An FCC amateur radio license lets you legally transmit on amateur (“ham”) radio frequencies in the United States for personal, non-commercial use. To get one, you register with the FCC, pass a multiple-choice exam administered by volunteer examiners, and pay a $35 application fee. The license is good for 10 years and is open to almost anyone, with no age, citizenship, or education requirement.
Who Can Get a License
Under 47 CFR ยง 97.5, any person who passes the appropriate exam can apply. No minimum age. No citizenship requirement. No school prerequisite. Children earn their first license in elementary school, and people take it up for the first time in their seventies.1eCFR. 47 CFR 97.5 – Station License Required
One group is barred: representatives of foreign governments cannot hold an individual amateur license in the United States. The same prohibition applies to custodians of military recreation stations.1eCFR. 47 CFR 97.5 – Station License Required
The Three License Classes
The FCC issues three classes to new applicants: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. Each class builds on the previous one, and each has its own exam.2eCFR. 47 CFR 97.9 – Operator License Grant
Technician
This is where most people start. A Technician license grants full privileges on all amateur frequencies above 30 MHz, which covers the VHF and UHF bands used for local and regional communication through repeaters. Technicians also get limited access to portions of the 80-, 40-, 15-, and 10-meter HF bands, mostly restricted to Morse code and digital modes, with a 200-watt ceiling. Those HF slivers do allow some long-distance contacts.3eCFR. 47 CFR 97.301 – Authorized Frequency Bands
General
Upgrading to General opens up most of the HF spectrum, where worldwide communication happens. General class operators work voice, digital, and Morse code on bands that bounce signals off the ionosphere and across oceans. This is the class that turns amateur radio from a local hobby into a global one.
Amateur Extra
Extra is the top tier. It grants access to every amateur frequency and sub-band available in the United States, including narrow segments reserved only for Extra operators. The exam is significantly harder, covering advanced electronics, signal processing, and propagation theory.
Power
The general ceiling for all amateur operators is 1,500 watts peak envelope power, and the rules require you to use only the minimum power needed to make the contact. Technician HF privileges are capped at 200 watts, and some specific bands carry their own lower limits regardless of class.4eCFR. 47 CFR 97.313 – Transmitter Power Standards
What the Exams Cover
Every exam is multiple choice, four answer choices per question, drawn from a publicly available question pool that gets updated on a set cycle. You need roughly 74 percent to pass.
- Element 2 (Technician): 35 questions, 26 correct to pass.
- Element 3 (General): 35 questions, 26 correct to pass.
- Element 4 (Amateur Extra): 50 questions, 37 correct to pass.5eCFR. 47 CFR 97.503 – Element Standards
Technician content covers basic radio theory, FCC rules, operating practices, and electrical safety. General adds intermediate electronics, HF propagation, and more detailed regulation. Extra reaches into advanced circuit design, signal characteristics, and the math behind antenna performance. You can attempt all three elements in a single session. Pass Element 2 and the examiners will hand you Element 3 on the spot if you want it.
Step by Step: From Application to Call Sign
1. Get an FCC Registration Number
Before you sit for an exam, create an FCC Registration Number (FRN) through the Commission Registration System (CORES) on the FCC website. It’s a ten-digit identifier the agency uses for all your interactions with it. Registration requires a Social Security Number, which stays hidden from public view once the FRN is issued. Do this before exam day.6ARRL. FCC CORES Registration Instructions
2. Take the Exam
Exam sessions are run by teams of Volunteer Examiners working under a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC). Most sessions happen in person at libraries, community centers, and ham radio clubs. The ARRL VEC and other coordinators also offer remotely proctored video exams; you take them from home with a webcam, and they follow the same content and scoring rules.7ARRL. Licensing, Education and Training
At the session you fill out NCVEC Form 605 with your legal name, mailing address, email, phone, and FRN. Your name must match your government-issued photo ID exactly. The form asks about felony convictions; a “yes” answer doesn’t disqualify you, but it triggers a requirement to submit a written explanation within 14 calendar days after the application receives a file number, or the FCC dismisses the application.8ARRL. 605 Instructions
3. Pay the FCC Fee
Once you pass, the VEC transmits your results to the FCC. The FCC then emails you instructions to log into CORES and pay a $35 application fee. You have 10 calendar days from the date the file number is issued to pay. Miss that window and the FCC dismisses the application without notice, which means retesting.9ARRL. FCC Amateur Radio License Requirements and Application Process
The $35 fee applies to new applications, renewals, and vanity call sign requests. It does not apply to upgrades. If you already hold a Technician license and pass the General exam, that upgrade is processed at no charge. Address changes and other administrative updates are also free.10Federal Communications Commission. Personal Service and Amateur Application Fees
4. Receive Your Call Sign
After payment clears, the FCC assigns your call sign and grants operating authority. You can download a digital copy of the license from the Universal Licensing System right away. Start to finish, exam day to active license typically takes five to ten business days.
What It Costs
The FCC application fee is $35. On top of that, the VE team charges a session fee to cover their own costs. The ARRL VEC charges $15 in 2026 for one session, which covers an attempt at all three elements; candidates under 18 pay $5. Retaking a failed element during the same session costs extra. Other VECs set their own fees.11ARRL. ARRL VEC Exam Fees
Renewing and Keeping the License
A license is valid for 10 years from the grant date.12eCFR. 47 CFR 97.25 – License Term You can file a renewal through the Universal Licensing System starting 90 days before expiration. Renew on time and your operating authority continues without interruption while the FCC processes the paperwork. The $35 fee applies.13Federal Communications Commission. Common Amateur Filing Task: Renewing a License
Miss the expiration date and there’s a two-year grace period during which you can still file for renewal without retesting. The catch: you cannot transmit during that grace period. Operating privileges are suspended until the FCC actually grants the renewal. Let the two years run out and the license is gone; you start over with a new exam.14eCFR. 47 CFR 97.21 – Application for a Modified or Renewed License Grant
What You Can and Can’t Transmit
Every transmission has to be identified with your call sign. The rules require identification at the end of each communication and at least once every 10 minutes during an ongoing exchange. On voice you speak the call sign in English; on Morse or digital modes you send it in the appropriate emission type. Transmitting without identifying, or using someone else’s call sign, is a violation the FCC takes seriously.15eCFR. 47 CFR 97.119 – Station Identification
Amateur radio is for personal experimentation and public service, not commerce. The FCC prohibits using your license for any communication where you receive payment or advance a business interest. You cannot broadcast music, transmit encrypted messages meant to hide their meaning, use obscene language, or send false signals. One-way broadcasting is off-limits except in narrow circumstances such as emergency communications when no other option exists.16eCFR. 47 CFR 97.113 – Prohibited Transmissions
A few carve-outs exist. You can announce that your own radio equipment is for sale, so long as it isn’t often enough to look like a business. Teachers can operate a station as part of classroom instruction even though they’re paid to teach. Limited commercial-interest communication is allowed during emergency drills under specific time restrictions.16eCFR. 47 CFR 97.113 – Prohibited Transmissions
Penalties for Operating Without a License
Transmitting on amateur frequencies without a license, or willfully violating FCC rules while licensed, has real consequences. Under federal law, a first offense can bring a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both. A second conviction doubles the maximum jail time to two years. The FCC also has administrative authority to issue forfeitures and revoke licenses for violations that don’t rise to criminal prosecution. Enforcement actions against unlicensed operators and deliberate interferers happen regularly.17Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 47 USC 501 – General Penalty