The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is a land-mobile radio service authorized by the FCC in the United States within the UHF band.  GMRS shares many of the same frequencies as the Family Radio Service (FRS), however output power is limited to 0.5 or 2 watts on FRS, depending on the channel.  FRS radios are limited in range and cannot use repeaters to extend range.  A license is required to operate GMRS equipment and it allows up to 5 or 50 watts of output power (also depending on the channel).  A GMRS license grants permission to operate on the repeater input frequencies, as well.  Both the increased output power and the repeater access granted by a GMRS license can dramatically increase the effective range, compared to a GMRS radio using simplex (direct) communication or an FRS radio.  Because they share the same frequencies, GMRS radios are allowed to communicate with FRS radios via simplex.

To obtain a GMRS license and call sign, you must file an application with the FCC and pay a $35 fee. No exam is required, and the license is valid for 10 years.  A license is only issued to an individual, not a business or organization.  It covers that individual's immediate family, including their spouse, children, grandchildren, stepchildren, parents, grandparents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and in-laws.  However, the license holder is responsible that each person under their license is operating correctly.  The FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS) is is an online portal to manage your FCC applications/licenses, and pay any applicable fees via a single account. The ULS eliminates the need for paper applications and submitting via snail mail. You may also view the status of pending licenses in the ULS. Once registered with the ULS, you will receive an FCC Registration Number (FRN). This is a 10-digit number that is assigned to a business or individual registering with the FCC, and is used to identify the registrant's business dealings with the FCC. Save your FCC Identification Number.  It will be your user name to log in to the Universal Licensing System.

Before continuing, there is one very important consideration that should be noted when dealing with FCC licenses. Your call sign and license information is public information and is easily searchable in FCC databases and other 3rd party records. Should you choose to register with your home address, this will be visible to anybody searching the FCC database. Exposing personal information on the internet is a concern now more than ever. One approach to limiting the amount of personal information in FCC databases is to use a P.O. Box as your contact address.  As an example, let's use Matt.  Here is what Matt's GMRS license information looks like when queried in the FCC database:

Matt uses this P.O. Box address in the center of the local metro area as the primary contact location for all FCC forms and dealings. His actual home address is not associated with any of the FCC licenses and will not be found in any FCC databases, or in other license search sites that use FCC data. 

Step 1:  Create an FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) Account

If you are a first time user, visit the Universal Licensing System homepage and click "New User Registration" or click this link. Skip this step if you have an existing ULS account. For additional information, see the New Users Guide To Getting Started With Universal Licensing System.

Select "Register" to be issued a new FCC Registration Number (FRN).

Some general questions are asked before proceeding, then you can fill out the application.

Step 2:  Log In to the ULS

After creating the account, or if you have an existing ULS account, select File Online from the ULS homepage or go directly to the log in page.

If you are not already logged in, enter your FRN and password:

Once you are logged in, you will be taken to this screen which shows your current and applied for licenses, if any:

On the next screen, select "ZA-General Mobile Radio Service" from the bottom of the drop-down menu and then click "Continue".

The next step is to answer these applicant questions.  Most people can leave "no" selected for each:

Click continue after these questions, and on the next screen supply the licensee name and address:

Once this is complete, click Continue. The next step is to answer the following question, then click Continue again:

The next step will show you a summary of the application. Verify all the information supplied is correct, and click "Continue to Certify."

Step 4:  Submit the Application

The final step before submitting the application is reading all the certification statements, which summarize the rules you are agreeing to follow as a GMRS license holder.  Electronically sign the application and submit:

When you submit the application, you will be prompted to complete payment.  After that, all you can do is wait!  Applications will usually appear in ULS Application Search in about one or two businesses days after the application is filed.  If you made an error in the application don't worry!  You can file an amendment to the application.  See the Applying for a New License in the Universal Licensing System FAQ for more information about the application process for FCC licenses.

Select your GMRS call sign from the "Filter by Radio Service" box and add it to the "Authorizations to Download" box then click Download:

The GMRS License Authorization looks like this:

Thank you to Matt Callahan WRAA720 for this article with images.