Last Frontier Amateur Radio Society, Inc.

In-person testing is defined as a method of exam delivery where you have all applicants and at least 3 accredited Volunteer Examiners in the same room.

This page was last updated on Friday, February 23rd, 2024 and all information on this page is current.

1.) Who is eligible?

The Last Frontier Amateur Radio Society will gladly administer an in-person examination to anyone that meets our eligibility requirements:
      --  You must be a legally established resident of the United States;
      --  You must be a United States Citizen or Permanent Resident;
      --  You must have a valid, verifiable mailing address;
            ++  Due to known fraudulent use of mailing addresses in the United States, we will NOT provide examinations to individuals using mail-forwarding services, or for any person where the authenticity or authorization to use an address is deemed to be in question.  No exceptions!!!!!

You MUST be physically present in Alaska to receive an in-person Examination.  No exceptions!

We will NOT administer an examination to any foreign national, regardless of their legal status unless they are a United States Citizen or Permanent Resident.  No exceptions!

2.) Our exam schedule

All fully in-person and hybrid in-person examinations are offered on an "as needed" basis at this time. If you are anywhere in Alaska and would like to take advantage of this service, please send us an email to testing|[at]|lfars.net and we will get you taken care of!

3.) Our technical requirements for in-person examinations:

To be eligible for an in-person examination, applicants must meet the following technical and setup requirements if receiving a paperless examination:
      --  You will need one laptop computer with the Brave, Chromium, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari web browser installed.  Installation links for each are below:
            ++  Download Brave
            ++  Download Chromium
            ++  Download Google Chrome
            ++  Download Microsoft Edge
            ++  Download Mozilla Firefox
            ++  Download Safari for OS X
            ++  NOTE:  You will also want to make sure any browser addons or extensions are completely disabled prior to exam day to ensure no problems occur.  This also includes disabling your VPN if you use one to browse the web.

4.) Acceptible proof of positive identity

We will administer examinations to anyone with a mailing address that can be validated with the United States Postal Service. The applicant must also present a valid government issued photo identification from any U.S. state or federal authority. We accept any of the following types of valid, government issued photo identification for applicants over the age of 18:

      --  Driver Licenses or other State Photo Identification Cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent) in any U.S. state or territory
      --  U.S. passport book
      --  U.S. passport card
      --  DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
      --  U.S. Department of Defense IDs, including dependent IDs
      --  U.S. Permanent resident cards
      --  Border crossing cards, issued by a U.S. government authority
      --  DHS-designated enhanced driver’s licenses
      --  Transportation worker identification credentials issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
      --  U.S. Merchant Mariner Credentials

If the applicant’s legal name is different than what is printed on their primary document, they must present additional document(s) that provide proof of name change. This can be in the form of a marriage license or other court issued documentation positively attesting to the name change.

Amateur radio applicants under the age of 18 are not required to show photo identification. Should an applicant under the age of 18 have valid, government issued photo identification, it must fall into one of the categories as shown above for examinees over the age of 18. However, they must present at least TWO of the following if a child doesn't have photo ID to test with us:

      --  Certificate of U.S. Citizenship, Naturalization, or Birth Abroad
      --  An original or certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate issued by Vital Statistics
            ++  Certified Informational Copies are NOT valid for identity purposes!
      --  Employee ID
      --  Health Insurance Card
      --  Library Card with the applicant's name printed
      --  School ID
      --  Social Security Card
      --  A notarized letter from a parent or legal guardian attesting to the positive identity of the applicant  (A clear photocopy of the parent or legal guardian’s government issued photo identification must be attached to the letter otherwise this will not be an acceptable form of identifying an applicant under the age of 18.)

On exam day, the parent or legal guardian responsible for completing the Minor Consent Form must be present at the start of the session to attest to the positive identity of the child and present their own photo ID.

5.) Applicants under 18 years of age (minors)

If you, as an applicant, are under the age of 18, this section is for you! Before we can administer your examination, we MUST have a completed "Parental Consent Form". This form can be found by clicking HERE. This document is a fillable PDF. It must be completed by the legal parent or guardian and sent as an email attachment by the applicant's parent or legal guardian. You will need to email it to the address printed in the application as a PDF attachment. You are responsible for getting this back to us at least 24 hours prior to your exam!

6.) Fee for your examination

Through a working agreement with the ARRL VEC, the cost for a remote examination session being sponsored through the Last Frontier Amateur Radio Society is currently $15. Certain applicants are eligible for a subsidized (i.e. "free") examination. More information on who qualifies and required documentation can be found by clicking HERE (Link opens in a new page.).

7.) FCC requirements to obtain a license grant

A Federal Registration Number, or FRN from the FCC is required on exam day. We can not accept a Social Security Number for new or existing licenses. If you type in a FRN that is not correct when your application is submitted electronically, we will immediately reject it. We have a way to instantly check the validity of your FRN before processing your application. If you do not have a FRN, you will need to complete a two step process. First, you will need to create an account in the FCC's CORES system. To do this, you will need to click HERE to create your account. It will open in a new tab. Once you have created your account and confirmed it, you will be able to login and register for a Federal Registration Number. If, you don't have the link to login to CORES, you may click HERE and a separate tab will open.

Once you have your FRN, do make sure you write it down, as it's required on exam day and your amateur radio license application. You will also be required to provide a valid email address. The FCC no longer issues paper copies of licenses and will deny processing any application without a valid email address. Also, your email address will be required for the FCC to send you a link to pay the $35 licensing fee. Per FCC Public Notice DA 22-307 released on March 23rd, 2022 the $35 licensing fee will apply to new licenses, systematic callsign changes, license renewals and vanity callsign applications. Applicants will not pay a $35 fee if they are doing a license upgrade or an Administrative Update such as an address change, update to your telephone number or email address as well as changing the name on your amateur radio license.

The FCC now requires all applicants to answer if they have been convicted of a felony crime in any U.S. state or federal court. If you have been convicted of a felony crime, there will be some additional steps required of you after passing your exam. More information on that can be found by clicking HERE (page will open in a new tab).

Once we have setup dates, times and locations, we will post them here. If you have questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact us!

In-Person License Testing

Click HERE to read testimonials from some of our recent examinees!