Amateur radio licence in Italy: exam, callsign and quiz

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The Italian licence: exam, licence and callsign

This page is about the Italian amateur radio licence. It is meant for English speakers who live in Italy: since 2024, residence in Italy is enough to apply. Every step with the rules in force: the application, the exam, the licence, the callsign and the general authorisation. For practice there is a quiz, on a separate page.

50exam questions

30correct answers to pass

2sessions a year, as a rule

Who this page is for

Rules valid in Italy only.

You live in Italy: You can take the Italian exam if you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country or of a country with reciprocity agreements, or if you are resident in Italy (art. 137 of the Electronic Communications Code, as amended in 2024). The exam is run by the Ministry’s territorial inspectorates: ask your inspectorate about the language and the arrangements of the exam.
You are visiting with a foreign licence: For short stays you may not need an Italian licence: if your country applies CEPT recommendation T/R 61-01, you can operate in Italy by putting the prefix I/ before your callsign and following Italian rules and band limits.

The steps, from start to station

Six steps in order, with times and costs.

Step 1Study and listen
Listening to the amateur bands needs no licence and is the best way to learn. Many ARI sections run preparation courses.
Step 2Apply for the exam
Online only, on the Ministry’s amateur radio portal (live since 11 May 2026), with SPID or CIE. Exam fee €25 via pagoPA. Deadlines: 10 May and 10 October.
Step 3Pass the exam
Written test with 50 multiple-choice questions, different at every session: 30 correct answers needed (60%). With exemption from part A: 20 questions, 12 correct.
Step 4Get the licence
Issued by the Ministry’s territorial inspectorate. It does not expire and needs no renewal.
Step 5Request your callsign
With the licence you request your callsign, the code that identifies you on air, on the same portal.
Step 6General authorisation
Within 30 days of the callsign you file the declaration to install and operate the station. It lasts up to 10 years; new ones pay a one-off €50 fee.

What the exam looks like

Written test at the territorial inspectorate, in three parts.

Part A: Technical questions: electronics, radio engineering, antennas, propagation.
Part B: National and international operating rules and procedures.
Part C: National and international regulation of the amateur and amateur-satellite services.
Exemption from part A: On request, for some technical degrees and diplomas (e.g. electronics, telecommunications): only parts B and C are taken.

Requirements and costs

Who can sit the exam and what it costs.

Minimum age: 14: Since 28 April 2024 (Legislative Decree 48/2024, art. 137 of the Electronic Communications Code). It used to be 16.
Citizenship: Of an EU or European Economic Area country, of a country with reciprocity agreements, or residence in Italy.
Exam: €25: Fee paid via pagoPA on the Ministry payment portal, plus the revenue stamp required for the application.
Authorisation: €50 for 10 years: One-off fee for new authorisations and renewals (since 2023). Holders of an authorisation already valid before July 2023 pay €5 a year by 31 January, until it expires.

New in 2026: class N and chosen callsigns

What has been decided and what is still missing.

Class N licence: The decree of 26 January 2026 (Official Gazette no. 51, 3 March 2026) introduces an entry-level licence with a simpler exam syllabus (pass mark 60%). It will start with the implementing decrees: until then the class A exam applies.
Chosen callsigns: The same decree provides for chosen callsigns of up to 5 characters, valid for 10 years, with a €250 fee. These too await the implementing decrees.

Quiz: test yourself

The quiz has its own page, one question at a time.

Quiz for the Italian amateur radio examOver 300 questions on the Ministry programme. 50-question simulation, as in the exam, or practice by topic with the explanation straight away.

Take the quiz →