Your amateur radio license is your key to the airwaves, but that key has an expiration date. An amateur service license is normally granted for a 10-year term. Knowing exactly when to act, and what happens if you miss the deadline, prevents unnecessary downtime and confusion.
This guide covers the renewal process, the 90-day window for filing, and the two-year grace period that follows expiration, including what you can and cannot do with your station during each phase.
When can you start the process?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lets you begin the renewal before your current license expires. You may file your application in the Universal Licensing System (ULS) up to 90 days before your expiration date.
Filing early puts your application in early and reduces the risk of forgetting as the deadline approaches.
What you need to renew a ham license online
To complete a ham radio license renewal, you need two things: an FCC Registration Number (FRN) and access to the ULS.
The FRN is your identifier in the FCC systems, and it is needed to file in the ULS. If you have held a license before, you most likely already have one. You use it to log in to the ULS and submit your renewal application.
The fee and payment timeline
The fee for renewing an amateur radio license is $35, set by the FCC in 47 CFR 1.1102.
Timing matters for payment: the FCC says payment must be made within 10 days of the application receipt date.
The two-year grace period
What happens if your license expires before you renew it? You enter a grace period.
The FCC provides a two-year grace period after your license expires. During these two years you can still file for renewal. There is one significant restriction: you may not transmit on the air until the license is renewed.
Once the FCC grants the renewal, you may resume transmitting. If you wait until late in the two years, you can still renew, but you have been off the air for that whole time.
After the grace period ends
If you do not renew within the two-year grace period, the situation changes for good. The FCC cannot grant a renewal for your license, and the call sign is no longer renewable by you.
Focus on renewing within the two-year window to keep things simple.
How to track your dates
Keeping track of the expiration date, the 90-day window and the grace period deadline can be tricky. CheckAero reads the FCC's public licensing files every day, and each call sign record shows where the license stands: active, open for renewal, in the grace period or expired, with the date each stage ends. Look up your call sign to see your dates.
Quick summary of key dates
- 90 days before expiration: you can file your renewal application in the ULS.
- Expiration date: your license expires and the grace period starts. You may not transmit.
- Within 10 days of the application: pay the $35 fee.
- 2 years after expiration: the grace period ends. After this date, your license cannot be renewed.