Not affiliated with Midland, Wouxun, or the government.
One GMRS license covers not just the licensee but their immediate family members as well. This makes GMRS uniquely practical for family communication — you don't need a separate license for every person. But the rules about who qualifies are specific, and the licensee carries responsibility for everyone operating under their callsign.
The FCC defines "immediate family" for GMRS purposes. The following people may operate under your license:
Family coverage does not extend to:
Anyone outside your immediate family who wants to use GMRS must obtain their own license.
All family members operating under your license use your callsign when identifying. There's no separate callsign for each family member — everyone identifies as the same station.
There is no minimum age to operate a GMRS radio under a family license. A child of any age can use a radio as long as a licensed family member has authorized it. However, the child cannot hold the license themselves — applicants must be 18 or older.
As the licensee, you are legally responsible for all operations conducted under your callsign. This includes transmissions made by family members. If a family member violates FCC rules, the licensee is accountable. Make sure everyone in your household who uses GMRS understands the basics: proper etiquette, callsign identification, and which channels to use.
In most cases, one license per household is enough. If both spouses want to hold separate licenses (for example, to each have their own callsign), they can each apply individually. But it's not required — the $35 covers the whole immediate family for the full 10-year term.