Operating for Visitors

I hold an Overseas Amateur Radio Licence…
Can I operate in the UK?

Ofcom (the UK Regulator) may authorise amateurs to operate in the UK if the country that issued the overseas amateur radio licence is either:-

A signatory to CEPT T/R 61-01 (for a visit up to three months)
A signatory to CEPT T/R 61-02 (for a Reciprocal Licence)
Has a bilateral agreement with the UK for the mutual recognition of amateur radio licences

Notes:

Only Class-1 Licences, equivalent to the UK Full, may operate in the UK – lower licence levels are not recognised by Ofcom.
Club calls are not recognised or permitted. CEPT agreements apply to personal calls only
The UK is not party to ECC Rec 05(06)
Brexit? – this has no impact – CEPT is not an EU body

Visitors from Countries who are NOT CEPT Signatories

Licensed amateurs from countries which have not implemented CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01 or T/R 61-02 will still need to obtain a temporary UK licence from Ofcom, at the fee applicable. Such licences are issued on the strength of their home licence if a reciprocal agreement has been entered into between the UK and the government of their country under which we recognise each other’s qualifications.

Callsign Prefixes

Visitors to the UK operating under T/R 61-01 should prefix their callsign with Mx/, where x is the appropriate UK regional identifier. For example if amateur F1ABC visits the UK, they would be:-

Visiting England M/F1ABC
Visiting Scotland: MM/F1ABC
Visiting Wales: MW/F1ABC etc – as defined by T/R 61-01

Note that it is Mx/ – not Gx/which would be a breach of UK and CEPT Licence conditions.