Do you need a license for a two-way radio?

Do you need a license for a two-way radio?

Only if it transmits on frequencies reserved for licensed users. Every country sets aside a few channels for license-free handhelds: FRS in the US, PMR446 in the UK and Europe, UHF CB in Australia. Business channels, GMRS in the US and the amateur bands need a license from the national regulator.123

License-free does not mean rule-free. The radio must be type-approved and stay inside its channel and power limits, and the channels are shared: Ofcom describes PMR446 as a non-interference, non-protected service, so you pick a channel that does not disturb others and get no protection yourself.14

Pick your country and radio type in the license checker, or start with US FRS or UK PMR446.

Which two-way radios are license-free in the US?

FRS, MURS and CB radios need no license. The FCC authorizes them by rule in 47 CFR Part 95: you operate a certified radio within its channel and power limits, and you file nothing and pay nothing.2 FRS gives 22 channels, MURS five and CB 40.

An FRS transmitter may not be capable of any frequency outside the 22 FRS channels.17 A multiband ham or business handheld is therefore not an FRS radio, and each band it can reach follows the rules of its own service. FRS and GMRS and CB radio cover the services in detail.

PMR446 radios do not belong on US air: 446 MHz lies inside the 70 cm amateur band, and Part 95 has no PMR446 service.25

Do you need a GMRS license?

Yes, in the US. A GMRS license costs $35, lasts ten years and needs no exam. It covers you and your immediate family. You must be 18 or older, and the FCC grants no new GMRS licenses to companies.45 The license buys more power and repeaters.

The fee is paid through the FCC's CORES system after the application is filed in its Universal Licensing System.5 In return, mobile, base and repeater stations may use up to 50 W on the main channels, against the 2 W cap on FRS, and repeaters are allowed.26 Station identification by call sign is required.27 FRS vs GMRS sets the two side by side.

Which two-way radios are license-free in the UK?

PMR446 handhelds and 27 MHz CB radios. PMR446 is limited to 0.5 W ERP, hand-portable sets and integral antennas, with no base stations or repeaters.6 US FRS radios are not allowed: Ofcom says they cannot be used license-exempt and are likely to interfere with Home Office radio.14

UK CB has 40 channels at 26.965–27.405 MHz and 40 UK-only channels at 27.60125–27.99125 MHz, license-exempt at 4 W for FM.7 A second interface requirement adds AM and SSB on the first band, at 4 W for AM and 12 W PEP for SSB.28 Ofcom ties the exemption to equipment that meets its interface requirement, and says you may be committing an offense if you operate equipment on the PMR446 band that does not.14 See PMR446.

Can you use a walkie-talkie while driving in the UK?

Regulation 110 bans hand-held phones and other devices that transmit and receive data while driving in Great Britain, but it excludes a "two-way radio". The regulation defines that as apparatus for transmitting and receiving spoken messages that is designed to operate on a frequency outside the 2G and 3G mobile bands it lists.29

PMR446, CB and business handhelds fit that definition. The listed bands are 880–915, 925–960, 1710–1785, 1805–1880, 1900–1980 and 2110–2170 MHz.29

Which two-way radios are license-free in the EU?

PMR446 across CEPT countries: 446.0–446.2 MHz, 0.5 W ERP, hand-portable sets with integral antennas, and no use as a repeater or network. CEPT decision ECC/DEC/(15)05 exempts it from individual licensing. CB on 27 MHz is license-free too, with 40 channels at 4 W and 12 W PEP SSB.19

PMR446 has 16 analog channels of 12.5 kHz. The digital versions, DMR Tier 1 and dPMR446, use 16 channels of 12.5 kHz or 32 of 6.25 kHz.114 Read DMR and dPMR and NXDN for how they differ from analog.

National rules sit on top:

• Germany: PMR446 runs under a Bundesnetzagentur general assignment.30 Business radio needs an individual assignment, with a one-time fee and an annual frequency contribution.31
• France: Arcep's general authorization covers PMR446 with no fee and no protection from interference.32
• Latvia: the factory channels of a PMR446 radio may not be changed, and a licensed PMR radio may not be reprogrammed to act as one.33

No EU country in the checked set has an FRS-type service. The 460–470 MHz band belongs to licensed business radio and network use.34

Which radios are license-free in Canada and Australia?

In Canada, FRS and GMRS handhelds are license-exempt: the same 22 channels as in the US, 2 W ERP and 0.5 W on channels 8–14, with certified radios and integral antennas.10 CB needs no license either.11 Canada did not adopt MURS, because those frequencies serve licensed users.35

In Australia, the CB class license is free and covers UHF CB at 476.425–477.4125 MHz and 27 MHz CB at 26.965–27.405 MHz.3 UHF CB runs up to 5 W, and 27 MHz CB up to 4 W AM or FM and 12 W PEP SSB.36 ACMA names CB as the option anyone can use, and warns that a radio from an overseas supplier is likely not to use the right frequency for Australia.37 Channel 9 on 27 MHz and channels 5 and 35 on UHF are for emergency messages only, and a CB repeater station needs an apparatus license.3

When do you need a business radio license?

When you want your own channels, a base station or a repeater, or more power than the license-free services allow. Costs start at £75 for five years in the UK and $105 in the US, with annual fees in Canada, the Netherlands and Latvia.85

The step up from license-free is power and control. Simple UK Light allows 5 W ERP, ten times the 0.5 W of PMR446, on 19 frequencies you share with other license holders.86 Technically Assigned and Area Defined licenses give you a frequency for your own use, and the fee follows the coverage area and the frequency band.8

Land mobile radio explains what these systems are, and business two-way radio systems how to plan one.

How do you get an FCC business radio license?

File for a Part 90 Industrial/Business Pool license. Companies, schools, clinics and clergy groups are eligible for their own operations.40 Most applications for frequencies between 25 and 470 MHz need a statement from a frequency coordinator recommending a frequency. The FCC fee is $105 for a new license.415

1. Choose a coordinator. Any certified Industrial/Business Pool coordinator can handle a frequency, unless the rules name a mandatory one for it.40
2. Get the recommendation. The coordinator may comment on power, antenna height and terrain.41
3. File and pay. The FCC fee is $105 for a new license and $35 for renewal.5

Do you need a license for ham radio?

Yes, almost everywhere: an exam or a recognized qualification, then a call sign or certificate. The FCC charges $35 per ham application, the UK license is free online, ISED charges nothing for the Canadian certificate, and ACMA charges AUD 48 for the Australian one.5424344

In the US, ham radio may not be used for communications on behalf of an employer, so a company cannot run its work channels on it.45

Ham radio licenses lists the classes, exams and fees country by country.

Do PoC radios need a radio license?

No. A PoC radio sends voice as data over a mobile operator's network, so you need a SIM and a push-to-talk service instead of a radio license. The operator holds the spectrum license, and in the UK handsets that connect to a licensed network are exempt from licensing.46

That is why a PoC radio has no channel limits and no range of its own. Hybrid radios that add DMR or analog next to LTE (41 of the 291 current models in the radio catalog) follow the rules above for the radio half.47 The trade is a monthly fee and mobile coverage at both ends. What is a PoC radio? explains the system, PoC vs PMR446 sets it against the license-free option, and PoC radio SIM card and cost prices it.

What happens if you use a radio without the right license?

Regulators treat it as an offense. In Australia, a person found guilty of operating an unlicensed two-way radio can face fines up to $495,000 and up to two years in prison.37 In the UK, Ofcom says you may be committing an offense if you operate non-compliant equipment on the PMR446 band.14

Radios from overseas are the usual cause. ACMA warns that cheap radios sold online arrive pre-programmed with frequencies you may not be allowed to use, and advises looking for the Regulatory Compliance Mark.37

Questions

Sources

1. ECC/DEC/(15)05: harmonised frequency range 446.0–446.2 MHz, PMR 446 · CEPT ECC
2. 47 CFR 95.305: Authorization to operate Personal Radio Services stations · eCFR
3. Citizen band radio stations class licence · ACMA
4. 47 CFR 95.1705: Individual licenses required; eligibility; who may operate · eCFR
5. 47 CFR 1.1102: Schedule of charges for applications and other filings in the wireless radio services · eCFR
6. UK Interface Requirement 2030: short range devices, table 3.18 PMR 446 · Ofcom
7. UK Interface Requirement 2027: Citizens' Band radio · Ofcom
8. Business Radio licence management (published 5 December 2025) · Ofcom
9. ECC/DEC/(11)03: harmonised use of frequencies for Citizens' Band (CB) radio equipment · CEPT ECC
10. RSS-210 Issue 11, Annex E: FRS/GMRS devices · ISED Canada