Hi all, I have barely used my Phantom 4 since I purchased it from DJI a few years ago. I'm one of these that buys new stuff and take years to get round to using them.
Anyway,I've  been looking about taking my U.K. drone to Romania this August and I must admit it seems an absolute minefield as to what you need
I have my valid U.K. CAA operator/flyer numbers but it appears these are not valid in Europe now we have Brexited. I think you have to register with the Romanian CAA and a A2 course and exam. Can anybody confirm what is actually required or have recently been to Romania as I understand European rules have changed in February 2023.
Thanking you in anticipation.

To fly in Europe I took the exam on Alphatango,  its French but they also have English.    Then you have an EU operator number and can fly in any EU country,   For a phantom 4 you'll be limited to A3 space unless you do the A2CofC exam in Europe.

Thank you for your reply. That makes sense.
Now…..I have just bought a mini 3 pro. That’s one expensive way of getting around it . I take it I will still need to register it in Romania for an operator number to fly?

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. Hope that you could get the best recommendation from our fellow DJI Pilots. You may also check the location (link below)  where you want to fly if it is inside the DJI NO-Fly zone for you to unlock it ahead of time. It is also recommended to contact the local aviation authorities to have a copy of their local laws and regulations. Should you have other inquiries, please don't hesitate to reach us. Thank you for your valued support.

https://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-map

DJI Paladin Posted at 3-27 23:23
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. Hope that you could get the best recommendation from our fellow DJI Pilots. You may also check the location (link below)  where you want to fly if it is inside the DJI NO-Fly zone for you to unlock it ahead of time. It is also recommended to contact the local aviation authorities to have a copy of their local laws and regulations. Should you have other inquiries, please don't hesitate to reach us. Thank you for your valued support.

https://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-map

Many thanks for your input.
From what I understand so far is that because I will be using a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone under 250grams in weight all I need to do is register with the Romanian CAA as an operator of my drone and obviously fly responsible and observe local bylaws as you would in your own country.  The U.K. being my country ( outside of the EU) The EU have updated regulations in February this year so expect more updates to come because of drone use in Ukraine. Once I have registered I do not need to register in another European country for 1 year after the initial registration.  Typically I have tried to register with the Romanian CAA and it appears the links are down. I’ll keep on trying.
I hope this info is of use to fellow drone users.
EDIT. Ok I have tried my hardest to get my head around this and I'm going round in circles with the categories seemingly contradicting the information required.I have tried to register with the Romanian CAA and it appears all the links for registration are down from the European countries list. The other European countries have active links.
Can somebody please help if there is anything else I need for example an exam within the open category A1? I hope all I have to do is get a operator registration and that's it.
2nd EDIT.Ok I managed to finally get onto the Romanian CAA site for drone registration form. It appears the form is only for Romanians as the form is asking for an ID number which U.K. citizens don't have and a Romanian National insurance number????   So it won't send the form with this information missing.
What a nightmare!

BIGTONE Posted at 3-27 23:39
Many thanks for your input.
From what I understand so far is that because I will be using a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone under 250grams in weight all I need to do is register with the Romanian CAA as an operator of my drone and obviously fly responsible and observe local bylaws as you would in your own country.  The U.K. being my country ( outside of the EU) The EU have updated regulations in February this year so expect more updates to come because of drone use in Ukraine. Once I have registered I do not need to register in another European country for 1 year after the initial registration.  Typically I have tried to register with the Romanian CAA and it appears the links are down. I’ll keep on trying.
I hope this info is of use to fellow drone users.

You're welcome. Hoping that someone could provide you with the correct steps on how to fly in the said country. Should you have any inquiries about your unit, please don't hesitate to reach us. Thank you and keep safe.

BIGTONE Posted at 3-27 23:39
Many thanks for your input.
From what I understand so far is that because I will be using a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone under 250grams in weight all I need to do is register with the Romanian CAA as an operator of my drone and obviously fly responsible and observe local bylaws as you would in your own country.  The U.K. being my country ( outside of the EU) The EU have updated regulations in February this year so expect more updates to come because of drone use in Ukraine. Once I have registered I do not need to register in another European country for 1 year after the initial registration.  Typically I have tried to register with the Romanian CAA and it appears the links are down. I’ll keep on trying.
I hope this info is of use to fellow drone users.

There is nothing complicated.

As a non-EU resident, are my "open" skills recognized in the EU?

Until 01.01.2023, the Romanian CAA will recognize:
proof of completion of the online training (A1 / A3) and / or a certificate of competency of the remote pilot (A2) issued by a non-EU Member State;
theoretical and practical training programs conducted in a non-EU Member State;
theoretical examination and practical assessment, with a view to issuing proof of completion of the online training (A1 / A3) and / or a certificate of remote pilot competency (A2), carried out in a non-EU Member State, in the following conditions:
if the non-EU authority requests such recognition from the Romanian CAA,
proof of completion of the online training (A1/A3) and / or the certificate of remote pilot competency (A2) and all other documents attached to the application must be valid within the issuing State.
If you do not meet all of the above requirements, you will need to perform the necessary training before performing air operations with a drone.

Contact them to find out what you should put as the number of the identity card. tel:+40.21.208.15.08
The answers to your questions can be found here:
Romanian CAA


For any information/inquiries/issues related to UAS please use the e-mail address drone@caa.ro

LV_Forestry Posted at 3-29 03:52
There is nothing complicated.

As a non-EU resident, are my "open" skills recognized in the EU?

Thank you for your input and yes you are correct as far as the information you have provided. However as I read  the current regulations and understand it because my drone is under 250g I only need to register as the operator of my drone and get a number off the Romanian CAA and nothing else provided I comply with local by laws etc
Are you able to confirm my understanding on this?
Kind regards

BIGTONE Posted at 3-29 04:49
Thank you for your input and yes you are correct as far as the information you have provided. However as I read  the current regulations and understand it because my drone is under 250g I only need to register as the operator of my drone and get a number off the Romanian CAA and nothing else provided I comply with local by laws etc
Are you able to confirm my understanding on this?
Kind regards

You also need to pass the A1/A3 online exam.
No need for practical exam.
As you are non EU resident you can pass the test in any European country. I recommend you the French one. It is maybe the easiest.

Think about the insurance too. It can be UK insurance company, but you must be able to show that your drone activities are covered in Romania as well.

LV_Forestry Posted at 3-29 05:00
You also need to pass the A1/A3 online exam.
No need for practical exam.
As you are non EU resident you can pass the test in any European country. I recommend you the French one. It is maybe the easiest.

Ok. Much appreciated.UPDATE...Just recieved this email. It appears I was right in my assumption. A good attempt at English. Bless them.

So my fellow drones it would seem that it’s only Romania that will not allow foreigners to apply for an operator number online. My take on this is that I have to apply when I am physically in Romania. I will try to confirm this on Monday when the Romanian CAA drone section will be there in office.   Still a nightmare!  PHEW!  The sting in the tail is that if you apply to another member state for your operator number you have to take your first flight in the member state you applied. After that you can fly anywhere within the EU for a year on your operator number.  As I said earlier....what a nightmare.

BIGTONE Posted at 3-29 10:49
So my fellow drones it would seem that it’s only Romania that will not allow foreigners to apply for an operator number online. My take on this is that I have to apply when I am physically in Romania. I will try to confirm this on Monday when the Romanian CAA drone section will be there in office.   Still a nightmare!  PHEW!  The sting in the tail is that if you apply to another member state for your operator number you have to take your first flight in the member state you applied. After that you can fly anywhere within the EU for a year on your operator number.  As I said earlier....what a nightmare.

Do not worry. Go to this site:
Connexion | AlphaTango (aviation-civile.gouv.fr)

1st step register, Then you click on it:


Click on "My course"


You watch the first video it is in English. Then you quickly skip the rest.
You will document yourself here, and above all you leave the page open:
Easy Access Rules for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Regulations (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945) - Revision from September 2022 - Available in pdf, xml, and online format | EASA (europa.eu)

You open a google translate page
https://translate.google.com/

You answer the test questions. There are 40. Each time you copy paste into the translator. There are a lot of questions that are just common sense. You will answer it no problem. For the rest CTRL + F in the EASA page.

I just did it, it took me 11 minutes.  I know the rules so it's going faster but really relax it's going to be fine.

Voila !




       

     ENG      FRN

For registration it does not ask for an identity document. You can put any nationality, even outside the EU it works.



At the bottom you specify that you are going to Romania to make your first flight.


"To register as a UAS operator in France, the country of residence must be France or, in the case of an operator resident in a third country, France must be the first Member State in which the operator intends to operate."


Of course you made a first flight in France. At worst, you'll take a little trip to France first. It seems that it's nice at the moment there are garbage cans burning.

Afterwards I am not an expert in English but legally, "France must be the first Member State in which the operator intends to operate", does not mean that you must operate there. You just have to intend...

That’s great info. Thanks for that. I don’t know if a fee is involved or if you get more free chances to pass if you fail but I’ll come across that as I proceed through the questions. I’ll give it a go this weekend.
Thanks for that.

BIGTONE Posted at 3-29 11:58
That’s great info. Thanks for that. I don’t know if a fee is involved or if you get more free chances to pass if you fail but I’ll come across that as I proceed through the questions. I’ll give it a go this weekend.
Thanks for that.

Its free and unlimited in France. In Latvia there is a fee for register.

Ok I’ve created an account and logged in. It has my name at the top however I made a mistake and put United Kingdom as my first intended flight. If I click  from the drop down menu and select Romania it’s not giving me the option to save the changes. If I need to delete the account you have to give a reason and I’m not sure if I could input the same info apart from intended first flight as Romania. This is killing me.

BIGTONE Posted at 3-29 12:20
Ok I’ve created an account and logged in. It has my name at the top however I made a mistake and put United Kingdom as my first intended flight. If I click  from the drop down menu and select Romania it’s not giving me the option to save the changes. If I need to delete the account you have to give a reason and I’m not sure if I could input the same info apart from intended first flight as Romania. This is killing me.

Honestly, don't worry about that.
If ever a policeman controls you in Romania, and unless you are approaching a sensitive site or the border with Ukraine, it is unlikely to happen.

But let's admit, the policeman will just check if your license is valid with the QR code, he will check that it is the same identity that is on your passport, and then that's it.

Super useful post...got myself registered in no time! Also, the test was in english for me, so even easier!

Thanks for the info, registered in no time and just selected English on the AlphaTango page...Happy days

UNDIES Posted at 7-17 13:38
Thanks for the info, registered in no time and just selected English on the AlphaTango page...Happy days

. Good news. Happy hovering.

Another easy and free online course and A1/A3 exam/certificate.

https://learningzone.eurocontrol.int/ilp/pages/description.jsf#/users/@self/catalogues/8264768/courses/20790571/description

I got the license in 1 hour. And then got the Spanish one. So I have 2 licenses

FF_Shooter Posted at 6-8 12:29
Another easy and free online course and A1/A3 exam/certificate.

https://learningzone.eurocontrol.int/ilp/pages/description.jsf#/users/@self/catalogues/8264768/courses/20790571/description

Well done. Thanks for that.
My French licence will do me.I don't want to complicate my paperwork.

BIGTONE Posted at 6-8 22:59
Well done. Thanks for that.
My French licence will do me.I don't want to complicate my paperwork.

You're welcome. All the best.