About
Citizens of Canada holding an amateur service license granted by the Government of Canada and citizens of countries holding an amateur service license granted by a country with which the United States has made reciprocal operating arrangements are authorized by 47 C.F.R. § 97.107 to be the control operator of an amateur station transmitting from a place where the Amateur Radio Service is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The countries with which arrangements are in effect are: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark (including Greenland), Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France [including French Guiana, French Polynesia (Gambier, Marquesas, Society, and Tubuai Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago), Guadeloupe, Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, Martinique, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Wallis and Futuna Islands], Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Republic of Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Liberia, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Republic of South Africa, Spain, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom [including Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Channel Islands (including Guernsey and Jersey), Falkland Islands (including South Georgia Islands and South Sandwich Islands), Great Britain, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Northern Ireland, Saint Helena (including Ascension Island, Gough Island, and Tristan Da Cunha Island), and Turks and Caicos Islands], Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Validity
Reciprocal operating authority is valid until the expiration date on the alien's amateur service license. Reciprocal operation in a place where the Amateur Radio Service is regulated by the FCC must comply with Part 97 of the FCC's Rules and the International Telecommunication Union Radio Regulations. Operator privileges are those authorized by the alien's government, but do not exceed those of the FCC Amateur Extra Class operator.
Eligibility
No United States citizen, regardless of any other citizenship also held, is eligible for reciprocal operating authority. The alien must be a citizen of the country that granted their amateur service license. Amateur radio operators who will be in the United States for extended periods of time are encouraged to obtain an FCC-issued amateur service license grant. Any person, except a representative of a foreign government, may apply for an FCC amateur service license upon passing the qualifying examinations. The FCC licensee must maintain a valid US mailing address. An alien holding an FCC-issued amateur service license grant, however, is not eligible for reciprocal operating authority. A FCC-issued license grant, moreover, supersedes reciprocal operating authority.
Station Indicators
When a station is transmitting under the privileges afforded by an amateur service license granted by the Government of Canada or an amateur service license granted by any other country with which the United States has a multilateral or bilateral agreement, an indicator consisting of the appropriate letter-numeral designating the station location must be included in the station identification announcement. See 47 C.F.R. § 97.119
This indicator must be separated from the assigned call sign by the slant mark (/) or any suitable word that denotes the slant mark. When the station is transmitting under the authority of an amateur service license granted by the Government of Canada, the indicator must be included after the call sign (example: "VE3XX/W4").
When the station is transmitting under the authority of an amateur service license granted by any other country with which the United States has a multilateral or bilateral agreement, the indicator must be included before the call sign (example: "W4/IB4DX). At least once during each intercommunication ("QSO"), the identification announcement must also include the general geographical location as nearly as possible by city and state, commonwealth or possession (example: "W3/IB4DX Kent Island, Maryland " or "VE3XX/W4 Wallops Island, Virginia").
The station location letter-numeral indicators are: Alabama W4; Alaska KL7; American Samoa KH8; Arizona W7; Arkansas W5; Baker Island KH1; California W6; Colorado W0; Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands KH0; Commonwealth of Puerto Rico KP4; Connecticut W1; Delaware W3; Desecheo Island, PR KP5; District of Columbia W3; Florida W4; Georgia W4; Guam KH2; Hawaii KH6; Howland Island KH1; Idaho W7; Illinois W9; Indiana W9; Iowa W0; Jarvis Island KH5; Johnston Island KH3; Kansas W0; Kentucky W4; Kingman Reef KH5K; Kure Island, HI KH7; Louisiana W5; Maine W1; Maryland W3; Massachusetts W1; Michigan W8; Midway Island KH4; Minnesota W0; Mississippi W5; Missouri W0; Montana W7; Navassa Island KP1; Nebraska W0; Nevada W7; New Hampshire W1; New Jersey W2; New Mexico W5; New York W2; North Carolina W4; North Dakota W0;Ohio W8; Oklahoma W5; Oregon W7; Palmyra Island KH5; Peale Island KH9; Pennsylvania W3; Rhode Island W1; South Carolina W4; South Dakota W0;Tennessee W4; Texas W5; Utah W7; Vermont W1; Virgin Islands KP2; Virginia W4; Wake Island KH9; Washington W7; West Virginia W8; Wilkes Island KH9; Wisconsin W9; Wyoming W7.
The FCC does not have or provide information on the specific requirements for reciprocal operation in foreign countries. FCC-licensed amateur operators should make their arrangements with the appropriate governmental agency in the foreign country.
1. It should be noted that the FCC no longer issues reciprocal permits for alien amateur licensees. See Report and Order, In the Matter of Biennial Regulatory Review -- Amendment of Parts 0, 1, 13, 22, 24, 26, 27, 80, 87, 90, 95, 97, and 101 of the Commission's Rules to Facilitate the Development and Use of the Universal Licensing System in the Wireless Telecommunications Services, WT Docket 998-20, 13 FCC Rcd 21027 (1998). As a result, no additional FCC-issued authorization is required for reciprocal operating authority other than as described herein.