How the check works
Each answer comes from the regulator’s own rule: the FCC’s rules in the US, Ofcom’s license exemptions and licenses in the UK, ISED in Canada, ACMA in Australia, the CEPT decisions and national rules in Europe, and the national regulators elsewhere.
“No license needed” means no individual license: the radio is covered by a general or class authorization, as long as it is type-approved and used within its power and channel limits. “Not allowed” means the regulator gives that radio type no lawful use in that country, usually because its frequencies belong to another service there.
Download all rows with fees and sources (CSV) ↓
Questions
Which walkie-talkies need no license?
In the US: FRS, MURS and CB. In the UK and the EU countries we cover: PMR446 and CB, plus 433 MHz short-range radios. In Canada: FRS, GMRS and CB. In Australia: UHF CB on 476–477 MHz and 27 MHz CB.2162938
Can I use a US FRS or GMRS radio in Europe or the UK?
No. Ofcom says US FRS radios cannot be used license-exempt in the UK and are likely to interfere with Home Office radio. Across Europe the 462/467 MHz channels belong to licensed services, and Latvia bars radios built for the US or Canadian market.1725
Can I use a PMR446 radio in the US?
No. 446 MHz lies inside the US 70 cm amateur band, and the FCC’s Personal Radio Services have no PMR446 service. In the US the license-free handheld services are FRS and MURS.116
Do I need a license for a CB radio?
Not in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU countries we cover, Australia or India. Brazil asks for a free online registration with Anatel, and the Philippines treats CB as a licensed service.354446
Do I need a license for GMRS?
In the US, yes: an FCC license costs $35, lasts 10 years, needs no exam and covers your immediate family; companies cannot get new ones. In Canada, GMRS radios are license-exempt.2729
Does a business need a license for two-way radio?
Often not: PMR446 in most European countries we cover, and FRS and MURS in the US, allow business use. A company’s own channels need a license: in the US a Part 90 license ($105 new), in the UK a Business Radio Simple UK Light license (£75 for 5 years). Germany lets retail and logistics sites use two digital channels without one.686972
Do I need a license for a PoC radio?
No radio license. A PoC radio talks over the mobile network, so it needs a SIM card and a push-to-talk service, like a phone with an app.
