Canada · Amateur radio exam
To get on the air with ham radio in Canada, you need an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). You get it by passing one multiple-choice exam, the Basic Qualification, with an accredited examiner. A higher score, a Morse code test or the Advanced exam add bands and privileges later.
Key facts
How it works
Topics
ISED’s syllabus in RIC-3 splits the Basic exam into 100 topic areas in eight sections, and each exam draws one question from every topic area.
Section 001 of the Basic syllabus: the rules for licences, certificates, operating and station setup.
Section 002: how to run a contact on the air, on repeaters, simplex and the bands below 30 MHz.
Section 003: how transmitters, receivers and power supplies are laid out, and how to stay safe.
Section 004: the parts radios are built from.
Section 005: the electricity behind radio, with the maths you need.
Section 006: getting the signal from the radio to the antenna and into the air.
Section 007: why a signal reaches some places and not others.
Section 008: finding and fixing interference to and from your station.
Test day
Study options
Official questions and practice exams come from ISED. Radio Amateurs of Canada, Radio Amateur du Québec and local clubs run courses, and the study page helps you choose between them.
| Option | Price | Free to use | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official sources | |||
ISED: Amateur radio exam generatorOfficial · study questions and practice exams onlineFrom Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, built from the same question banks examiners use for official exams. Basic and Advanced. | No charge shown | Study questions, practice exams and printable exams | |
ISED: question banks and reference sheetsOfficial · PDF and ZIP downloadsBoth question banks as text files, and the zip file with ISED’s formula and block diagram sheets for the Basic exam. | No charge shown | Every Basic and Advanced question | |
| Online courses | |||
Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC): Basic and Advanced coursesLive online classes, recordedRAC runs these online courses in dated sessions; the fall 2026 Basic course ran September 27 to November 29, with the Annapolis Valley Amateur Radio Club, open to anyone in Canada or abroad. The Advanced course is for RAC Maple Leaf Operator members. | $50 plus tax for the fall 2026 Basic course; study guide extra | Not stated | |
Hamstudy (Radio Amateurs of Canada)Self-study online course, no instructor, and a bookHamstudy says its Basic course covers all 984 questions in the bank, with lessons for each. Its Advanced course is in an older format. | $25 for 30 days or $40 for 90 days, Basic or Advanced, plus tax | Free preview lessons | |
Radio Amateur du Québec (RAQI): Basic Qualification courseSelf-paced online course, in English or FrenchMade to the 2025 requirements, and paid through PayPal once you create an account. RAC promotes it outside Quebec. | $100 | A demonstration course | |
| Club courses | |||
Amateur radio club coursesClassroom and online courses run by local clubsRAC’s course page lists them by province, as the clubs send them in, and says details may be out of date. Some include the exam with a club examiner. | Set by each club | Some, such as the Nanaimo club’s Basic course, list no charge | |
| Apps and websites | |||
HAM Basic and Advanced (Ryan Gilchrist)iPhone and iPad appSays it has the full Basic and Advanced question banks, over 1,500 questions, with its own exam generator. Rated 4.7 from 34 ratings. | $9.99 on the Canadian App Store | Not stated | |
Prices and ratings checked November 2026.
FAQ
Not for an ordinary amateur station. ISED combined the operator certificate and the station licence into one authorization, the Amateur Radio Operator Certificate, so no licence is needed for a mobile or fixed amateur station. The exception is satellite work: amateur space stations, and earth stations that control a satellite, need a licence.
ISED doesn’t charge an exam fee: its fee for exams given by its own staff ended on December 16, 2020. There’s no fee for your first certificate and call sign either. Accredited examiners may charge a fee to cover their costs, and none of it goes to ISED. Some later changes, like a new call sign, have a fee, which the call signs page lists.
Yes, as often as you need, at a time that suits you and the examiner. You get a different exam each time. The Morse code test can be retaken the same way.
Yes. Under a 1952 treaty between Canada and the United States, a US citizen with a US amateur licence can operate in Canada without a permit, following Canada’s rules. On voice you add “mobile” or “portable” and the Canadian prefix for where you are to your call sign, or a slash and the prefix in Morse code. You also give your location by city and province at least once in each contact.
Not toward a Canadian certificate. ISED gives no equivalency for amateur licences from other countries, so you pass the Basic exam like anyone else. A visitor can operate here on their home call sign, bringing their licence and a certificate under the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations’ arrangement, or, from a country outside it, a letter of authority from ISED’s Amateur Radio Service Centre.
No. The amateur certificate only covers radio in the amateur service, and ISED says other radio services may need their own certificate or licence. It works partly the other way, though: holders of a Radiotelephone Operator’s General Certificate (aeronautical, maritime or land) can be authorized with the same privileges as Basic.
The Radiocommunication Regulations define the amateur radio service as radio used for self-training, intercommunication or technical investigation by people interested in radio technique for personal reasons, with no money involved.
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.