Amateur radio equipment

Applying for an amateur licence or amateur certificate in Finland

The Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) has established a policy as to amateur radio operators and their call signs while operating in Finland.

1. Using the CEPT licence

A holder of a valid amateur radio licence according to CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01 may use his amateur radio station temporarily without a Finnish licence. The CEPT T/R 61-01 information shall be marked on the licence. The duration for operation under the CEPT licence is limited to temporary stay in Finland.

The call sign shall be OH/ in front of the amateur's national call sign. E.g. OH/DL1XXX/P. When operating in the Province of Aland, the call sign shall be OH0/national call sign.

2. Applying for a visitor amateur licence

If you have a valid amateur radio licence without CEPT classification, you may apply for a visitor licence. The call sign will be indicated in the visitor licence and has the similar form as the call sign of a CEPT licence holder (e.g. OH/DL1XXX).

If a visitor licence is renewed several times, the amateur is considered to be a permanent resident and will be requested to obtain the Finnish amateur certificate and a long-term licence.

Application form for temporary amateur radio station licence [PDF, 95 KB]

Application form for temporary amateur radio station licence (word) [DOT, 66 KB]

3. Permanent licence in Finland

There are three methods of obtaining a permanent amateur licence in Finland:

3.1 Finnish amateur examination

Any foreign amateur radio operator may take an amateur examination in Finland, resulting in the possibility to apply for a permanent licence and call sign, such as OH2XXX. Examinations can be made in Finnish, Swedish or English. An examination in English shall be requested three weeks in advance. For more information, please contact the Finnish Amateur Radio League SRAL.

3.2 HAREC certificate

A HAREC certificate in accordance with CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02 is considered equivalent to a Finnish amateur certificate. If the foreign amateur certificate corresponds to CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02 (Harmonized Amateur Radio Examination Certificate, HAREC), a long-term Finnish amateur licence may be applied for.

Application form for Finnish amateur radio licence [PDF, 92 KB]

Application form for Finnish amateur radio licence (word) [DOT, 84 KB]

A copy of the HAREC certificate shall be attached to the application.

3.3 Asking for recognition of a foreign amateur certificate

A foreign radio amateur without a HAREC certificate can apply for recognition of his examination and licence. The application shall be sent in writing to the Amateur Radio Examination Board c/o Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority, P.O.Box 313, FI-00181 HELSINKI, FINLAND. The applicant should attach copies of his licence, certificate and the passport data page (usually the one with the picture on it).

The handling of this type of application may take a considerable time if we do not have detailed data regarding the amateur examinations in the home country of the applicant. The basic requirement is that the technical examination must be on the level described in CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02.

Even if the technical level is considered acceptable, passing the Finnish K-module examination (regulations and traffic) is required.

Choosing of call sign

The Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority automatically assigns the next free call sign to any new amateur radio licence given out. This type of call sign is free of charge, i.e. only the annual licence fee has to be paid.

An amateur may wish to have a call sign of his own choice ("vanity call"). In this case the call sign is subject to a one-time fee. There are a number of rules for choosing call signs, e.g. The prefix OJ may only be used in certain locations. The rules of Article 19 of the International Radio Regulations as revised by ITU WRC-2003 are applicable.

Regional validity of licences and call signs

The licences are valid throughout the country and the call sign need not be changed when moving from one place to another.

Examination, licence and call sign indicator fees in Finland

Examinations: Please contact the Finnish Amateur Radio League SRAL.

Operator's certificate €43.75/certificate

The licence fee depends on the validity of the licence; the minimum amount is €16.00

Vanity call charge (incl.VAT) €168/call sign

Points of contact

radiocom(at)ficora.fi

FICORA
tel. +358 9 6966 210

Regulations governing amateur radio stations and their use [pdf, 84 KB]