FCC Marine & Aeronautical Radio Licensing

International regulations require that the FCC properly license all U.S. vessels carrying VHF or SSB radios operating outside of U.S. waters. FCC regulations also require that any U.S. ship/boat operating within U.S. waters carrying a marine SSB radio have a Ship's Station License. Two FCC licenses are required to be properly licensed:

A Ships Station License (assigns the radio station call letters & MMSI number to the vessel).
A Restricted Radio Operators Permit (Permits the person named on the permit to operate marine & aeronautical radio equipment).

The fees shown below were effective May 23, 2025. License validity periods are shown for reference:

Required FCC Marine Radio Licenses
Marine Licenses Recreational & Commercial Shipping / Boating Operator Permit & Ship's Station License	License	Period of Validity	FCC Fees Effective 23 May 2025	-----
	Ship Radio Station License (SA/SB) (includes MMSI number)	10-years	$185 Renewal & New Licenses	-----
	Restricted Radio Operators Permit (RR)	Lifetime of the Holder	$35	-----
	Attn. Cruisers If your Ship Radio Station License will expire within the next 90 days, SeaTech Systems can assist with filing the renewal application. Visit SeaTech Systems FCC Licensing for current service information, pricing, and application instructions. You must have a ships call sign before you can sign up for a Sailmail account.

International regulations require that US Pilots and US registered aircraft landing in foreign countries or communicating by radio with foreign ground radio stations, e.g., Bahamas, Canada, Mexico, be properly licensed by the FCC. While the aircraft owner is responsible for securing the proper radio licenses for the aircraft, pilots are responsible for securing and having in their possession a Restricted Radio Operators Permit.

The fees shown below were effective May 23, 2025. License validity periods are shown for reference:

Required FCC Aeronautical Radio Licenses
Aeronautical Licenses Commercial and General Aviation Pilot's Operator Permit & Aircraft Station License	License	Period of Validity	FCC Fee Effective 23 May 2025	-----
	Aircraft Radio Station License (AC) (Aircraft owning entity is responsible for securing this license)	10-years	$135 per aircraft Renewal & New Licenses	-----
	Restricted Radio Operators Permit (RR) (Pilot's are responsible for securing their Permit)	Lifetime of the Holder	$35	-----

There are two ways of filing for FCC radio licenses; via the mail, and over the Internet. The FCC discourages filing by mail. Filing by mail, can take from four to six weeks to received your license and assigned call from the FCC. The actual time required depends upon how long it takes the mailed application to reach FCC offices, and the internal processing time at the FCC. When properly filed through the Internet, you can expect to receive your license within a day or two of filing.

The FCC's online filing systems, forms, and procedures have changed over the years. The information on this page is retained as a reference to FCC marine and aeronautical radio licensing requirements. If you prefer assistance preparing and filing your application, SeaTech Systems provides FCC license application filing services.

Need an FCC marine or aeronautical radio license? Current service information, pricing, and application instructions are available from SeaTech Systems FCC Licensing .

Download or Print Your Official Radio License

When your online license application is processed, per Public Notice DA 15-72 the FCC licensing system will automatically e-mail an "Official Copy" to the license .pdf file to you. The FCC no longer mails "original" printed licenses to licensee. Be sure to keep a copy of the license .pdf file on board so you can print additional copies of your license(s) when you need them.

The instructions for downloading and printing an "Official Copy" of your FCC radio license are:

Log into the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS) page at http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home
Log into the FCC License Manager page. To do this, click on the log in button next to Online Filing.
Log into the FCC License Manager. Enter your FCC Registration Number (FRN), and password. Note: passwords are case sensitive
On the left-hand side of the License Manager page, click on Download Electronic Authorizations.
On the License Manager's Download Authorizations page select/add the authorizations/licenses you want to print.
Print and/or save the authorizations you selected.