Flying in France & the Netherlands

Apologies for any duplication because I also posted this at the bottom of the “Flying in the EU” thread but it’s so far down I though it may not be seen so here goes again.

I’m travelling to France and the Netherlands soon so want to register for an operator ID. As far as I can tell I’m supposed to register in the first country (France) and then I can fly all over the EU. As you can see from the attached I took the Dutch test last year which as given me (I presume) a flyer ID but when I went to register for an operator ID on the French site I got the second screenshot from Alphatango. I’m dubious that this is my Operator ID because a) I didn’t have to pay for it and b) it runs for 5 years instead of the 1 year that I was expecting. However, it didn’t have any test associated with it which is more like an Operator ID. I’d be grateful if anyone could shed some light on this for me please because iI’m a bit confused at the moment and want to get it right. Many thanks in advance for any help you could give.

Hi Mark
I registered using Alphatango in January 2021. I recall completing a basic test similar to that of the CAA. I received a certificate entitled “Training of Pilots of Civil Unmanned Aircraft Used for Recreational Purposes” There was no charge for this and the certificate expires January 2026.
I also have a certificate entitled “Extract of the Civil Unmanned Aircraft Register”. This followed the registration of each drone and lasts for 5 years. Again this was provided at no charge. I have since changed drones and have been issued with new certificates from Alphatango following a new registrations for the new drones.
I have flown many times in France and have never been asked for this documentation. However most of my flying has been coastal or in relatively open country whilst photographing chateau / churches and the like.
Hope this helps
Chris.

People returning to the thread pick up where they left off, and if they’ve read everything they’d return to your post.

Every time someone adds to the thread people don’t re-read from the very beginning again .. funnily enough. Just from where they left off.

Yes it does. Thank you very much. At least I know I’m going in the right direction. I’ll now try to register each drone as you have done.

Thanks again,
Mark

Hi Chris and Mark, my experience is pretty much identical to Chris’s. I used the Alphatango site last year, didn’t pay anything and obtained my Remote Pilot Identifier after passing a very similar test to the UK one. It lasts 5 years. I also registered my drone on the French site for no cost as well.

Wrt flying in either country, check the various Geozone sites. I’ve found the following link very useful.

Enjoy!

Ian

Thank you very much. I seem to be struggling to register the drones themselves but I’ll keep persevering.

Just a quick update. I have managed to register myself and both of my drones in France and have both a French and a Dutch Op ID so thanks to Chris and Ian who helped me out.