EASA published a new edition of its Easy Access Rules for Unmanned Aircraft Systems in June 2026, and some A1/A3 exam candidates are asking the obvious question: does this mean what they studied is now out of date? The short answer is no — here's why, and what actually changed in this edition.
What Easy Access Rules is — and why it isn't a new law
Easy Access Rules (EAR) is not a binding regulation in its own right. It's an EASA-consolidated reference document that stitches together Regulation (EU) 2019/947 (the operational rules — categories, height limit, registration) and Regulation (EU) 2019/945 (product and class-marking requirements) alongside the related EASA Executive Director Decisions (ED Decisions), which carry the explanatory material: AMC (Acceptable Means of Compliance) and GM (Guidance Material). EASA itself describes these compilations as being "regularly updated following the adoption of official publications" — that's maintenance of a reference set, not the issuing of new law. The June 2026 edition is exactly this kind of routine republication.
What actually changed in this edition
Comparing the source list in the June 2026 edition against the prior (July 2024) version, the text of the regulations themselves — Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and Regulation (EU) 2019/945, including their most recent amendments (Regulation (EU) 2024/1108 and 2024/1110) — hasn't moved. That text was already part of the previous edition.
The new element is ED Decision 2025/018/R, adopted by EASA on September 29, 2025. EASA describes it as a "regular update of the AMC and GM to Regulation (EU) 2019/947" — Issue 1, Amendment 4. In other words, this edition adds explanatory material on how organizations and competent authorities demonstrate compliance with open- and specific-category rules — not a change to the rules themselves.
| Item | Changed in this edition? |
|---|---|
Regulation (EU) 2019/947 (core operational rules) | No |
Regulation (EU) 2019/945 (product class-marking requirements) | No |
AMC and GM material (ED Decision 2025/018/R) | Yes — routine update |
Why an AMC/GM update isn't "new law" for a pilot
AMC and GM are explanatory, not binding — they show one way (not the only way) to meet requirements that already exist in the regulation, and they're addressed mainly to organizations and competent authorities operating in the specific category, not to the everyday knowledge base of an open-category hobbyist or early-commercial pilot. The A1/A3 exam tests the content of Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945 — height limits, category boundaries, registration, and class-marking requirements — not the wording of AMC/GM text. Nothing in the available sources indicates this edition touches the substance of any A1/A2/A3 or specific-category article.
What this means for material you've already studied
If you've been preparing with dronelingo lessons and practice sets, they're built on the binding text of Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945, not on a specific EAR edition number — and that text hasn't changed. For background on how the regulation's logic fits together, see our article on EU drone regulation 2019/947 in plain language, and for the open-category breakdown, see A1, A2, and A3 explained.
How to check a specific point yourself
Reading the full consolidated EAR document end to end isn't an efficient way to prepare — it's hundreds of pages of reference material, not a study course. If you want to confirm a specific point, keep the official EASA document as a reference; you'll also find it in our source library under Easy Access Rules. But the primary preparation path is still structured lessons and practice: start with the aviation regulation topic, reinforce it with practice, and check your readiness with the mock exam.
What matters right now
The June 2026 EAR edition is a routine consolidation update that adds one AMC/GM decision — it doesn't change the binding rules an A1/A3 pilot is tested on. You don't need to revisit what you've already learned about the height limit, category boundaries, or class-marking. If you're still working out how these rules fit together and how to prepare for the exam, start with our guide on how to get the A1/A3 drone licence in Latvia.
