* W5YI Now offers **
** A Complete License Renewal Service **
W5YI is now able to submit your amateur license renewal and pay the FCC fee for you, we'll even mail you a printed copy of your license when complete.
While we realize that you can do the work of submitting a license renewal with the FCC yourself, if you would rather not do that, and have us take care of that for you, we offer that service.
Complete Renewal - $80 Fee ($45 W5YI Processing fee plus $35 FCC Application Fee)
Renewal only - $10 Processing Fee ( you pay $35 FCC Application Fee yourself by setting up a new CORES account and using CORES bill pay)
Amateur Radio licenses may only be renewed within 90 days of the license expiration date.
You may file your application with W5YI Licensing Services using our online renewal page.
If you are not able to use the online page, you may use our pdf version of the W5YI Renewal Form however that will require you to fill it out and return it to us in one of the following ways:
You may return the application and required documentation Return by one of the following:
- email to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - W5YI Licensing Services DropBox: https://www.dropbox.com/request/AX8hdZ1EI4VKdVFcNEpn
- mail to W5YI Licensing Services , PO Box 260916, Plano, TX 75026-0916
For Basic Renewal your request will be submitted within a business day once we receive it here in our office (Mon-Fri). Once your RENEWAL request is submitted to the FCC, they will give it a File # and send you an email with full instruction on how to pay your $35 FCC Application Fee.
Important! DO NOT USE A PHONE OR TABLET TO PAY THE FEE. The FCC Fee Pay site is not compatible with phones or tablets. This means your will need to use a desktop or laptop to pay your application fee. If you use a phone or tablet to make you payment, it will appear that the payment went through with no issues and your card may be charged but the payment will NOT be applied to the application as it should be and the pending application WILL NOT be granted.
You will have 10 days to submit your payment to the FCC, or they will dismiss your request for non-payment. There is no FCC Application Fee for an address change only.
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CLUB STATION LICENSE RENEWALS or NEW LICENSE REQUEST: Club station licenses may be renewed directly with the FCC ONLY IF there are no changes to the existing FCC license record.
If there is ANY changes such as adding an email address, address change, Trustee, or name of the Club, you must go through a CCSA (Club Call Sign Administrator such as W5YI) by using our Club Station Application Club Station Application PDF This form must be submitted by DropBox, email or US Postal Mail along with supporting documentation indicated below for processing. W5YI's fee is $10
RENEWAL - NO CHANGES - $10 plus $35 FCC Application Fee
Only the application & a copy of the Trustee license needs to returned if it a straight renewal with no changes.
RENEWAL - WITH CHANGES -$10 plus $35 FCC Application Fee
If you need to make any changes, applications require a copy of the following to be included:
Minutes from Club meeting when changes were made with Club Officers approval. Minutes must be signed by the Secretary and 2nd Club Officer (other than Trustee). ALL changes MUST be discussed and mentioned in the Meeting Minutes including just a change of address.
- Signed copy of Trustee's license
ADDRESS / TRUSTEE CHANGE ONLY- $10 Processing fee
Applications require a copy of the following to be included:
- Minutes from Club meeting when changes were made with Club Officers approval. Minutes must be signed by the Secretary and 2nd Club Officer (other than Trustee). ALL changes MUST be discussed and mentioned in the Meeting Minutes including just a change of address.
- Signed copy of Trustee's license
NEW CLUB - $10 plus $35 FCC Application Fee
Per FCC Part 97.5(2) the club must be composed of at least four persons and must have a name, a document of organization, management, and a primary purpose devoted to amateur service activities consistent with Part 97 Rules and must supply ALL the documents listed
We will need a copy of the following in order to process the application:
- Document of organization containing the primary purpose devoted to amateur service activities consistent with Part 97 Rules
- Copy of By-Laws
- Minutes from 1st meeting and election of the Club Officers along with a list of all members (Names & Callsigns) These Minutes MUST be signed by the Secretary and a 2nd Club Official other than the Trustee
- Signed copy of the Trustee's license. As a reminder, if your Trustee is the current Trustee for any other Club, he/she can not be the Trustee for this Club. The Club will have the license class privilege of the Trustee
- Due to recent FCC changes, we can not longer submit applications to the FCC without an FRN. You will need to register the Club in CORES and obtain a FRN to provide to us for this application. https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do DO NOT use your personal SSN to register for the Club's FRN. See below if you need to obtain a club FRN
- Continue filling out the form and submit
Obtaining a FRN Instructions:
- Register as a Entity
- Entity Type is "Private Sector"</ol>
- Sub-type is "Amateur Club"
- Entity Name is the Club Name
- Leave Employer Identification Number / Tax Payer Id Number BLANK
- Select "Amateur Club" for reason for leaving the Identification Number blank
You may return the application and required documentation Return by one of the following:
- email to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - W5YI Licensing Services DropBox: https://www.dropbox.com/request/AX8hdZ1EI4VKdVFcNEpn
- mail to W5YI Licensing Services , PO Box 260916, Plano, TX 75026-0916
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Obtaining a License Copy:
Once the FCC grants your application, you will receive an email with the subject "FCC Application Grant OR Official FCC License" from the FCC (
As a reminder, the FCC has not mailed out paper licenses in over 8 years, per the February 2015 Public Notice DA 15-72, so you will not receive a license copy in the mail.
Should you have any further questions or need additional information, please visit the FCC instruction site https://www.fcc.gov/how-obtain-official-authorizations-uls or submit a request for help at http://esupport.fcc.gov/index.htm
You can print a replica of your license at http://www.ae7q.com/misc/Generate.php
Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, such as the W5YI Licensing Services , have a different electronic filing system available than what's available to the public. Radio amateurs may renew their own license, but only within the allowed 90 day filing window, using the FCC new Universal Licensing System (ULS). But it can be confusing. You access your license record information with a FCC Registration Number (FRN), UserName Account, and Password on the FCC ULS License Manager site.
Amateur operator licenses may be renewed any time during a filing window of 90 days before license expiration and there is a 2 year grace period, in which after your license has expired, you may still renew. But your license will be cancelled on the next business day after the 2 year grace period has expired. After the 2 year "grace period" is up, your license will be cancelled by the FCC.
If you go past your 2 year "Grace" period and loose your license, you can receive upgrading credit for having previously held a General Class or Extra Class license, to regain your amateur privileges. Technician hold NO credit towards upgrade unless you can show that it was granted prior to March 1987.
To become re-licensed, you will have to retake and pass a Technician Exam. Once a new license has been granted you may be able to get your old call sign back by filing for it through the Vanity System, if it has not been reissued.
W5YI offers a fast and much easier method of getting your license renewed or address change updated with the FCC.
Please visit this FCC checklist before renewing your license: FCC Renewal checklist if you renew directly with the FCC.
FCC License Search: http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp
FCC Application Search: https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/searchAppl.jsp
FCC Pay Fees Site: https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/paymentFrnLogin.do