Italy: ENAC, d-flight and a marking scheme that takes points away
The European regulation is the same from Lisbon to Helsinki. What changes from one country to another is the authority, the registration counter, the insurance and the way the examination is marked. In Italy those four pieces have precise names, and one of them changes the very way you sit the paper.
Key points
- ENAC is the national authority: it is ENAC that provides the web portal for the A1/A3 examination and the register of UAS whose design is subject to certification.
- The operator registers on the d-flight portal, then displays the QR identification code on the aircraft. The national text ties that formality to identification and to the attaching of civil and criminal liability: it is not a census.
- Two exemptions share the 250-gram threshold without being the same: below 250 grams, the A1/A3 proof of completion is not required to fly in A1, whereas in A3 the online training and examination apply whatever the class (UAS.OPEN.040(3)); registration is not required either, but on the further condition that no camera, no microphone and no other sensor collecting personal data is carried.
- The A1/A3 examination is taken online with the authority: 40 questions, 2 points per correct answer, 0 for no answer and minus 1 per mistake, passed at 60 points out of 80 in 60 minutes, credential valid five years.
- The A2 examination is taken at a recognised training centre, over at least 30 questions, after the A1/A3 proof of completion, self-practical training in A3 conditions and its declaration. It covers meteorology, flight performance and planning, and risk mitigation; it is passed at 75 % and takes no points away.
- No flight is allowed without third-party liability insurance in force, with amounts at least equal to the minimum figures in the table in Article 7 of Regulation (EC) 785/2004. Recognised model aircraft associations may use a cumulative policy, without escaping those minimum figures.
- Information on geographical zones is published on d-flight. An area that is free as far as civil aviation is concerned may still be closed by a restriction from the public security authorities, and it is for the operator to check that; flying over an area prohibited under the codice della navigazione requires express authorisation from ENAC.
- Two clocks after an occurrence: 72 hours to report it to ENAC, but 60 minutes to inform ANSV in the event of an accident or serious incident.
The trap. The Italian trap comes down to one sign: the minus. In A1/A3 a mistake takes a point away, an empty box takes none: ticking the last questions at random for want of time has a negative expected value, and 32 correct answers out of 40 give 56 points, so a fail, even though 80 % correct looks comfortable. In A2 the marking changes: nothing is deducted any more, so there is no reason at all to leave a question unanswered. Revising both papers with the same reflex is the costliest mistake in this market.
Source
Regolamento ENAC UAS-IT, Edizione 1 del 4 gennaio 2021, pubblicato da ENAC (Regolamento_UAS-IT080121.pdf, https://www.enac.gov.it/app/uploads/2024/04/Regolamento_UAS-IT080121.pdf), con avviso ENAC dell'8 gennaio 2021 relativo all'art. 7 comma 2; artt. 5, 6, 8, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27, 28 e 29; ENAC, web page “Come si diventa Pilota UAS (drone) OPEN A1/A3” (https://www.enac.gov.it/sicurezza-aerea/droni/piloti-uas/come-si-diventa-pilota-uas-drone-open-a1a3/), accessed on 02/09/2026; ENAC, web page “Come si diventa Pilota UAS (drone) OPEN A2” (https://www.enac.gov.it/sicurezza-aerea/droni/piloti-uas/come-si-diventa-pilota-uas-drone-open-a2/), accessed on 02/09/2026; ENAC, web page “Operatori di droni (UAS)” (https://www.enac.gov.it/sicurezza-aerea/droni/operatori-di-droni-uas/), accessed on 02/09/2026; ENAC, web page “FAQ Droni” (https://www.enac.gov.it/sicurezza-aerea/droni/faq-droni), accessed on 02/09/2026; syllabus ENAC A1-A3 2024 (https://www.enac.gov.it/app/uploads/2025/03/syllabus-A1-A3-2024-finale-REV-1.pdf), composition of the module; regulatory page ENAC (https://www.enac.gov.it/la-normativa/normativa-enac/regolamenti/regolamenti-ad-hoc/regolamento-uas-it/) re-read on 02/09/2026; Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 (CELEX 02019R0947, consolidated on 01/05/2025), Annex Part A, points UAS.OPEN.020(4)(a) and (b) and UAS.OPEN.040(3)