Universal Licensing System
| Universal Licensing System | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | ULS |
| Run by | Federal Communications Commission (FCC) |
| Covers | The amateur service and many other wireless radio services |
| Identifier needed | FCC Registration Number (FRN), obtained from CORES |
| For amateurs | |
| Online filing | Renewals, vanity call sign requests, address and name changes |
| Public search | Licenses by call sign, name or FRN |
| License documents | Electronic only; official copy downloaded as a PDF |
| Email address | Required on all amateur applications |
The Universal Licensing System (ULS) is the FCC's online database and filing system for wireless radio licenses, including every US amateur radio license. When a new ham passes an exam, the license is granted in the ULS; when a ham renews, changes address or requests a vanity call sign, the filing goes through the ULS. Its public license search is also the authoritative place to look up any US call sign. The ULS record, not a piece of paper, is the license.
The FRN and CORES
Before anyone can apply for a license, they need an FCC Registration Number (FRN), a 10-digit number that identifies them in all dealings with the FCC. The FRN comes from a separate system called CORES (Commission Registration System). Registering is free and done online. Individuals are asked for a taxpayer identification number, normally a Social Security number, which the FCC keeps confidential; the FRN itself is what appears in public records.
CORES accounts are tied to a username and an email address. Since March 2024, logging in to CORES to pay fees or manage an FRN requires a six-digit verification code sent to that email address, so the account's email must be one the licensee can actually receive. Volunteer examiners require candidates to bring an FRN to an exam session, which is why most new hams meet CORES before they meet the ULS.
CORES and the ULS keep separate records. A change of mailing address or email made in one is not automatically copied to the other, so both should be updated. Under §1.8002(b)(2) of the FCC's rules, as amended effective February 5, 2026, every FRN holder must update the contact information in CORES within 10 business days of any change, separately from any update to the license record.
Filing online
Licensees log in to the ULS License Manager with their FRN and password. From there they can:
- renew a license (see License renewal);
- apply for a vanity call sign;
- update a mailing address, email address or name;
- download official copies of their licenses;
- check the status of a pending application.
New licenses and upgrades are not filed by the applicant. After an exam, the volunteer examiner team's coordinator files the application electronically on the candidate's behalf. For a new license, the FCC then emails the applicant instructions for paying the application fee, and the license is granted once the fee is paid. As of 2026 the fee for a new license, a renewal or a vanity request is $35; administrative updates, such as an address change, are free. The FCC revises its fee schedule from time to time, so check the current amount before filing.
Club station licenses work differently: new club licenses and changes of trustee are handled through a Club Station Call Sign Administrator rather than directly in the ULS. See Club stations.
License search
Anyone can search the ULS without logging in. Searching by call sign shows the licensee's name, mailing address, license class, grant and expiration dates, and the license's status, such as active, expired or canceled. The record also lists the history of filings on that license. Hams use the search to confirm a contact's call sign, check whether a call they want is available, or look up a club's trustee.
The mailing address on a license is public. Licensees who prefer not to show a home address may use any address where they can receive mail from the FCC, such as a post office box. Email addresses are collected but are not shown in the public search. Many third-party call sign lookup websites draw their data from the ULS, but they may lag behind it; the ULS itself is the official record.
The official license and email
The FCC stopped routinely printing and mailing paper amateur licenses in 2015, and at the end of 2020 it announced that it would no longer print or mail them at all. A licensee can download an official copy as a PDF from the "Download Electronic Authorizations" page in License Manager. A printout from the public license search is only an unofficial reference copy.
A new licensee may transmit as soon as the license appears in the ULS. There is no need to wait for a document.
Since June 2021 the FCC has required an email address on all amateur applications, and it may dismiss an application filed without one. The FCC uses that address to send official copies, grant notices and payment instructions. A candidate without an email address of their own may use one belonging to a family member or friend who will pass messages along.