FCC Radio Licensing

This determines which type of license you need — and it's the first thing we check on every new vessel.

You need a full FCC Ship Station License (not a free recreational MMSI) if your vessel is:

• A cargo ship of 300 gross tons or more navigating in the open sea or on international voyages
• A passenger ship carrying more than 12 passengers on international voyages or in the open sea
• A U.S. Coast Guard–certified vessel carrying more than 6 passengers for hire in the open sea or tidewaters
• Required to carry an AIS transceiver under USCG/Maritime Transportation Security Act regulations
• Traveling to any foreign port (Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, the Mediterranean) or communicating with foreign radio stations, regardless of size. This includes your yacht's tender (see below).

These are the vessels covered by SOLAS Chapter IV and 47 CFR Part 80, Subpart W (GMDSS regulations).

If your vessel is under 300 GT, stays in U.S. waters, and never contacts foreign stations, you likely only need a free recreational MMSI from BoatUS or U.S. Power Squadrons — not an FCC license. That MMSI is not valid if you later become subject to FCC licensing, so don't program it permanently if there's any chance you'll need the full license later.

Most U.S.-registered yacht tenders are set up with a free recreational MMSI from BoatUS or U.S. Power Squadrons. That number is only valid in U.S. waters. It is not registered with the ITU, and it does not license the tender's radios for use outside the United States.

If your tender travels with the yacht to the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean or any other foreign waters, and it has a VHF/DSC radio or AIS installed, it needs its own FCC Ship Station License and an FCC-issued MMSI, regardless of size.

Plan ahead: get the license before the yacht departs, then have the tender's DSC radio and AIS reprogrammed with the new MMSI. We can handle the FCC filing and the reprogramming for you. Contact us before your next trip.

Once the application is filed and the fee is paid:

• The FCC assigns a call sign and a 9-digit MMSI (in the 366–369 MID range for U.S.-flag vessels) and registers it in the international ITU database — this is what makes it valid for international/DSC use, unlike a free recreational MMSI.
• Processing time: Typically a few business days once a complete, fee-paid application is submitted — though the FCC does not guarantee a specific turnaround, and incomplete applications or name/data mismatches will add delay.
• You do not need to wait for the grant to start operating: once your application is submitted and shows as pending in ULS, you have temporary operating authority for 90 days. Keep a copy of the filed application with your station records during this period.
• Authorizations are issued electronically only — the FCC no longer mails licenses. You'll receive an email link to download/print your official authorization, or you can retrieve it anytime via ULS under "Download Electronic Authorizations."

Separate from the ship station license itself: at least one person aboard must hold a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit any time the vessel travels internationally or communicates with foreign stations.

• Filed the same way — FCC Form 605 via ULS
• No test required
• Valid for the operator's lifetime — file it once and it never needs renewal
• Can be filed at the same time as the ship station license application

This is a separate statute from GMDSS/SOLAS — it governs collision-avoidance radio communication between nearby vessels, not distress/safety systems. It's implemented jointly by the Coast Guard (33 CFR Part 26) and FCC (47 CFR Part 80, Subpart U), and it applies independently of, and often in addition to, any GMDSS requirement your vessel may have.

Your vessel is covered if it meets any one of these thresholds (33 CFR §26.03):

• Power-driven vessel 20 meters (65.6 ft) or more in length, while navigating
• Vessel of 100 gross tons or more carrying one or more passengers for hire, while navigating
• Towing vessel 26 feet (7.8m) or more in length, while navigating
• Dredge or floating plant operating in or near a channel/fairway in a way likely to restrict other vessels' navigation (unmanned or intermittently manned plant under a dredge's control is excluded)

What's required:

• A VHF radiotelephone operable from the navigational bridge (or main control station on a dredge), capable of transmitting/receiving in the 156–162 MHz band
• A continuous listening watch on the designated frequency — normally Channel 13 — maintained by the master, person in charge, or their designated pilot
• Channel 67 must also be monitored in specific waterways: the lower Mississippi River, the Mississippi River–Gulf Outlet, and the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal
• A certificate carried aboard with a valid FCC endorsement confirming compliance, obtained through inspection by an FCC-licensed technician — this is typically done at the same time as your regular Part 80/GMDSS safety radio survey
• If the radio fails, that alone isn't a violation — but the master must exercise due diligence to restore it as soon as practicable

This isn't a separate form — it's Item 14 of FCC Form 605, Schedule B, filed as part of the same Ship Station License application described in Step 3. Here, you declare which legal authority requires your vessel to carry radio equipment, checking "Y" or "N" for each category that applies, then entering gross tonnage in Item 15:

CategoryApplies to:

(A) Radiotelegraph — Title III, Part II, Older radiotelegraph requirement for large passenger/cargo vessels (largely superseded by GMDSS equipment)

(B) Radiotelephone — Title III, Part II, or Safety ConventionCargo vessels 300–1,600 gross tons; also covers passenger/cargo vessels over 300 GT under the Safety Convention on international voyages

(C) Radiotelephone — Title III, Part III Any vessel carrying more than 6 passengers for hire, navigated in open sea or tidewater — does not apply on the Great Lakes or to vessels already covered under (B)

(D) Great Lakes Radio AgreementVessels operating on the Great Lakes under the U.S.–Canada bilateral radio agreement

(E) Bridge-to-Bridge Radiotelephone ActAny vessel meeting the length/tonnage triggers listed above

A single vessel often checks more than one box. For example, a 400 GT cargo vessel on international voyages typically falls under both (B) — Safety Convention/GMDSS — and (E) — Bridge-to-Bridge — meaning it needs a station license under the Safety Convention and a separately certified and endorsed bridge-to-bridge radiotelephone. Missing one of these on a self-filed application is one of the most common gaps we find during surveys: an owner correctly identifies their GMDSS obligation but doesn't realize the vessel independently triggers the Bridge-to-Bridge requirement as well (or the reverse).

Quick Reference Timeline

• FRN registration (CORES): Same day
• Ship Station License (Form 605) processing: A few business days after a complete, fee-paid filing
• Operating authority while pending: Immediate — 90-day temporary authority
• Restricted Operator Permit: Same processing track as the license; valid for the operator's lifetime once issued
• Bridge-to-Bridge certificate endorsement: Completed during the same visit as your Part 80/GMDSS survey
• Full license term: 10 years (renewal required before expiration)

Getting your FCC license and MMSI assigned is the first hurdle — it doesn't replace the requirement for a certified GMDSS radio survey if your vessel falls into the compulsory/SOLAS category, and it doesn't cover a separate Bridge-to-Bridge endorsement if your vessel meets those length or tonnage thresholds. Once your equipment is installed, your MMSI is programmed into your DSC and AIS units, and your EPIRB is registered with NOAA, we handle the initial, periodical, and annual surveys required to keep your GMDSS Safety Certificate valid — along with the bridge-to-bridge radiotelephone inspection and endorsement — so your vessel stays fully compliant with 47 CFR Part 80 and SOLAS Chapter IV in one visit.

Questions about your specific vessel's requirements? Call +1 (954) 655-8485 or email aquaticnav@gmail.com — we're happy to walk you through where you fall in this process before you file anything.

• FCC Ship Radio Stations overview: fcc.gov/wireless/.../ship-radio-stations
• FCC GMDSS overview: fcc.gov/wireless/.../global-maritime
• CORES (FRN registration): apps.fcc.gov/cores/publicHome.do
• ULS License Manager: wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp
• Bridge-to-Bridge Radiotelephone Regulations (33 CFR Part 26): ecfr.gov/current/title-33/.../part-26
• FCC Bridge-to-Bridge Act rules (47 CFR Part 80, Subpart U): ecfr.gov/current/title-47/.../subpart-U
• FCC Form 605 Main Form + Schedules: fcc.gov/sites/default/files/605_all_schedules_and_instructions_0.pdf