How to Renew Your FCC Ham Radio License: $35 Fee and Steps

To renew your FCC ham radio license, log in to the Universal Licensing System (ULS) at any point in the 90 days before your license expires, review your information, submit the renewal application, and pay the $35 fee through the CORES payment system. The whole thing takes about ten minutes if your account information is current, and it keeps your call sign and operating privileges intact for another ten years.1Federal Communications Commission. Common Amateur Filing Task: Renewing A License

When You Can File

An amateur radio license runs for ten years.2eCFR. 47 CFR 97.25 – License Term Your renewal window opens 90 days before the expiration date printed on your license. File within that window and your operating authority stays continuous, even if the FCC hasn’t finished processing by the technical expiration date: you can keep transmitting while the renewal sits pending.1Federal Communications Commission. Common Amateur Filing Task: Renewing A License Miss the expiration date and that seamless coverage disappears, so a calendar reminder a couple of months out is worth setting. Your expiration date is visible in your ULS license record.

What to Have Ready Before You Log In

Gather these before starting so you’re not hunting for information mid-application:

  • Your FCC Registration Number (FRN), the 10-digit number assigned when you first registered in CORES. You need it to log in.
  • Your call sign, which locates your license record in ULS.
  • A valid email address on file with the FCC. Confirmation and correspondence go out electronically, so if your email has changed, update it during renewal.
  • A credit card or bank account for the $35 fee. CORES accepts both.3Federal Communications Commission. CORES Payment System

If it has been years since you last logged in, your password may no longer work. The FCC offers an online password reset tool; if that fails, start the recovery process early rather than late.4FCC Registration System. FRN Passwords A forgotten password should not turn into a missed deadline.

The Online Renewal, Step by Step

Online filing through ULS is the only way to renew. The FCC requires standard amateur filing tasks, renewals included, to be performed electronically.5Federal Communications Commission. Common Amateur Filing Tasks

  • Go to the ULS home page, select Online Filing, and log in with your FRN and password.
  • On your License at a Glance page, look under “Work on this License” for the Renew link. It only appears when you’re within the 90-day window or the two-year grace period.
  • On the Select Updates page, check the Licensee Information box if any of your current data needs editing.
  • Answer the applicant questions, including the felony disclosure question.
  • Review and correct your name, address, and contact details.
  • Check the summary page. Use Edit next to any section to fix a mistake.
  • Read the certification statement, type your first and last name in the signature boxes, and click Submit Application.

If your mailing address changed, the same flow handles it. Items 14 through 20 on FCC Form 605 cover street address, city, state, and zip code, and the ULS renewal wraps both changes into one submission when you select the licensee information option.6Federal Communications Commission. FCC 605 Main Form Information and Instructions

Paying the $35 Fee

After submission, ULS sends you to the CORES payment system. The fee is $35, in effect since April 2022.7Federal Communications Commission. Personal Service and Amateur Application Fees Complete payment within 10 calendar days of filing. If you don’t, the FCC may dismiss the application.8Federal Communications Commission. Common Filing Tasks Pay immediately while you’re still in the system rather than closing the browser and telling yourself you’ll come back to it.

The Felony Disclosure Question

The application asks whether you or any party to the application has ever been convicted of a felony by any state or federal court. If you answer yes, you must attach a written exhibit explaining the circumstances and why granting the renewal serves the public interest.9Federal Communications Commission. FCC 605 Main Form – Instructions A conviction does not automatically disqualify you, but a missing or incomplete exhibit can stall or sink the application.

If You Hold a Vanity Call Sign

To keep a vanity call sign, your renewal must be filed in accordance with the vanity call sign rules under 47 CFR ยง 97.19.10eCFR. 47 CFR 97.21 – Application for a Modified or Renewed License Grant ULS handles this correctly when you follow the normal renewal steps within the 90-day window. If your license has already expired into the grace period, renew first and then file a separate vanity call sign request.11Federal Communications Commission. Amateur Call Sign Systems

Getting Your License Copy After the Renewal Grants

ULS shows a confirmation screen after submission. Save or print it. You can track the application status by searching ULS with your call sign or FRN.

Once granted, the FCC does not routinely mail paper licenses. Your official authorization is the electronic record in ULS. For a printable copy, log into ULS License Manager and use the “Download Electronic Authorizations” feature: add your call sign, click download, and you’ll get an official copy with the FCC logo and watermark.12ARRL. Obtain License Copy If you want a paper license mailed to you, change your default setting in ULS License Manager to request one.13ARRL. FCC “Paperless” Amateur Radio License Policy Now in Effect

If Your License Has Already Expired

The FCC gives you a two-year grace period after expiration to file a renewal without retaking any exams. During that grace period you have zero operating privileges. You cannot transmit on any amateur frequency until the FCC processes and grants your renewal.10eCFR. 47 CFR 97.21 – Application for a Modified or Renewed License Grant Not even a quick check-in on the repeater. Transmitting with an expired license is unauthorized operation under federal law, grace period or not.

Miss the two-year grace period and the license is canceled from the FCC system. To get back on the air you must pass at least the current 35-question Technician exam at a Volunteer Examiner session, and the FCC will issue a new call sign. Your old call sign is gone unless you later apply for it through the vanity system.

If you previously held a higher-class license and it expired beyond the grace period, the FCC grants partial exam element credit based on what you held before:14eCFR. 47 CFR Part 97 Subpart F – Qualifying Examination Systems

  • Amateur Extra holders get credit for Elements 3 and 4, so passing the Technician exam (Element 2) restores full Extra privileges.
  • Advanced and General holders get credit for Element 3, so passing Technician restores General-class privileges.
  • Technician holders granted on or after March 21, 1987 get no element credit and retake the Technician exam from scratch.

Penalties for Transmitting Without a Valid License

Operating on amateur frequencies without a current license, whether it expired last week or last year, is unauthorized radio operation under federal law. The FCC can impose forfeiture penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, with continuing violations capped at $75,000.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 47 USC 503 – Forfeitures Enforcement can also include equipment seizure.16Federal Communications Commission. Unauthorized Radio Operation The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau monitors amateur bands, and other operators often report expired-license activity. Renewing on time avoids all of it.