How to Get a GMRS License, Step by Step

2 Way Radios, FRS & GMRS, Licensing & Rules
Retevis RT49P GMRS handheld radio

If your walkie-talkie is a GMRS radio, you need an FCC license before you transmit on it. The good news is that there is no exam, the fee is $35, and one license covers your immediate family for ten years. This guide walks through the process using the FCC’s own pages.

Before you start

  • Age: you must be 18 or older to apply, and you cannot be a representative of a foreign government.
  • Individuals only: new GMRS licenses are issued to individuals, not to businesses or organizations.
  • No exam: the FCC’s GMRS rules set eligibility and fee requirements but no test. That is different from amateur (ham) radio, which requires an exam.
  • Do you need it at all? FRS radios do not need an individual license. If your radio is GMRS-only, or can use GMRS channels or power, you do.

Step 1: Get an FCC Registration Number (FRN)

The FCC identifies every applicant with an FRN. You create one in CORES, the FCC’s registration system, sometimes called the Commission Registration System. You will give your name, address and contact details and choose a password. Keep the FRN and password; you will use them for the application and again at renewal.

Step 2: Log in to the Universal Licensing System (ULS)

The FCC’s guide to applying for a new license lists the steps:

  1. Log in to ULS Online Filing with your FRN and password.
  2. Click Apply for a New License on the left-hand side.
  3. Choose the radio service from the drop-down list. For GMRS, the service code is ZA.
  4. Click Continue and work through the application screens.
  5. Sign by typing your first and last name in the name fields, then click Submit Application.

Step 3: Pay the $35 fee

The FCC’s fee guide lists a $35 application fee for a new GMRS (ZA) license, effective May 23, 2025, with no separate regulatory fee. ULS works out the fee after you complete the application, and the FCC says fees can be paid online as soon as you submit. Fees can change, so confirm the amount on the FCC page when you apply. If another site asks for more than the FCC’s listed fee, check that you are on an fcc.gov page.

Step 4: Wait for the grant and get your call sign

The FCC says an application shows up in its application search the next business day, or two business days later if you filed on a weekend or federal holiday. When the license is granted you receive a call sign. You can look up your license in ULS and download or print the official authorization from there; the FCC does not mail paper copies.

Using your call sign

GMRS stations must identify themselves with the FCC-assigned call sign at the end of a transmission or series of transmissions, and at least every 15 minutes during a longer conversation. You say it by voice in English or send it in Morse code. A unit number may follow the call sign. Many people simply say the call sign when they finish talking.

Who your license covers

The license belongs to you, but your immediate family may operate your GMRS stations under it. The FCC rule defines immediate family as your spouse, children, grandchildren, stepchildren, parents, grandparents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and in-laws. The FCC page says any family member, regardless of age, can operate stations within the licensed system. Anyone may use your station to send an emergency message. Friends who are not family members need their own license.

You remain responsible for how the stations are operated, so tell your family the basics: the call sign rule, listening before talking, and keeping within the radio’s limits.

Renewal

  • The term is normally ten years from the grant date.
  • You can renew from 90 days before the expiration date up to the expiration date itself.
  • The FCC fee guide lists a $35 application fee for a GMRS renewal.
  • If the license expires, you must apply for a new one rather than renew.

Put the expiry date in your calendar. If your contact details change, update them in ULS; there is no fee for personal-service modifications such as an address change.

Common questions

  • Do my kids need a separate license? No, if they are your immediate family.
  • Do I need a license for FRS channels? Not if the radio is an FRS radio within FRS limits.
  • Can a business get one? New licenses go to individuals only. Some older business licenses may still be renewed.
  • Can I use a ham radio on GMRS? No. GMRS transmitters must be FCC-certified for GMRS, and radios that can also operate in services such as amateur radio are not certified for GMRS.

For a comparison of the two services before you apply, see Midland GXT1000 Two-Pack: What You Get, the GMRS License, and Realistic Range. For trips with several family members, Walkie-Talkies for Family Trips covers setup and practical tips.

If you want enough radios for a family group, the store carries the Midland GXT1000 three-pack. It is a GMRS radio, so the license applies to everyone who uses it, which is where the family coverage helps.

Top image: Retevis RT49P GMRS version by CaioCastro34, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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