As of 31 December 2020 the rules changed regarding operating a drone in Germany. Germany has adopted the new EU drone regulations and that means a few things for pilots (Both EU Residents and visitors)
In this article I only cover what to do as a pilot operating a consumer drone with a camera (eg DJI Mavic drones) weighing under 4kg (category 0/1/2). I'm not a legal expert just someone who uses a drone myself and I'm sharing my current understanding.
If you live in Germany you now have to register as a drone pilot with the German Aviation Authority (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, LBA) to fly a drone, even if it is under 250g in weight if it has a camera. In order to register, you need to have liability insurance for the drone. If you live elsewhere in the EU you need to register in your home country. If you are visiting the EU, you need to register in the first country you visit on your trip.
What you need to do (German Resident):
1) Get liability insurance for your drone. (I used helden.de, the process is completely online and completed in minutes)
2) Register as a pilot on the LBA website. Here is the link https://uas-registration.lba-openuav.de/#/registration/uasOperator
3) Receive your drone operator registration number (E-ID) and place that number on a sticker on your drone/s as well as entered into your drone/s remote ID unit if it has one.
4) Prepare for an pass an online exam (you have until January 2023 but why wait?). In order to fly in category A1 and A3, an online certification is required. A multiple choice test online has to be passed to obtain this. For A2 flying, practical training as well as a theory exam is required.
Here is a breakdown of the categories as of now until January 2023 (https://www.easa.europa.eu/ )
If you are a visitor from outside the EU with Germany being your first stop you will need to register as a pilot on the LBA website and once approved will be allowed to fly in Germany and throughout Europe with the same restrictions as above.
Once all of that is done, enjoy the skies! Just remember to stay within the rules so that all of us drone pilots can enjoy the skies safely!
Cheers.
Simon
Please note this is just my understanding of the rules for a complete look at the legislation please look at these sources: