FCC Fee

FCC Application Fee Instructions

FCC $35 Amateur Application Fee Effective Date Announced, April 19, 2022

The FCC released a public notice on March 22, 2022, stating that the amateur radio application fees, including those associated with Form 605 application filings, would become effective on April 19, 2022. The Federal Communications Commission’s authority to impose and collect fees is mandated by Congress

The $35 application fee, when it becomes effective on April 19, will apply to new, renewal, and vanity call sign applications. The fee will be per application. The fee will not apply to upgrades of existing license class.

Administrative updates, such as change of name, mailing address, or email address, will be exempt from fees.

VEC and Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams will not collect the $35 fee at exam sessions. Once the FCC application fee takes effect, new applicants will pay the VEC exam fee ($15 for ARRL, $14 for W5YI) to the exam team as usual and pay the $35 application fee directly to the FCC by using CORES FRN Registration system.

NOTE: The FCC reports a known issue when paying the $35 fee using a smart phone or tablet. It is advised to pay the fee from a PC, not a portable smart device.

When the FCC receives the examination information from the VEC, it will email a link with payment instructions to each successful candidate who then will have 10 calendar days from the date of the email to pay. After the fee has been paid, the FCC will process the application as in the past. Applicants will receive a second email with their new call sign and link to their official license. Additionally, the FCC stated that applications processed and dismissed will not be entitled to a refund. That includes vanity requests where the applicant does not receive the requested call sign.