ARRL The National Association of Amateur Radio® reports that the FCC has extended the filing deadline to March 5, 2026, for amateur radio licenses that otherwise were due to expire from October 1, 2025, to March 5, 2026. The announcement is included in an FCC Public Notice (DA-25-943) released on Monday, November 17, 2025.

The news follows the recent reopening of the federal government on November 13, following a lengthy 43-day shutdown. Since reopening, many federal agencies, including the FCC, have resumed activities, though reducing backlogs and rebounding to full operations and may take some time. This includes continued delays in filing amateur radio license applications.

The FCC Public Notice includes:

For personal radio licensees (i.e., Amateur, Ship, Aircraft, GMRS, and Commercial Operator Licenses), renewal filings originally due on October 1, 2025, through and including March 5, 2026, are now due on March 5, 2026. Further, we confirm that licensees whose licenses have expired and whose renewal filing deadlines have been extended above may rely on their timely renewal filing (by the extended deadline) to support continued operation pursuant to section 1.62 of the Commission’s rules.

ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, explained that the announcement means that amateurs whose license expired, or will expire, between October 1, 2025, and March 5, 2026, may continue to operate upon completing a license renewal filing by March 5, 2026.

Somma added that the FCC ULS systems are available again, which include the license manger system, FCC license search, and application search databases, as well as the CORES system. She noted, however, that Electronic Batch Filing (EBF) is not yet available. “The EBF system is used by ARRL VEC and all VEC organizations to file exam sessions, individual applications, and club license applications,” said Somma. “This means that applications for new and upgraded licenses, as well as individual and club license filings, are not being processed at this time.”

During the shutdown, the ARRL VEC urged its Volunteer Examiners to continue giving ham radio exam sessions (see important information below For ARRL VEC exam candidates). “We have over 2,500 license applications ready to file as soon as the EBF system becomes available and fully operational,” added Somma. “ARRL VEC is prepared to submit the backlog of sessions and applications to FCC for issuing licenses.”

For ARRL VEC exam candidates who were unable to get an FCC Registration Number (FRN) while the FCC CORES system was unavailable, please follow these steps to ensure your license application is ready to be processed promptly once the EBF system becomes operational:

1. Register for a CORES account at https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do, using your email address as your username.

2. Verify your account, then log in and obtain your FCC Registration Number (FRN).
   • Be sure to register as an Individual.

   • Enter your personal information exactly as it appears on your photo ID.

   • Once you receive your FRN, save it carefully -- this will be your permanent FCC identifier.

   • Send your Name, Test Date, and new FRN to the ARRL VEC. Email: VEC@arrl.org

See previous ARRL News: Amateur Radio Licensing Update During US Government Shutdown 10/1/2025