Get your GMRS license

Do I need a license?

GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) requires an FCC license. If your radio is sold as a GMRS radio, runs higher power, or you want to use repeaters, you need one. Plain FRS radios (the low-power blister-pack kind) don't need a license, but they can't use repeaters or the higher power that makes GMRS worth having.

Who can get one

• Any individual who is 18 or older. The FCC no longer issues new GMRS licenses to businesses or organizations.
• No exam and no test. You apply online and pay the fee.
• One license covers you and your immediate family (spouse, children, parents and similar close relatives), so your household can share the same callsign on their own radios.
• The license lasts 10 years.

How to apply, step by step

1. Create an FCC CORES account and get an FRN. Go to the FCC CORES registration page, register with your email, confirm the email the FCC sends you, then register a new FRN as an individual. Your FRN is your FCC Registration Number. Write it down and keep your password safe.
2. File the application in the FCC's licensing system (ULS). Sign in with your FRN, start a new license application and choose the GMRS service. The FCC explains this in its guide to applying for a new license. Your name and address must match what you used for your FRN.
3. Pay the application fee. Fees are paid through the FCC's CORES payment system. See the FCC fee page for the current amount. At the time this guide was written it was listed at $35 for a new GMRS license.
4. Wait for your license. It's usually emailed to you within a few days. Check your spam folder if it doesn't show up. Your callsign (for example, a letter-and-number code like WXXX123) is on it.

Watch out for these

• Only use fcc.gov. Some websites charge extra to "help" you get a GMRS license. You never need them. Everything above is done directly with the FCC.
• Use your real legal name, exactly as you entered it for your FRN. A P.O. Box is allowed for your mailing address.
• Don't transmit on GMRS until your license is granted.
• The FCC can change fees and steps. If something here looks different on the FCC site, follow the FCC.

Once you're licensed

• Identify with your callsign at the end of your transmissions and at least every 15 minutes during a conversation.
• Join us. Create your account here using your callsign, then add your repeaters, set your weather location and say hello in the news feed.
• Renewing: your license lasts 10 years and you can renew through the FCC's licensing system starting about 90 days before it expires. If it expires, you can't transmit until it's renewed, though the FCC allows a short window after expiration to renew. This site can remind you: check My account for the license reminder setting.