Competences

Operational authorization for the ‘specific’ category

The aviation authority of the federal state is responsible for issuing an operational authorization in the ‘specific’ operation category.
In the case of natural persons, the local jurisdiction depends on the applicant’s main place of residence; in the case of legal persons, it depends on the applicant’s place of business. This applies irrespective of the place of operation.

If the local jurisdiction of one of the following federal states is concerned, the Federal Aviation Office will process the application:

Bavaria
Berlin
Brandenburg
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
North Rhine-Westphalia
Saarland
Saxony
Saxony-Anhalt
Thuringia

We recommend to contact the competent authority before submitting the application.

Entering geographical zones

Applications for flights within geographical zones are the responsibility of the aviation authorities of the federal states. Please contact the Aviation authorities of the federal states which is responsible for your flight location.

Examples:

1. Your place of residence is Ulm (Baden-Württemberg) and you want permission to fly in a geographical zone. In this case, the Stuttgart Regional Commissioner’s Office (Regierungspräsidium) is responsible for you.
2. Your place of residence is Munich (Bavaria) and you want permission to fly in a geographical zone in Baden-Württemberg. If the flight is performed in the ‘specific’ category which is subject to authorization, the Federal Aviation Office will be responsible for the operation of your drone. The aviation authority of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg will, however, continue to be the authority responsible for permissions within the geographical zone.
3. Your place of residence is Cologne (North Rhine-Westphalia) and you want permission to fly in a geographical zone which is also located in North Rhine-Westphalia. If the flight is performed in the ‘specific’ category, the Federal Aviation Office will be responsible for the operation of your drone, but the permission to fly within the geographical zone will be granted by the aviation authority of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. For Cologne, this is the Düsseldorf District Government (Bezirksregierung).