Get your Ham Radio license online

The FCC has done a lot of work to make ordinary ham radio license transactions easier by creating the online ULS system, which allows you to process renewals, address changes, and other simple services. To use this system, however, you need to register in the Commission Registration System (CORES), whether or not the FCC has already granted your license.

How to register in CORES

Follow these steps to register with CORES as an individual amateur licensee:

Go to the FCC website.
The ULS web page appears.
Click the Register button.
An options page appears.
Select one of the following options and then click the Continue button:

Register Now: Select this option if you're using the ULS for the first time.
Update Registration Information: If any of your information has changed since the last time you used the system, select this option.
Update Call Sign/ASR Information: Select this option if you need to add any call signs to or remove any call signs from the list that you associated with your FRN. (Hams rarely use this option.)

In the next page, select the An Individual option and your contact address; then click the Continue button.
Enter your name and address in the page that appears.
Any field marked with an asterisk is a required field. Your telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address are optional.

Everything you enter on this page except your Social Security number, phone number, and e-mail address will be available for public inspection.
If you're registering for the first time, enter your Social Security number.
You're required to provide this information (or give a reason why you can't). Enter the number without any spaces, hyphens, or periods.

Ignore any prompts or windows asking for a Sub-Group Identification Number (SGIN), which is used by managers of large communications services that have many call signs. You don't need a SGIN.
At the bottom of the window, enter a password of 6 to 15 characters (or have the system pick one for you); then enter it again in the Re-Enter Password box.
Don't use your call sign (or any part of it) as your password, because an unauthorized person would try it immediately.
In the Hint box, enter a password reminder.
If you ever forget your password and want the FCC to tell you what it is, this hint verifies that you're you — not someone else. You can enter any word or words that fit in the box.
Click the Submit button.
The ULS system processes your entries and displays a page that lists any errors you made, such as omitting a required item or entering the wrong type of information in a particular field.
Correct any errors, and click the Submit button again.
The system displays a form containing your licensee information, password, and password hint.

Print this information and keep a copy in a safe place in case you ever forget your password.

You're now registered with the FCC. The next step is associating your call sign with your FRN.

How to associate your call sign with your ID

Follow these steps to associate your call sign with your FRN:

Click the FCC Universal Licensing System link at the bottom of your licensee information page.
Click the Call Sign/ASR Registration link.
A window loads, with your FRN already entered.
Enter your password in the Password box, and click the Continue button.
In the next page, click the Enter Call Signs link.
The Enter Call Signs window loads.
Enter your call sign in the first space provided, and click the Submit button.