EASA Easy Access Rules UAS revision: what changed
Learn what the EASA Easy Access Rules UAS revisions added from 2021 to 2026, and how to check the right text for compliance.
Easy Access Rules put the working text in one place
EASA’s Easy Access Rules for Unmanned Aircraft Systems bring the main UAS rules and support text into one publication. The aim is to make the material easier to read and search than a set of separate documents.
The publication covers Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947. It places the related Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM) alongside that regulation.
It also covers Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, which deals with UAS and third-country UAS operators. Operators still need to know whether they are reading a rule, an AMC, or GM. Consolidation makes those parts easier to find, but it does not make them interchangeable.
EASA offers the publication in several formats:
- A dynamic online version
- A PDF for download
- Machine-readable XML
- Search and filter tools in the online publication
The online format is useful when checking a term or tracing related text. A PDF can be more practical for saved records, offline access, or a review with an operations team.
EASA generates the publication through its eRules platform. The agency says it will update the document regularly as the content changes.
That point matters for farm operators. A saved copy can show what was reviewed at a given stage, but it may no longer be the current text. When planning work such as agricultural drone spraying or precision agriculture mapping, check the live publication as well as local records.
Each revision changed a different part of the compliance picture
The revisions from January 2021 to June 2026 do not all cover the same issue. The table below shows the main change in each supplied EASA notice.
| Revision | Material incorporated | Main point for operators |
|---|---|---|
| January 2021 | ED Decision 2020/022/R | Populated areas, assemblies of people, registration-system links and PDRAs |
| April 2024 | Amendment 13 of Issue 1, introduced by ED Decision 2023/012/R | AMC and GM for operations in the ‘open’ and ‘specific’ categories |
| July 2024 | Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1108 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1110 | Initial and continuing airworthiness for UAS operated in the ‘specific’ category |
| June 2026 | ED Decision 2025/018/R | The SORA 2.5 package developed by JARUS |
The table is a route into the material, not a substitute for it. An operator should start with the revision tied to the issue under review, then read the relevant consolidated text.
For example, an authorisation file based on a predefined risk assessment points towards the January 2021 changes. A SORA-based file points towards the June 2026 revision. An airworthiness question for a ‘specific’ category operation points towards the July 2024 material.
The April 2024 revision has a wider category focus. It updates AMC and GM intended to support a high level of safety in both the ‘open’ and ‘specific’ categories. EASA also linked the amendment to better harmonisation in how Regulation (EU) 2019/947 is put into effect.
The January 2021 revision sharpened authorisation and PDRA routes
The January 2021 revision is most relevant where an operator needs to examine a ‘specific’ category authorisation route. It updated the Easy Access Rules through ED Decision 2020/022/R.
That decision amended the AMC and GM to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and to Part-UAS. It clarified conditions for authorising UAS operations over populated areas and assemblies of people in the ‘specific’ category.
Those points need close review if a planned farm task could affect people beyond the immediate work site. The supplied material does not set out those conditions in full, so operators should read the relevant EAR text rather than rely on a summary.
The same revision introduced new predefined risk assessments and improved the existing PDRA. A PDRA can therefore be a key search term when checking an older authorisation file or preparing supporting material.
The revision also addressed national registration systems. It sought interoperability between EASA Member States’ systems for UAS operators and for certified UAS that require registration.
For a working operator, the practical lesson is document control. Check which PDRA text a file uses, which revision supported it, and whether the current consolidated text has changed. Registration details should also match the records used for the operation.
This review belongs beside the aircraft and task review described in how to choose an agricultural drone. The equipment choice and the approval path should be checked together.
The April 2024 revision updated guidance across both categories
The April 2024 revision brought Amendment 13 of Issue 1 into the Easy Access Rules. ED Decision 2023/012/R introduced that amendment and was published on 20 October 2023.
The amendment changed the AMC and GM to Regulation (EU) 2019/947, also described as AMC and GM to Part-UAS. EASA said the aim was to maintain a high level of safety for UAS work in the ‘open’ and ‘specific’ categories.
It also aimed to improve harmonisation in how the regulation is put into effect and support a level playing field. For operators, that makes the April 2024 text a broad review point rather than a niche update.
Start by confirming which category applies to the planned operation. Then compare the procedures, forms and working documents against the AMC and GM in the consolidated publication.
Do not treat the word “agricultural” as the answer to that category check. Review the operation itself and the route used to support it. A mapping flight and a spreading task may have different plans, even when both take place on the same holding.
Internal work guides should point staff towards the live EAR material rather than repeat large blocks of text. Repeated text can fall out of date when EASA updates eRules.
The April 2024 revision is also a prompt to check training notes and standard operating documents. The question is simple: do they still reflect the AMC and GM now shown with Regulation (EU) 2019/947?
The July 2024 revision makes airworthiness a separate review
The July 2024 revision added rules dealing with initial and continuing airworthiness for UAS operated in the ‘specific’ category. It incorporated Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1108 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1110.
This update deserves its own check. A review of operational risk does not remove the need to examine the airworthiness provisions that apply to the aircraft and operation.
Initial airworthiness and continuing airworthiness also point to different stages of work. Operators should identify the relevant provisions, then check the records and procedures tied to each stage. The supplied EASA notice does not list those records, so the detailed EAR text is the place to confirm them.
The July 2024 publication was available as a PDF, a dynamic online publication and XML. EASA said the online version included filters and search tools for use on computers, tablets and mobiles.
That makes a focused review easier. Search for the cited regulations, follow the linked text, and record which section supports each part of the operator’s process.
For an agricultural business, the review should sit alongside maintenance and operating records rather than in a general policy folder. It is especially relevant when checking a ‘specific’ category pathway before a seasonal job starts.
If the work involves spreading, the operational plan can also be read beside the practical process set out in spreading fertiliser with agricultural drones. The trade task and the airworthiness review are separate, but both shape whether the job is ready to proceed.
The June 2026 revision moves SORA users to the latest package
The June 2026 revision is the key update for operators using a SORA-based route. It incorporates AMC and GM stemming from ED Decision 2025/018/R.
That decision was published on 29 September 2025. The revision introduces SORA 2.5, described by EASA as the latest Specific Operations Risk Assessment package. JARUS developed the package.
The main action is to review any SORA-based authorisation work against the inserted material. That includes current drafts as well as internal templates carried over from earlier work.
Do not update only the name on a form. Trace the parts of the risk assessment that rely on AMC, GM or a SORA step, then compare them with the June 2026 publication. Record where the supporting text came from.
PDRA and SORA should not be treated as loose labels for the same file. The January 2021 revision dealt with new and improved PDRAs. The June 2026 revision introduced the SORA 2.5 package. Begin with the route used for the planned operation, then review the matching text.
EASA provides the June 2026 revision in PDF, XML and online formats. The PDF gives an operator a file that can be kept with a review record.
Because eRules is updated regularly, teams should note the revision used when they prepare or amend a risk assessment. That gives later reviewers a clear basis for the document.
Operators should now review category, route and records in that order
The quickest useful response is a focused file review. Start with the planned operation, identify its category and approval route, then check the matching EAR revision.
Use this checklist:
- Confirm the category. Check whether the work follows the ‘open’ or ‘specific’ category material reflected in the April 2024 revision.
- Identify the risk route. For a PDRA, review the January 2021 changes. For a SORA-based route, read the June 2026 SORA 2.5 material.
- Check people on and near the site. Where populated areas or assemblies of people may be relevant, examine the January 2021 clarification.
- Review airworthiness. For UAS operated in the ‘specific’ category, check the July 2024 initial and continuing airworthiness update.
- Verify registration records. Compare operator and aircraft registration details with the records used for the job.
- Control document versions. Note which EAR revision supports each procedure, assessment and authorisation file.
- Check the live publication. Do not assume that a saved PDF remains the current consolidated text.
Keep this review tied to the job rather than treating it as a yearly paperwork task. A change in category, risk route or operating setting can point to a different part of the EAR.
The revisions form a clear sequence. January 2021 strengthened PDRAs, authorisation guidance and registration links. April 2024 refreshed AMC and GM across both main categories. July 2024 added airworthiness provisions for the ‘specific’ category. June 2026 inserted SORA 2.5.
For agricultural operators, the next step is not to read every page at random. Find the rule path used by the operation, then test the working file against the current consolidated text.