Radio regulations by country

What kinds of rules apply to a radio?

Five kinds of rules touch a radio, and they answer different questions. One asks who may transmit and where. One asks whether the product may be sold. One asks how a connected device is secured. One names companies whose gear is barred. One covers personal data.

1. Spectrum use and licenses. Which frequencies a person or company may use, and whether that needs a license. This is about the operator, not the product. It is covered in two-way radio licensing and in FRS and GMRS.
2. Market approval and marks. A radio must be tested and marked before it is sold: CE in the EU, UKCA or CE in Great Britain, an FCC ID in the United States, an IC number in Canada, RCM in Australia, the Giteki mark in Japan, the Anatel seal in Brazil and equipment type approval in India.37101216172021 See radio approval marks.
3. Cybersecurity for connected devices. A radio with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE or a data port is a connected product. The EU, the UK and Australia set mandatory security duties for such products. Japan combines mandatory terminal rules with a voluntary label, and the US Cyber Trust Mark is voluntary.1611151819
4. Trade bans. The US keeps a Covered List of companies whose new equipment cannot get an FCC grant. Hytera is on it for equipment used for public safety, government facilities, critical-infrastructure surveillance and other national security purposes. See FCC equipment authorization.89
5. Data protection. A dispatch feature that tracks staff by GPS or records voice handles personal data. In the EU the GDPR applies, and the data protection authorities' working party said employee consent is "highly unlikely" to be a valid basis. In practice, an employer needs a documented purpose and tells staff what is tracked.22

How do radio rules compare by region?

Every region requires an approval mark before a radio is sold, and the security laws for connected products differ most. The table gives the mark, the cyber law with its status, the date to watch and our page. Cyber laws mostly concern Bluetooth, USB-programmed and PoC radios.

What is the radio regulation timeline from 2021 to 2027?

The dates below come from the official texts and merge all regions in one list. The UK and the EU set security rules first, Australia followed in March 2026, and the US moved on bans and listings. Check the current text with the regulator, because a notice can move a date.

What changes for radio makers?

A maker now builds for several rulebooks at once. Each region wants its own approval for the same radio, and connected models also need security work. Plan the evidence early, because the EU, the UK and Australia expect it from the maker, not from the shop.

• Approvals per region. CE and a declaration of conformity for the EU, UKCA or CE for Great Britain, a certified FCC grant for the US, an IC number for Canada, RCM for Australia, Giteki for Japan, Anatel homologation for Brazil and equipment type approval for India.37101216172021
• Security for connected models. A Bluetooth or USB-programmed radio and an Android PoC radio are the lines to check. The EU's Cyber Resilience Act brings support periods and vulnerability handling. The UK's PSTI Act and Australia's standards ask for a unique or user-set password, a vulnerability contact and a published support period.1615
• The US list. A maker on the Covered List cannot get new FCC grants, and a change by such a maker to an existing product needs full certification. For Hytera, new grants depend on an FCC-approved plan that keeps its equipment out of the named uses.8910

What changes for importers and shops?

An importer or a shop carries its own duty in most regions. Before listing a radio, ask the maker for the approval record and the security statement for the exact model. A white-label radio sold under your own name makes you the maker in the eyes of the law.

• EU. Check the CE mark, the declaration of conformity and the maker's name and address.3
• United States. Confirm a valid FCC grant that covers the radio's bands. Marketplaces display the FCC ID on listings from 1 March 2027 or 1 June 2027, depending on the platform type.10
• Great Britain. Ask for the PSTI statement of compliance for connectable consumer models.6
• Canada and elsewhere. A US-only radio with an FCC ID is not listed on Canada's Radio Equipment List. ISED says equipment bought outside Canada may not comply, and importing uncertified equipment is an offense.1213 Brazil and India also require local approval before sale.2021

What changes for companies running radio fleets in several countries?

A fleet that crosses borders should buy region-specific models. A radio approved in one country is not approved in the next, and the mark on the label shows which country that is. Ask each supplier for the documents below, and treat location tracking as a data-protection task.

• Approval record per country. The declaration of conformity in the EU, the FCC ID in the US, the IC number in Canada, and the local mark where the fleet works.31012
• Security statement for connected radios. A support end date and a vulnerability contact are a sensible purchasing checklist even where the law does not require them for business buyers.6
• Licenses. Frequencies and licenses stay a separate topic: see two-way radio licensing.
• Dispatch data. GPS tracking, man-down alerts and voice logs process staff data. In the EU, plan a documented purpose, a notice to staff and the least intrusive setting.22
• US purchases. Hytera radios you already own stay legal to use. For new purchases, check each model's FCC grant and the intended use.810

What changes for radio users?

For a user, the label is the proof. Find the mark for your country on the radio, look up the number where a public database exists, and keep the radio as sold. A radio you already own does not stop being legal because a new law starts.

• Check the mark. CE in the EU, FCC ID in the US with a lookup at fcc.gov, IC in Canada with a search of the Radio Equipment List.31012
• Radios from abroad. A US FRS radio is not approved in Canada or Britain just because the frequencies match. See PMR446 and FRS and GMRS for the bands each country allows.13
• Connected radios. For a Bluetooth or Android radio sold in the UK or Australia, the product page should show the support period and a way to report a fault.615
• Analog radios. In practice, a plain PMR446 radio with no data link does not fit the connected-product wording of the new cyber laws and stays under the usual CE rules.

Which pages explain each rule in detail?

Each rule has its own page with dates, duties and sources. Start with the page for the region where you sell or use the radio, then read the approval marks page for the countries outside the EU, UK and US.

• Cyber Resilience Act: the EU security rules for connected radios, the dates and what makers and buyers must do.
• Radio Equipment Directive: CE marking, the EU declaration of conformity and the cybersecurity rules for internet-connected radios.
• FCC ID and certification: how US radios are authorized, how to read an FCC ID and what the Covered List changes.
• UK PSTI Act: the UK security rules for connectable products and UKCA or CE marking in Great Britain.
• Radio approval marks: CE, UKCA, FCC, IC, RCM, Giteki, Anatel and WPC side by side.

Questions

Sources

1. Regulation (EU) 2024/2847, Cyber Resilience Act · EUR-Lex
2. CRA implementation timeline and status · European Commission
3. Directive 2014/53/EU, Radio Equipment Directive · EUR-Lex
4. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2444, application from 1 August 2025 · EUR-Lex
5. Directive (EU) 2022/2380, common charger · EUR-Lex
6. Security Requirements for Relevant Connectable Products Regulations 2023, SI 2023/1007 · legislation.gov.uk
7. Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain · GOV.UK
8. Covered List · FCC
9. Protecting Against National Security Threats: FCC 22-84 · Federal Register
10. Protecting Against National Security Threats: Third Report and Order, FCC 26-50 · Federal Register