How to Get Your GMRS License: The Complete FCC ULS Walkthrough

Go to fcc.gov and open the Universal Licensing System (ULS). Click Register to create a new account. Choose a username, enter your email address, set a password, and provide your name and mailing address. The FCC emails a confirmation link — click it within 24 hours to activate your account.

Once your email is confirmed, the FCC issues a 10-digit FCC Registration Number (FRN) tied to your account. The FRN is your permanent identifier for every FCC license you ever hold — GMRS, HAM, commercial radio, anything. Write it down.

Return to the Universal Licensing System and log in with your username and password. After login, the ULS dashboard shows your FRN at the top of every page. From the left-hand navigation, click Apply for a New License under Personal License Applications. This is where every future FCC license application starts: log in, choose the radio service, fill out the form.

If you have an existing FRN from another FCC service, log in with those credentials. You do not need to create a second account — one FRN covers all your FCC license activity.

On the Apply for a New License screen, select your FRN, then choose the license type. Click Personal, then choose General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) from the Radio Service dropdown. Form 605 now opens automatically.

Fill out Form 605: confirm your name, address, and contact information. Answer three eligibility questions: U.S. citizenship (yes), at least 18 years old (yes), no FCC-disqualifying felony (yes). There is no exam. Review and submit the form.

Immediately after you submit Form 605, ULS redirects to Pay.gov — the federal government's payment gateway. Pay the $35 fee by credit or debit card. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover are all accepted. The $35 is a flat regulatory fee: the same amount for first-time applicants, renewals, and modifications.

Save the Pay.gov confirmation email — it is your receipt. Once payment clears, your GMRS license application moves into the FCC's processing queue. The license, when issued, is valid for 10 years from date of issuance and covers you, your spouse, and all children under 18 living at the same address.

The FCC typically assigns your callsign within 1–7 business days. You will receive an email from ULS when the license is granted. (During high-volume periods it can take up to two weeks; delays are rare but not unusual.)

Your callsign follows the standard GMRS pattern: a letter prefix (W), a region letter, and three to four digits (e.g., WQXY1234). Callsigns are randomly assigned within available ranges — you cannot request a specific callsign. The callsign is yours for the 10-year license period.

Log back into ULS, go to My Licenses, and confirm the GMRS license now shows Active status with your assigned callsign.

From your ULS dashboard, click on the GMRS license and choose Download Official License PDF. Print the PDF in color — it is a printable official document with the FCC seal at the bottom.

You are not legally required to carry the license when transmitting, but practically it is valuable. Make four copies: laminate one and keep it in your bug-out bag, email one to yourself and your spouse (so it is accessible from any device), keep one in your vehicle's glove compartment, and store one in your home file with other key documents. The PDF is the only document you need to prove your license to other operators or to FCC inspectors.

Within week one of receiving your callsign, program every family radio. Enter your callsign in each radio — most handhelds let you set a 6-character callsign identifier that appears on the display. Pick a primary simplex channel and a backup channel. Write the channel plan on a laminated card for every go-bag and car.

Then run a test transmission: each family member announces their name and location from a different room or building, confirms receipt on the simplex channel, and verifies you can reach a partner at typical weekend distance. Week one is when to discover dead spots and channel interference — not the day the cell network goes down.