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Check licensing and legal limits in your country

Radio rules are national. Using the wrong radio or band can be illegal and can block emergency services. Find out what is licence-free and what needs an exam before you buy. Listening can be restricted too (see the FAQ).

How

  1. Find your national radio regulator (examples: FCC in the US, Ofcom in the UK, ACMA in Australia).
  2. Check which short-range services are licence-free. Examples: US FRS needs no individual licence; US GMRS needs an FCC licence; UK and European PMR446 is licence-exempt only with compliant equipment; Australian UHF CB runs under a class licence.
  3. Do not import radios approved for another country. Ofcom states that American FRS radios cannot be used licence-exempt in the UK.
  4. Check the amateur licence route. Examples: US entry Technician licence is a 35-question exam with no Morse; the UK has Foundation, Intermediate and Full levels with exams run by the RSGB. UK licences are lifetime licences with no end date, but Ofcom requires holders to validate their licence details at least once every five years or risk revocation.
  5. Note privacy limits: US amateur rules ban messages encoded to hide their meaning. UK example: Ofcom's licence conditions bar amateur transmissions encrypted to obscure their meaning, except satellite control signals and when helping in disasters, emergencies or user service operations. Check your own country before planning any private codes.
  6. Note emergency exceptions: US rules allow amateur stations to use any means available to protect life when normal systems are down. UK example: the licence lets amateurs assist communications in disasters and emergencies and support user services such as the British Red Cross. Do not assume the same exception exists in your country.
  7. Fill in a country table like the one below. Each row lists the licence-free service, the amateur route and limits, with the source.
  8. US: FRS licence-free; GMRS needs an FCC licence; amateur classes Technician, General and Extra by FCC exam (FCC).
  9. UK: PMR446 and 27 MHz CB licence-exempt with compliant radios; amateur Foundation 25 W, Intermediate 100 W and Full 1,000 W PEP (Ofcom).
  10. EU: PMR446 up to 0.5 W ERP; LoRa at 868 MHz up to +27 dBm ERP with a 10 percent duty cycle on one sub-band (Meshtastic; national law decides).
  11. Australia: UHF CB under a class licence, 5 W maximum (ACMA).
  12. India: amateur licences are issued by the WPC wing of the Department of Telecommunications after the ASOC exam, in General and Restricted grades (ARSI). Satellite phones need prior approval (comms-15).
  13. Japan: amateur operation needs a pass in a national exam or a formal JARD training course, and there are four licence classes (JARL).
  14. Your country: regulator ____; licence-free service ____; amateur route ____; source ____.

Do these first

Sources

  1. Family Radio Service (FRS). US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accessed 2026-11
  2. General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accessed 2026-11
  3. IR 2009: Analogue and Digital PMR446 information sheet. Ofcom (UK), accessed 2026-11
  4. Citizen band radio stations class licence. Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), accessed 2026-11
  5. Amateur Radio Service: Operator Class. US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accessed 2026-11
  6. Guidance: how to become a radio amateur. Ofcom (UK), accessed 2026-11
  7. 47 CFR 97.113: Prohibited transmissions. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, accessed 2026-11
  8. 47 CFR Part 97, Subpart E (including 97.403 Safety of life and protection of property), current eCFR. US Government Publishing Office / Office of the Federal Register (eCFR), accessed 2026-11
  9. Amateur Radio Wireless Telegraphy Licence Conditions Booklet (OFW611, February 2024). Ofcom (UK), accessed 2026-11
  10. Amateur radio licensing: statement on reform proposals (lifetime licences and revalidation). Ofcom (UK), accessed 2026-11
  11. Updating the amateur radio licensing framework: overview of key changes. Ofcom (UK), accessed 2026-11
  12. Radio settings (regions, power and duty cycle). Meshtastic project, accessed 2026-11
  13. Frequently asked questions about amateur radio for Indians (ASOC exam and licence grades). Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI), accessed 2026-11
  14. Amateur Radio License (Japan). Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL), accessed 2026-11
  15. Satellite phones in India: not banned, but tightly regulated (20 April 2026). Business Today (India), accessed 2026-11

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