Get your GMRS license
Guide · updated June 2026
$35, no test, good for ten years — and it covers your whole family. The FCC’s websites are dated and bounce you between two systems, but the actual process is short. Here’s every step, in order.
What you’re getting
GMRS is the friendliest license in radio: no exam, one application, and it covers your entire household. One $35 license lasts ten years, and the FCC defines “immediate family” broadly — spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, step-family, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, even in-laws. They don’t need their own licenses, and there’s no minimum age to operate.
Only the person holding the license has to be 18 or older (and not a representative of a foreign government). The hard part isn’t difficulty — it’s the FCC’s two aging web systems. Follow the steps below in order and you’ll be done in about twenty minutes.
Before you start
- An email address you’ll keep for the long haul.
- Your Social Security number or tax ID — required to register your FRN.
- A card for the $35 fee.
- About 20 minutes (plus a short wait in step 2).
Six steps to your call sign
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Create an FCC account & get your FRN (CORES)
Go to the FCC’s CORES system, register an account, then register an FRN (FCC Registration Number) as an Individual — you’ll need your SSN or tax ID. CORES hands you a 10-digit FRN, your identity for everything that follows. No FRN, no application. Heads up: CORES can be slow and occasionally flaky — give pages a moment to load and be patient if it lags.
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Wait for your FRN to sync
This is the #1 thing that trips people up. A brand-new FRN can take ~15 minutes to an hour (occasionally overnight) to propagate. Jump straight into the application and you’ll likely hit login or permission errors. Grab a coffee, then continue.
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Start a new license in ULS (License Manager)
Log in to the FCC’s ULS License Manager with your FRN and CORES password, and choose “Apply for a New License.” Use the ULS / License Manager path — not the CORES Public Interface. CORES handles registration and payment; ULS handles the application itself.
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Pick GMRS (code ZA) and fill out Form 605
When it asks for the radio service, choose GMRS — listed with service code
ZAnear the bottom of the list. Certify that you’re at least 18, enter your details, and sign electronically with your name to submit. There’s no test; filing takes about 10–15 minutes. -
Pay the $35 (CORES / Pay.gov)
Submitting the application bounces you back to CORES to pay — it’s a separate step, not part of the form. Open your FRN’s bills & fees, choose Make Payment, and pay the $35 through Pay.gov. Confirm the amount on the FCC fee page first — older guides still quote the old $70.
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Get your call sign
Once payment clears, the FCC processes it automatically — no human review, no exam — grants your license, and assigns your call sign. Most people see it by email within a business day or two (the FCC doesn’t promise a timeframe). Track it in License Manager and download your official license from ULS. It’s good for 10 years.
Three things that trip people up: the fee is $35, not the old $70 (confirm on the FCC fee page before paying); a new FRN needs time to sync (step 2); and payment is a separate step inside CORES, not part of the application.
Stuck anywhere? Don’t sweat it — the #gmrs channel in the RF Lab Discord is full of people who just walked through this exact process. Ask, and someone will help.
You’re licensed — now what?
That’s it: you’re a licensed GMRS operator. Put your call sign on the air, program it into your radios, and find the repeaters near you on myGMRS. New to the hardware or on-air etiquette? The #gmrs channel will get you sorted, and the GMRS topic page covers the gear basics.
Sources & bookmarks
Licensed (or stuck on step 2)?
Either way, #gmrs is full of people who just did this.