Compliance

Do you need an MCMC licence for your walkie talkies?

By Jolene Wong

The 0.5 W line, what a repeater licence involves, and how long approval takes.

Two routes

MCMC has two routes for walkie talkies: class assignment, which needs no application, and apparatus assignment, which is the licence you apply for.

• Class assignment: certified personal radios on the 446 MHz channels MCMC lists, up to 0.5 W. No application and no fee.
• Apparatus assignment: radios above 0.5 W, and any repeater system. You apply to MCMC and pay yearly fees.

So check both the power and the frequency. A 0.5 W radio set to another frequency does not qualify just because of its power. The same class assignment also lists 27 MHz citizen band radios, which are not the UHF business radios on this site.

What a licence looks like in practice

• Licences are per frequency. One frequency gives you two digital channels.
• There is a minimum of 30 portable units per frequency. If you have 12 radios, you still pay for 30.
• Approval usually takes 1 to 3 months, so start early.
• Radios are reprogrammed onto the approved frequency after approval.
• From the following year, MCMC bills you directly for renewal.

Reference fees per frequency, per year

These are the figures I work with in 2026, and MCMC can change them. My quotation always shows the current amount.

I can handle the application for you. Send me your radio models and how many you have.

Sources

• MCMC: Class Assignment
• MCMC: Class Assignment No. 2 of 2025 (PDF)
• MCMC: Guidelines for Apparatus Assignment