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Amateur radio licensing around the world

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Amateur radio licensing around the world
International basisITU Radio Regulations, Article 25
Who issues licensesEach country's own regulator
Competence guidanceRecommendation ITU-R M.1544
Morse code testLeft to each country since WRC-03 (2003)
Common standards
European exam standardHAREC, CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02
European entry levelCEPT Novice, ECC Recommendation (05)06
Short visitsCEPT T/R 61-01, IARP and bilateral agreements
Call sign prefixesSeries allocated to each country by the ITU

Amateur radio licensing around the world rests on a shared international framework, but every country licenses its own amateurs. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency that coordinates radio spectrum, sets the ground rules in a treaty called the Radio Regulations. Each national regulator, called an administration in ITU language, builds its own license levels, exams, power limits and call signs on that base. For US license classes and exams, see Getting licensed.

The international framework

Article 25 of the Radio Regulations covers the amateur and amateur-satellite services and leaves most decisions to national administrations.[1] Each administration must verify the operating and technical qualifications of anyone who wants to run an amateur station, and Recommendation ITU-R M.1544 offers guidance on the minimum standard of competence.[1] Each administration also fixes the maximum power its amateurs may use and decides whether a ham licensed elsewhere may operate during a temporary stay.[1]

A few rules apply everywhere. Amateur stations must send their call signs at short intervals.[1] Contacts between countries are limited to matters connected with the hobby and remarks of a personal nature, and must not be encoded to hide their meaning.[1] Messages for third parties may cross borders only in emergencies or disaster relief, though each administration may decide how that applies to its own stations;[1] see Third-party traffic. The treaty also divides the world into three regions with different frequency allocations, described in IARU regions.

Morse code. Until 2003 the Radio Regulations required anyone seeking an amateur license to prove Morse ability, although administrations could waive the test for stations using only frequencies above 30 MHz.[2] The 2003 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-03) left the decision to each country.[2] Most have since dropped it, the United States in 2007, though a few, such as Canada, keep an optional Morse code qualification.[3]

License levels

Most countries use a ladder of two to four levels. An entry level, with a short exam on safe, legal operating, gives low power and limited bands. An intermediate level adds power and bands. A full license gives the widest privileges. Australia since 19 February 2024 has used a class license, under which a qualified operator needs no individual license or fee.[4]

Country Regulator Levels, entry to highest Notes
United States FCC Technician, General, Amateur Extra Exams given by volunteer examiners
Canada ISED Basic, Basic with Honours, Advanced Optional 5 wpm Morse qualification[3]
United Kingdom Ofcom Foundation, Intermediate, Full Exams set by the RSGB[5]
Germany Bundesnetzagentur Class N, Class E, Class A Class N, since June 2024, covers only 10 m, 2 m and 70 cm[6]
Japan Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Fourth, Third, Second and First Class Exam or an approved training course[7]
Australia ACMA Foundation, Standard, Advanced Class license since February 2024[4]
India Department of Telecommunications Restricted and General grades Minimum age 12[8]

Power limits show how the levels differ. In Japan a Second Class operator may use up to 200 watts and a Third Class operator 50 watts, while a Fourth Class operator may not use Morse code and is held to 10 watts on the HF bands open to that class.[9]

Common standards in Europe

Three recommendations of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) shape licensing well beyond Europe.

  • T/R 61-02, first issued in 1990,[10] defines the Harmonized Amateur Radio Examination Certificate (HAREC), a common exam syllabus covering technical subjects, operating practice and regulations.[11] Full licenses such as the UK Full and German Class A meet the standard.[11] A HAREC holder who settles in another participating country for more than three months can generally obtain a local license there without sitting a new exam.[11] Several countries outside CEPT also take part, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.[10]
  • ECC Recommendation (05)06, adopted in 2005, defines a CEPT Novice license for entry-level licensees.[12] German Class E is an example.[6]
  • T/R 61-01 lets licensees make short visits to participating countries without a separate permit. See Operating abroad.

Call signs

The ITU allocates blocks of call sign prefixes to each country, listed in Appendix 42 of the Radio Regulations.[13] An amateur call sign normally has a prefix of one or two characters from the country's block, a single digit, and a suffix of up to four characters ending in a letter.[14] US calls begin with K, N, W or AA to AL; Canada uses VA, VE, VO and VY; the UK uses G, M and 2; Germany DA to DR; Japan JA to JS and 7J to 7N; Australia VK; and India VU.[13]

Countries decide what the rest of the call sign means. In Canada the prefix and digit together show the province or territory,[15] in the UK the prefix shows the license level,[5] and in India VU2 calls have traditionally gone to General-grade holders and VU3 calls to Restricted-grade holders.[16] See Call signs.

Before moving abroad, check whether your license meets the HAREC standard; US and Canadian licenses do not, though some countries have their own arrangements. A HAREC holder can usually get a local license in a participating country without a new exam.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 A review of ITU Radio Regulations pertaining to amateur radio, USTTI and ITU, quoting Radio Regulations Article 25.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Report and Order, WT Docket No. 05-235, FCC, December 2006 (ARRL reflector copy).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 RIC-3: Information on the Amateur Radio Service, Issue 5, ISED, March 2022.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Amateur class licence, ACMA.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Amateur Radio Guidance, Ofcom, October 2025.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Amateurfunk, Bundesnetzagentur (in German).
  7. ↑ Amateur Radio License in Japan, JARL.
  8. ↑ Amateur Station Operator Certificate (ASOC), Department of Telecommunications, India.
  9. ↑ List of the radio operator qualification, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 T/R 61-02, CEPT ECC.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Recommendation T/R 61-02: Harmonised Amateur Radio Examination Certificate, CEPT.
  12. ↑ ECC/REC/(05)06 on CEPT Novice Radio Amateur Licence, CEPT ECC.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Table of Call Signs, ITU.
  14. ↑ Operating Rules and Procedures, IRTS course guide.
  15. ↑ RBR-4: Standards for the Operation of Radio Stations in the Amateur Radio Service, Issue 3, ISED, July 2022.
  16. ↑ India, Sweden Introduce New Callsign Suffixes, Prefixes, Amateur Radio Newsline, July 2025.
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