fields and examination sites, so a provider can be genuinely recognised and still not be approved to examine anywhere near you. Spain ended its national STS-ES scenarios on 31 December 2025, which means an entity listed under the old scheme is not necessarily on the current European one. Selling a course is not the same as being recognised to deliver it, and only the authority's own list settles it.
Once you hold the certificate, it travels. A competency certificate issued in one EU or EEA state is valid across the zone, so there is no need to retake it after moving or to collect several. The edges of the map are where that stops. The United Kingdom left the system and does not recognise EU registrations or qualifications at all — an EU A2 is worth nothing there, and a UK A2 CofC is worth nothing in the EU. Switzerland keeps its own registration, though competency certificates are recognised in both directions.
The reliable route is the same everywhere: open your authority's drone pages — every country page links straight to them — find the list of recognised entities, and check that the provider is on it for the certificate you actually need.
The A1/A3 online training and test is run by the authority itself in most countries, and it is free or costs a few euros. If a provider is charging a lot for "A1/A3 certification", check what you are actually buying.