ENAC Skydiving Regulation Updates 2026: What's Changing

Are you wondering whether the ENAC skydiving regulation has changed in 2026 — and whether your activity, your jumps, your ratings, maybe the wingsuit course you're planning, is still compliant? That's exactly the right question to ask, especially if you have 200 or more jumps and you're used to moving between different disciplines. The honest answer is: some things may have changed, and in this article I'll explain where to look, what to monitor, and how to correctly interpret the Italian regulatory framework — which doesn't work like the American one and is often misunderstood even by experienced skydivers.

First things first: how the ENAC skydiving regulation works

Skydiving in Italy is governed by two main documents published by ENAC (Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile): the 'Parachuting Licenses' Regulation (currently in Edition 3, with subsequent revisions) and the Regulation on ordinary and special jump procedures. These documents are updated periodically — not necessarily every calendar year — through amendments or new editions. There is no annual '2026 package' announced with fanfare: changes come when ENAC deems them necessary, often after consultation with operators and AeCI (Aero Club d'Italia).

This means your first move, before reading any analysis — including this one — should be to open enac.gov.it and download the currently valid versions of the regulations. Don't rely on PDFs you saved to your desktop years ago. Don't rely on what someone told you at the drop zone. Go to the source.

The areas of the regulation that change most often: where to focus your attention

Based on the structure of the current regulation and the areas that have historically undergone revisions, here are the chapters an experienced skydiver needs to monitor most closely:

1. Recency requirements for an active license. The current regulation requires at least 15 jumps in the last 12 months — including at least 1 in the last 3 months — plus 10 minutes of freefall every 12 months to keep a license 'current.' If any of these thresholds are modified, even slightly, it can have a direct impact on those who jump less frequently or who have had an injury. Check that these thresholds haven't been changed.

2. CS ratings (Certificazioni di idoneità a Tecniche Speciali — Special Technique ratings). This is the most dynamic area. CS ratings cover disciplines such as wingsuit, freefly, canopy formation, and swoop/canopy piloting. Requirements in terms of jump numbers, type of training, and key figures (qualified instructor, first flight course) can be revised. If you're planning to obtain or renew a CS rating, check the updated requirements.

3. Requirements for instructor ratings (Instructor, IPS, Examiner). Anyone aiming for — or already holding — a teaching role must verify the jump count thresholds, freefall hours, and recent activity required to maintain or obtain the rating. These thresholds are significantly higher than those for a basic skydiving license and may be subject to revision.

4. Operational procedures for special jumps. Night jumps, large-formation jumps, jumps with special equipment (cameras, wingsuit): the regulation on ordinary and special jumps defines the procedures and minimum requirements. Updates here affect large-group organizers and load organizers.

5. ENAC school certification. If you're an instructor or a DZO (Dropzone Operator), changes to school certification requirements affect you directly.

A critical point: A/B/C/D licenses are not ENAC categories — and in 2026 that's still the case

With 200+ jumps you probably already know this, but it's worth repeating because the confusion persists even among experienced skydivers: the 'A, B, C, D licenses' discussed at Italian drop zones and on forums are not categories defined by the ENAC regulation. They are an experience convention derived from the FAI/USPA (United States Parachute Association) standard, used internationally to communicate a skydiver's level across different dropzones. In Italy, ENAC issues a single skydiving license, not divided into alphabetical levels. Additional qualifications are the CS ratings, Instructor, IPS (Istruttore di Paracadutismo Senior — Senior Parachuting Instructor), and Examiner.

This has an important practical consequence: when you hear 'with a C license you can fly wingsuit in Italy,' that statement is imprecise. What matters in Italy is the ENAC wingsuit CS rating, with its specific requirements for total jump numbers, recent jumps, and dedicated training with a qualified instructor. There is no 'ENAC C license' that automatically qualifies you for wingsuit. If you're planning advanced activities in 2026, always start from the CS ratings — not the letters.

What to do in practice: a checklist for the experienced skydiver in 2026

Let's take a concrete example. Marco is 38 years old, has 340 jumps, an active ENAC license, a freefly CS rating, and is considering starting the process for a wingsuit CS rating. Here's how he should go about it:

☑ Download from enac.gov.it the currently valid version of the Parachuting License Regulation and the Regulation on ordinary and special jumps.

☑ Verify that his recency is current: 15 jumps in the last 12 months, 1 in the last 3 months, 10 minutes of freefall in the last 12 months.

☑ Check the expiry date of his ENAC Class 2 medical certificate, issued by an ENAC-authorized certifying physician (not a family doctor, not a generic sports medicine examination).

☑ Read the specific requirements for the wingsuit CS rating in the updated regulation: total jump count required, recent jumps, type of training, and the role of the qualified instructor for the first flight course.

☑ Contact the relevant certified ENAC school to confirm that the CS pathway he intends to follow is compliant with the updated version of the regulation.

☑ If he has competitive ambitions or wants to participate in competitions, verify membership with an AeCI-affiliated aero club for the 2026 season.

☑ If he is an instructor or aspires to become one, check the updated requirements for Instructor/IPS/Examiner, including any changes to jump count and freefall hour thresholds.

The Class 2 medical certificate: no room for shortcuts

On this point I am unequivocal. The ENAC skydiving license requires a Class 2 ENAC medical certificate, issued by an ENAC-authorized certifying physician. A standard sports medicine examination is not sufficient. Your family doctor is not sufficient. A medical exam from two years ago that has since expired is not sufficient. If you're jumping with an active license and an expired medical certificate, you are jumping out of compliance — regardless of how many jumps are in your logbook.

If the 2026 regulation has modified the frequency or content of the Class 2 examination, that is one of the first updates to check. The list of ENAC-authorized certifying physicians is available on the ENAC website. Plan your appointment in advance: at certain times of year, schedules fill up quickly.

How to keep up with regulatory updates over time

The most reliable way to stay current is not to wait for someone at the drop zone to tell you 'they changed the regulation.' Here are the sources to monitor directly:

1. ENAC website (enac.gov.it) → Regulations section → Parachuting. Every new edition or amendment is published here.

2. ENAC circulars and communications: in addition to the regulations themselves, ENAC publishes operational circulars that can clarify or supplement the provisions of the main regulations.

3. AeCI — Aero Club d'Italia (aeci.it): for news relating to competitions, membership, and sporting activity, the AeCI National Parachuting Commission is the reference body.

4. Your certified ENAC reference school: certified schools are required to operate in compliance with the current regulation and are often the first channel through which regulatory updates are communicated to students and affiliated skydivers.

In summary

If you're a skydiver with 200+ jumps and you want to know what's changing in the ENAC regulation in 2026, here's the structured answer: the areas to monitor are recency, CS ratings, instructor requirements, and procedures for special jumps. A/B/C/D licenses are not ENAC categories and will never change in the Italian regulation — because they were never there to begin with. The ENAC Class 2 medical certificate has no acceptable substitutes. And the only source to consult is enac.gov.it, with the updated version of the regulation in hand. Everything else — forums, word of mouth, old PDFs — is noise.