The FCC does not allow licenses that have expired and gone beyond the two year grace period to automatically qualify for a new license. Once the license is expired and canceled in the FCC system, the licensee must retest to get back in to amateur radio. To get restarted back into amateur radio, previous licensees at a minimum must take the current 35-question Technician exam at a VE test session. Once the technician exam is passed, the FCC will issue a new call sign and a new license.
§97.505 Element credit.
(a) The administering VEs must give credit as specified below to an examinee holding any of the following license grants or license documents:
(1) An unexpired (or expired but within the grace period for renewal) FCC-granted Advanced Class operator license grant: Elements 2 and 3.
(2) An unexpired (or expired but within the grace period for renewal) FCC-granted General Class operator license grant: Elements 2 and 3.
(3) An unexpired (or expired but within the grace period for renewal) FCC-granted Technician or Technician Plus Class operator (including a Technician Class operator license granted before February 14, 1991) license grant: Element 2.
(4) An expired FCC-issued Technician Class operator license document granted before March 21, 1987; Element 3.
(5) A CSCE: Each element the CSCE indicates the examinee passed within the previous 365 days.
(b) No examination credit, except as herein provided, shall be allowed on the basis of holding or having held any other license grant or document.
At a test session, the VEs will review all credit documents presented by applicants. Per FCC Rule 97.505(a)(5), a CSCE issued within the previous 365 days for Element Credit (credit as indicated) is acceptable.
The FCC does not offer any credit for expired Novice, General, Advanced or Extra class licenses. However, per FCC Rule 97.505(a)(4), the FCC does offer partial credit to pre-1987 Technician licenses. If an applicant was ever a "Technician" prior to 3/21/87, and has proof, the FCC will afford credit for the General (Element 3) written exam only. The FCC does not require the applicant to have been continuously licensed.
The following are means to verify the Technician grandfather credit status of someone eligible for such credit under Section 97.505 of FCC Rules. At VE test sessions it is the applicant (not the VEs or coordinating VEC) who is responsible for supplying the evidence of holding valid grandfather credit:
At a test session, the VEs will review all credit documents presented by applicants. * For General written test (Element 3) credit, persons who took a 50-question Technician/General written test before March 21, 1987 receive Technician grandfather license credit. This can be verified if an applicant presents any of the following: