Flying the Mavic 4 Pro in the EU: What the C2 Label Means for You (A2 vs A3, Registration, 120 m)

A small label on the Mavic 4 Pro decides more about where you can fly it in Europe than anything in the DJI Fly menus. It says C2. Know what it unlocks and what it withholds, and the EU rules are short. Miss it and you either fly too close to people or stand 150 m from everything.

The summary table

Rule	Mavic 4 Pro (C2, 1085 g MTOM)
Subcategory	A2 with an A2 certificate, otherwise A3. Never A1.
Operator registration	Required. Once, in your home EASA state. Number on the drone and in DJI Fly.
Training	A1/A3 online course and exam as the minimum. A2 adds self-practice and a 30-question exam at 75 %. Both valid 5 years.
A2 distances	Never overfly uninvolved people. 30 m; 5 m in low-speed mode. Lateral distance at least equal to height.
A3 distances	Nobody uninvolved in the flight area; 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.
Height	120 m above the ground below the drone.
Night	Allowed with a green flashing light on. Prohibited in France.
Remote ID, geo-awareness	Must be on and updated. Both built in.
Minimum age	16 EU-wide; Spain and France 14, Switzerland 12.
Insurance	EU mandates it from 20 kg. Germany, Italy and Switzerland mandate it nationally; Spain for A2.

What the C2 label on this aircraft actually says

The Open category is split by what the drone is, not what you plan to do with it. Drones carry a class label from C0 to C4 under Regulation (EU) 2019/945; the label fixes which subcategory you may fly in under Regulation (EU) 2019/947.

DJI's manual is specific. Section 7.10, "C2 Certification", gives the class as C2 for models L3A and L3B and a maximum take-off mass of 1085 g, states that this figure is what makes the aircraft C2-compliant, and attaches conditions: no payload other than the listed qualified accessories (propellers, battery, microSD, DJI Cellular Dongle 2, nanoSIM), no non-qualified replacement parts, no retrofitting. A third-party light or prop guard that is not on that list gives you a drone that may no longer match its label.

Two more facts from the same section matter for the paperwork. The aircraft has direct Remote ID built in, transmitted as a Wi-Fi beacon, and your operator registration number goes into DJI Fly under Safety, then UAS Remote Identification. UAS.OPEN.030(3) requires both Remote ID and geo-awareness to be active and updated whenever a C2 drone flies in A2 or A3.

One more: in the EU, the C position on the mode switch does not give you Cine mode. The manual states that an aircraft flying in the EU switches to Low Speed mode, capping horizontal speed at 2.8 m/s. That is the C2 low-speed function that lets you shrink 30 m to 5 m. Our Cine vs Normal vs Sport guide covers the non-EU behaviour.

A2 or A3: the decision that shapes every flight

A C2 drone may fly in A2 or A3, never A1, which is for C0 and C1 aircraft under 900 g. The only question is whether you hold the A2 certificate.

A2 with the certificate

UAS.OPEN.030 lets you fly in and around populated areas as long as you never overfly uninvolved people and keep at least 30 m from them horizontally. With low-speed mode active, and after assessing weather, aircraft performance and whether the overflown area is segregated, you may reduce that to 5 m. EASA's FAQ adds the "1:1 rule": lateral distance at least equal to height, so at 40 m up you stay at least 40 m away, never closer than the 30 m or 5 m floor.

The A2 certificate is three steps: the A1/A3 online training and exam, declared self-practical training under A3 conditions, and a theory exam of at least 30 multiple-choice questions at 75 % on meteorology, UAS flight performance and ground-risk mitigations, taken at the national authority or a body it designates. Valid 5 years.

A3 without it

With only the A1/A3 proof, UAS.OPEN.040 applies: fly where no uninvolved person is endangered within the drone's range, and keep 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas. That means open country, farmland and empty coast. If you fly in Europe regularly, the A2 certificate is the most useful piece of paper you can hold for this aircraft.

Operator registration: once, at home

Article 14 of 2019/947 requires anyone operating a drone of 250 g or more, or any drone with a camera, to register as a UAS operator. You register in one EASA state, the one you live in, and it is valid in all of them. The number goes on every drone you operate (a sticker is fine) and into the drone's Remote ID via the DJI Fly path above.

Non-EU residents register with the authority of the first EU country they fly in, and that covers the rest of Europe. Training is another matter: EASA states there is no mutual recognition, so a US Part 107 or a UK Flyer ID is not accepted and you take the EU exams.

120 m, VLOS, night, age

The ceiling is 120 m from the closest point of the surface of the earth, so it follows terrain; national geo-zones set lower limits. The Mavic 4 Pro shows height relative to the take-off point, not the ground beneath it, and the manual's geo-awareness section leaves the vertical limit to you. From a hilltop the number on screen can be legal while the drone is not.

Visual line of sight is required at all times; FPV goggles only with an observer beside you. Beyond visual line of sight is the Specific category.

Night flying is permitted in the Open category provided a green flashing light is on (UAS.OPEN.060(2)(g)). The Mavic 4 Pro's front LEDs blink green once the motors start, and the manual describes them as identifying the aircraft as a UAV. One trap: the manual says the front LEDs switch off while recording if set to Auto in DJI Fly. For a night flight, set them to on. France overrides this; see below.

The EU minimum pilot age is 16; Spain, France and Switzerland have lowered it for their own territory.

Insurance

EU-level mandatory insurance under Regulation (EC) 785/2004 starts at 20 kg. EASA's FAQ notes that most member states mandate it nationally for lighter drones: for this aircraft that is Germany, Italy and Switzerland outright, and Spain in A2.

Country by country

Germany

Register with the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt at lba.de (German only): €20 private, €50 company. You get an e-ID for the drone and DJI Fly. Liability insurance is compulsory (LuftVG § 43) and you need the policy number to register. The A1/A3 exam is online via the LBA; the A2 exam only at LBA-designated test centres. LuftVO § 21h adds 100 m buffers from federal motorways (Bundesfernstraßen), federal waterways, railways, industrial plants, prisons, power infrastructure, government sites, hospitals and accident scenes unless consent or a listed exception applies, and bars overflight of residential property without the owner's consent. Map: the dipul Map Tool at maptool-dipul.dfs.de; English rules at dipul.de.

Netherlands

Register with the RDW at rdw.nl for an exploitantnummer: €23, valid one year, €13 to renew. The number looks like NLD87astrdge12kc - xyz; put only the part before the dash on the drone and leave off the last three characters, which are secret. The A1/A3 vliegbewijs is an online exam at a designated school plus a €10 RDW application, valid 5 years; the A2 vaardigheidsbewijs comes from the RDW after the A2 test. No flying over roads with an 80 km/h or higher limit, railways, hospital heliports or high-voltage lines. Map: GoDrone; from 26 November 2026 parts of five airport control zones no longer need ATC contact.

France

Register as an operator on AlphaTango; the FRA number goes on the drone. Then the French extras for drones above 800 g, which the Mavic 4 Pro is: the aircraft itself must also be registered on AlphaTango, and it must emit the French signalement électronique. Whether the aircraft's EU Remote ID satisfies that is not stated for this model on the DGAC page, so we cannot confirm it; the fine for either omission is €750. Night flying is prohibited in the Open category even with lights, as is flying over public space in built-up areas. Minimum age 14. The A2 qualification is the BAPD. Insurance is not compulsory. Sources: ecologie.gouv.fr and service-public.fr.

Spain

Register with AESA at seguridadaerea.gob.es: free, valid 3 years. Insurance is compulsory for A2, minimum 220,000 SDR under 20 kg. Minimum age for a C2 in A2 or A3 is 14. AESA's own exams are Spanish-only, but any member state's certificate is accepted. Map: ENAIRE Drones. Fines start at €4,500.

Italy

Register on d-flight, a small annual subscription (about €7 for the base tier when we checked), which issues your operator ID as a QR code for each drone. Liability insurance is compulsory. The A1/A3 exam is online at ENAC (40 questions, €31); the A2 exam is online-proctored at a recognised entity. Only restrictions published on d-flight are enforceable. ENAC's requirements: enac.gov.it.

Switzerland

Not in the EU, but Switzerland has applied the EU drone rules since 2023, and the manual lists it among the EFTA states its C2 certification covers. Swiss residents register on dLIS via bazl.admin.ch: CHF 10, no expiry; EU residents keep their home registration. Liability insurance of at least CHF 1 million is compulsory over 250 g. Minimum age 12. EU certificates are accepted. Swiss guidance adds 30 m / 1:1 from any uninvolved person even in A3. Check map.geo.admin.ch and the DABS bulletin (skybriefing.com/dabs) before every flight. Flight rules: bazl.admin.ch.

Where this fits in your bag

All of this is written down in six languages across a dozen portals, and you need it in a field with no signal. The RotorCards Mavic 4 Pro guide now ships with an international A4 edition carrying the EU, UK, Australian and Canadian rules on a card, plus German, Dutch and French editions using each regulator's own terms, all in the one price.

Before the first European flight, run the pre-flight checklist, update FlySafe data, confirm Remote ID is active in DJI Fly, and have your registration number on the airframe and in the app. Then decide, before take-off, whether today is an A2 flight or an A3 flight. The label already decided everything else.