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G1D11

COMMISSION'S RULES · - Volunteer Examiners and Volunteer Examiner Coordinators; temporary identification; element credit; remote operation

G1D11§ 97.505G1D →

What action is required to obtain a new General class license after a previously held license has expired and the two-year grace period has passed?

  1. AThey must have a letter from the FCC showing they once held an amateur or commercial license
  2. BThere are no requirements other than being able to show a copy of the expired license
  3. CContact the FCC to have the license reinstated
  4. DThe applicant must show proof of the appropriate expired license grant and pass the current Element 2 exam
Why Once the two-year grace period expires the license grant is gone for good and cannot be reinstated; the person must apply as a new applicant. However, 97.505 lets the VE team award examination element credit to someone who shows proof of an expired FCC-issued license grant, so an expired General grant still earns credit for Element 3. No credit is given for Element 2, so the applicant only has to sit and pass the current Technician written exam to get a new General class license.
Watch out Contacting the FCC to have it reinstated is wrong because reinstatement is only possible during the two-year grace period; after that the grant is permanently expired. Simply showing the expired license is not enough either, since the Element 2 credit is the one piece that must be re-earned.
Past the grace period: show the old grant, keep Element 3 credit, retake Element 2.
HamSandwich explanation, first draft. The question and answers are the NCVEC text.
47 CFR 97.505 Element credit.

(a) The administering VEs must give credit as specified below to an examinee holding any of the following license grants:

(b) The administering VEs must give credit to an examinee holding a CSCE for each element the CSCE indicates the examinee passed within the previous 365 days.

eCFR text as of 1 Sep 2026 · read on ecfr.gov
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The rest of G1D

  1. G1D01 Who may receive partial credit for the elements represented by an expired amateur radio license?
  2. G1D02 What license examinations may you administer as an accredited Volunteer Examiner holding a General class oper…
  3. G1D03 On which of the following band segments may you operate if you are a Technician class operator and have an un…
  4. G1D04 Who must observe the administration of a Technician class license examination?
  5. G1D05 When operating a US station by remote control from outside the country, what license is required of the contr…
  6. G1D06 Until an upgrade to General class is shown in the FCC database, when must a Technician licensee identify with…
  7. G1D07 Volunteer Examiners are accredited by what organization?
  8. G1D08 Which of the following criteria must be met for a non-US citizen to be an accredited Volunteer Examiner?
  9. G1D09 How long is a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) valid for exam element credit?
  10. G1D10 What is the minimum age that one must be to qualify as an accredited Volunteer Examiner?
  11. G1D11 What action is required to obtain a new General class license after a previously held license has expired and…
  12. G1D12 When operating a station in South America by remote control over the internet from the US, what regulations a…
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