Compliance

PMR446, FRS and amateur licences: what's legal in the US, UK, EU and AU

Yidamei compliance deskUpdated 2 Nov 20269 min read
Short answer: PMR446 (0.5W) is licence-free across the UK and EU; FRS (up to 2W on shared channels) is licence-free in the US; amateur radios need a licence everywhere but are the only way to 5–10W output legally. Importers must match the radio's region variant to the destination market — a US-variant FRS radio is not legal to use in the EU.
On this page United Kingdom European Union United States Australia What importers must check

United Kingdom

The UK uses PMR446 — sixteen 446 MHz channels at 0.5W maximum, licence-free for business and personal use. Ofcom requires no registration. Radios must carry UKCA marking (post-Brexit) alongside CE. For higher power, amateur licences (Ofcom) or business radio licences (Ofcom Business Radio) apply. Schools, hotels and retailers can deploy PMR446 out of the box.

European Union

Identical PMR446 service across member states, governed by ETSI EN 300 200 (2014/53/EU RED). One nuance exporters miss: PMR446 radios must not have detachable antennas — a fixed antenna is a legal requirement, not a design choice. CE (RED) + RoHS documentation must be available to customs on request.

United States

The US runs FRS — up to 2W on 22 shared channels, licence-free under FCC Part 95. GMRS (up to 50W, repeater capable) needs a no-test family licence; amateur (Part 97) needs a technician exam. FRS radios must be FCC certificated and non-modifiable — fixed antenna again. Selling "US-variant" radios means Part 95 certification, not just Part 15.

Australia

Australia uses the UHF CBRS — 80 channels at 476 MHz, up to 5W, licence-free under ACMA class licence. This is a different frequency plan from PMR446, FRS and EU bands entirely, so Australian-bound fleets need the AU-variant firmware.

What importers must check before shipping

  • Region variant: order the EU/UK/US/AU firmware variant for the destination market — we region-lock variants at the factory at no charge
  • Power and antenna rules: detachable-antenna or over-power radios can be seized at customs in licence-free services
  • Documentation: CE (RED) / UKCA / FCC certificates and test reports — we supply these with every bulk quotation
  • Labelling: market-specific warnings and FCC/UKCA IDs on the housing and retail box

Every Yidamei licence-free model is manufactured in three region variants with certification files available under NDA. When you request a quote, tell us the destination and we configure compliance from the first sample.

Request region-correct pricing