License renewal
| License renewal | |
|---|---|
| License term | 10 years |
| Earliest renewal | 90 days before the expiration date |
| FCC fee | $35 as of 2026; check the FCC's current fee schedule |
| Where to file | Online in the Universal Licensing System (ULS), or through a VEC |
| After expiration | |
| Grace period | 2 years, during which the license may still be renewed |
| Transmitting in grace period | Not permitted |
| After the grace period | License canceled; exams must be retaken |
| Element credit | Expired General or Advanced: Element 3; expired Extra: Elements 3 and 4 |
License renewal is the process of extending a US amateur radio license for another term. Every amateur license, whether Technician, General, Amateur Extra or one of the older classes still held by some hams, is granted for 10 years and must be renewed before it runs out. Renewal requires no exam. It is a short online filing in the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS) with an application fee, and the licensee keeps the same call sign and privileges.
When to renew
The expiration date is shown on the license and in the ULS license search. A renewal may be filed no earlier than 90 days before that date; the ULS will not accept one sooner. Filing early in the 90-day window leaves time to sort out a forgotten password or an outdated email address without letting the license lapse.
Upgrading to a higher class is not the same as renewing. An upgrade changes the license class, but it is a separate filing made by the volunteer examiners after an exam, and it does not replace the need to renew when the term ends. A licensee whose class is no longer issued, such as Advanced or Novice, can keep renewing that license indefinitely.
How to renew
Most hams renew themselves online:
- Log in to the ULS License Manager with the FCC Registration Number (FRN) and password.
- Choose the license to renew and select the renewal option.
- Check the name, mailing address and email address on file, and answer the required qualification question.
- Pay the FCC application fee through the FCC's payment system.
The fee is $35 as of 2026, the same as for a new license or a vanity call sign request. It has been charged since 2022, and the FCC reviews its fees periodically, so check the current figure before filing. Online renewals are usually granted quickly, and the new expiration date appears in the ULS. The FCC no longer mails paper licenses; an official copy can be downloaded from License Manager.
Some volunteer examiner coordinators (VECs), including the ARRL VEC, will file a renewal on a licensee's behalf from a paper form, which helps hams who are not comfortable online. A VEC may charge a processing fee of its own on top of the FCC fee.
Vanity call signs renew in exactly the same way and stay with the licensee. Club station licenses are renewed by the trustee through a Club Station Call Sign Administrator.
The grace period
A license that is not renewed by its expiration date expires, but it is not canceled at once. For two years afterward, the former licensee may still renew it in the ULS, with the same call sign, as if nothing had happened.
During those two years, however, the license is not valid for operating. A ham in the grace period may not transmit until the renewal has been granted and appears in the ULS. The call sign is protected during the grace period: it is not given to anyone else, including vanity applicants, until the two years have passed.
After the grace period
Once the grace period ends, the license is canceled and cannot be renewed or reinstated. To get back on the air, a former licensee must pass an exam again, but under rules adopted in 2014 (§97.505) the FCC gives partial credit for the old license.
| Expired license | Exam credit | Exams still needed |
|---|---|---|
| Amateur Extra | Elements 3 (General) and 4 (Extra) | Element 2 (Technician) |
| Advanced or General | Element 3 (General) | Element 2 (Technician) |
| Technician granted before March 21, 1987 | Element 3 (General) | Element 2 (Technician) |
| Novice, Technician Plus, or Technician granted on or after March 21, 1987 | None | All elements for the class wanted |
The candidate must bring proof of the expired license to the exam session, such as an old license document or a printout of the ULS record. After passing the current Technician exam, a former Extra licensee qualifies for a new Amateur Extra license, and a former General or Advanced licensee for a General. The new license is granted like any other, and the candidate may not transmit until it appears in the ULS. The FCC issues a new sequential call sign. The old call may be requested as a vanity call if it is still available, but by then anyone else eligible may already have claimed it.