1.2 The 2024 Amateur Class Licence & Shift from Apparatus Licences
Key Takeaways
The Amateur Class Licence commenced on 19 February 2024 and does not require an individual licence application or annual class licence fee.
Holders of still-valid non-assigned amateur licences may operate under those licences until expiry. ACMA ceased renewing them from 19 February 2024.
Amateur beacon and repeater stations require an assigned apparatus licence and its applicable operating conditions.
Sections 8 and 9 and Schedule 7 recognise qualifying legacy credentials at the applicable level. ACMA administers call signs under Schedule 4.
What changed on 19 February 2024
The Radiocommunications (Amateur Stations) Class Licence 2023 commenced on 19 February 2024. It authorises personal amateur stations subject to its operating conditions. The individual operator does not need to apply for a class licence or pay an annual class licence renewal fee. There may be fees for separate administrative services, including applying for a recognition certificate or a new call sign.
Before the transition, personal stations generally used non-assigned amateur apparatus licences. The Radiocommunications (Amateur Licences – Renewal Statement) Determination 2023 provided for non-renewal of these licences. An operator with a still-valid non-assigned licence can use it until it expires or surrender it. When relying on the class licence, the operator must meet the class licence conditions. When relying on a remaining apparatus licence, the operator follows the applicable apparatus licence conditions.
Decide which authority applies
| Station or operator | Authority to check | What to read |
|---|---|---|
| Qualified operator using a personal station under the class licence | Amateur Class Licence | Sections 8–18 and the applicable schedules, including the qualification, call sign and technical rules. |
| Operator relying on a still-valid non-assigned amateur licence | Individual apparatus licence | Licence terms, current Amateur Licence and Transmitter Licence determinations. |
| Amateur repeater or amateur beacon station | Assigned transmitter licence | The specific assignment and licence conditions, and applicable determination provisions. Section 13(2) excludes these stations from the class licence. |
The Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Amateur Licence) Determination 2025 commenced on 30 September 2025 and replaced its 2015 predecessor. The Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Transmitter Licence) Determination 2025 commenced on 31 March 2025. Both are made under section 110A of the Act. Each instrument specifies how an inconsistent condition on an individual licence takes precedence in the scope it defines. The older title in the February 2024 syllabus refers to the instrument current when the syllabus was written. Use the current law when a question asks about operation today.
To work through a repeater question, identify the device that is being operated. The club's repeater retransmits on its assigned output frequency and operates under its own apparatus licence. A qualified person using a personal transceiver to access it can rely on the class licence for that personal station and must check the applicable qualification and frequency conditions. The same exchange can therefore involve two different operating authorities.
Qualifications and call signs after transition
Section 8 defines a qualified person. The domestic routes include an ACMA recognition certificate or a recognised qualification. Under section 9 and Schedule 7, specified pre-transition certificates of proficiency are recognised at the appropriate type. The ACMA qualification framework identifies examples such as the Amateur Operator's Certificate of Proficiency (Standard), which corresponds to Standard. An operator with a qualifying existing credential does not have to apply for a recognition certificate merely because the licensing model changed. Section 11 also provides for operation under a qualified person's supervision.
Call signs serve the separate purpose of station identification. Schedule 4 governs assignment and includes transitional arrangements. ACMA states that active amateur call signs assigned before commencement stayed with their holders and were associated with their highest qualification. New call sign assignments are managed by ACMA. A recognition certificate is evidence of qualification, and a call sign certificate records a call sign assignment.
The call sign register shows assignment status and the qualification level associated with the call sign. Operators can check their own call signs and qualification in ACMA Assist. Check the operating authority for the device separately. A station can have both a valid call sign and a frequency restriction. For an assigned repeater or beacon, look at the actual licence and its location and frequency entries.
Worked example: the returning operator
Lee held a valid non-assigned licence, a recognised Advanced qualification and an active call sign immediately before the transition. The non-assigned licence has now expired. Lee can check the ACMA records for the qualification and call sign, then use the class licence for personal operation within Advanced conditions. Lee does not need to renew the old non-assigned licence. If Lee plans to install and operate a club repeater, the club must arrange an assigned transmitter licence for that station. The licence change for Lee's personal station does not provide authority to operate the repeater.
Which amateur facility requires an assigned apparatus licence for the station itself?
A qualified operator’s personal HF station in a vehicle.
A personal portable handheld used within the operator’s privileges.
A qualified operator’s fixed personal station.
An amateur repeater or amateur beacon station.
What changed for an operator who now relies on the class licence for a personal station?
They can operate subject to the class licence conditions without renewing an individual amateur licence annually.
They must re-sit their qualifying examination every year.
They must lodge a quarterly station log before renewing their personal licence.
They can transmit independently without a qualification or call sign.
A personal operator already holds a pre-transition Amateur Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency (Standard) recognised by ACMA. How does it apply under the class licence?
The operator must re-sit the Standard examination before first use.
The operator can rely on the recognised Standard qualification and comply with the applicable class licence conditions.
The operator automatically gains the Advanced bands on expiry of the old licence.
The operator can use the qualification only for Morse transmissions.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.