Is this call sign available?

How it works

A call sign is in use while its license is active. When a license expires, the holder has a 2-year grace period to renew it, and no one else can get the call. It can be requested by anyone eligible from the day after the second anniversary of the expiration. A canceled or surrendered call, including one given up for a vanity call, becomes available 2 years after the cancellation.

A former holder can get their old call back without waiting. When a holder has died, a close relative or the holder's club may request the call as soon as the license shows expired or canceled.

You may request only calls from the group for your license class or a lower one: Group A (1x2, 2x1 and A-prefix 2x2 calls) is for Amateur Extra; Group B (other 2x2 calls) adds Advanced; Group C (1x3 calls) adds General, Technician and Technician Plus; Group D (2x3 calls) is open to every class. Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean and Pacific calls go only to licensees with a mailing address there.

Request a call with a vanity application in the FCC's ULS. You can list up to 25 calls, and you get the first one on your list that is assignable when the FCC processes your application.

Sources

• 47 CFR 97.19: the 2-year wait after expiration (c)(1) and after cancellation (c)(2), the former-holder exception, the rules after a licensee's death (c)(3), the class groups (d) and the Alaska/Hawaii/Caribbean/Pacific address rule (d)(4).
• 47 CFR 97.21(b): the 2-year grace period to renew an expired license.
• FCC Amateur Call Sign Systems: Group A-D formats, region numerals, and the call signs the FCC never assigns.
• FCC Vanity FAQ: a call that expired January 1, 2000 could first be requested January 2, 2002.
• Data: the FCC's ULS amateur license and application files, read every morning by W5PRO License Alerts. Not a product of the FCC; always check ULS before you file.