ITU prefix
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The ITU allocates callsign prefixes for radio and television stations. These prefixes are agreed upon internationally. A callsign can be any number of letters and digits but each country must only use callsigns that begin with the characters allocated for use in that country.
With regard to the second and/or third letters in the prefixes in the list below, if the country in question is allocated all callsigns with A to Z in that position, then that country can also use callsigns with the digits 0 to 9 in that position. For example, the United States owns KAA–KZZ, and therefore can also use prefixes like KA1, KP4, K5, K9, and so on. The U.S. also owns AAA–ALZ and can therefore use AL4, AL8, etc., but may not use A4 or A9, as the U.S. does not own the whole of AA–AZ—it only has AA to AL.
See also: Country codes
Fictional callsigns
The following ranges of callsigns are not used, so can be used as examples and as callsigns of fictional countries. NB:- list not complete.
- A0-A1
- C0-C1
- D0-D1
- E0-E1
- H0-H1
- H5
- E6-E9
- Q[anything] (no codes beginning with Q are used - they get confused with Q Codes)
- O0-O9
- J0-J1
- L0-L1
- P0-P1
- J9
- 0[anything] (no codes beginning with 0 are used)
- S0-S1
- T0-T1
- V0-V1
- Y0-Y1
- Z0-Z1
- X0-X9
- Z4-Z9
- 1[anything] (no codes beginning with 1 are used)
- 30-39
- 40-49
- 50-59
- 60-69
- 70-79
- 80-89
- 90-99
Table of Allocation of International Call Sign Series
| Call Sign Series | Allocated to |
|---|---|
| A | |
| AAA-ALZ | United States of America |
| AMA-AOZ | Spain |
| APA-ASZ | Pakistan (Islamic Republic of) |
| ATA-AWZ | India (Republic of) |
| AXA-AXZ | Australia |
| AYA-AZZ | Argentine Republic |
| A2A-A2Z | Botswana (Republic of) |
| A3A-A3Z | Tonga (Kingdom of) |
| A4A-A4Z | Oman (Sultanate of) |
| A5A-A5Z | Bhutan (Kingdom of) |
| A6A-A6Z | United Arab Emirates |
| A7A-A7Z | Qatar (State of) |
| A8A-A8Z | Liberia (Republic of) |
| A9A-A9Z | Bahrain (State of) |
| B | |
| BAA-BZZ | China (People's Republic of) |
| C | |
| CAA-CEZ | Chile ~Note 5 |
| CFA-CKZ | Canada |
| CLA-CMZ | Cuba |
| CNA-CNZ | Morocco (Kingdom of) |
| COA-COZ | Cuba |
| CPA-CPZ | Bolivia (Republic of) |
| CQA-CUZ | Portugal |
| CVA-CXZ | Uruguay (Eastern Republic of) |
| CYA-CZZ | Canada |
| C2A-C2Z | Nauru (Republic of) |
| C3A-C3Z | Andorra (Principality of) |
| C4A-C4Z | Cyprus (Republic of) |
| C5A-C5Z | The Gambia (Republic of) |
| C6A-C6Z | Bahamas (Commonwealth of the) |
| C7A-C7Z | World Meteorological Organization ~Note 1 |
| C8A-C9Z | Mozambique (Republic of) |
| D | |
| DAA-DRZ | Germany (Federal Republic of) |
| DSA-DTZ | Korea (Republic of) |
| DUA-DZZ | Philippines (Republic of the) |
| D2A-D3Z | Angola (Republic of) |
| D4A-D4Z | Cape Verde (Republic of) |
| D5A-D5Z | Liberia (Republic of) |
| D6A-D6Z | Comoros (Islamic Federal Republic of the) |
| D7A-D9Z | Korea (Republic of) |
| E | |
| EAA-EHZ | Spain |
| EIA-EJZ | Ireland (Republic of) |
| EKA-EKZ | Armenia (Republic of) |
| ELA-ELZ | Liberia (Republic of) |
| EMA-EOZ | Ukraine |
| EPA-EQZ | Iran (Islamic Republic of) |
| ERA-ERZ | Moldova (Republic of) |
| ESA-ESZ | Estonia (Republic of) |
| ETA-ETZ | Ethiopia (Federal Democratic Republic of) |
| EUA-EWZ | Belarus (Republic of) |
| EXA-EXZ | Kyrgyz Republic |
| EYA-EYZ | Tajikistan (Republic of) |
| EZA-EZZ | Turkmenistan |
| E2A-E2Z | Thailand |
| E3A-E3Z | Eritrea |
| E4A-E4Z | Palestinian Authority ~Note 2 |
| E5A-E5Z | Cook Islands |
| F | |
| FAA-FZZ | France |
| G | |
| GAA-GZZ | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| H | |
| HAA-HAZ | Hungary (Republic of) |
| HBA-HBZ | Switzerland (Confederation of) |
| HB0-HB0 | Liechtenstein |
| HCA-HDZ | Ecuador |
| HEA-HEZ | Switzerland (Confederation of) |
| HFA-HFZ | Poland (Republic of) |
| HGA-HGZ | Hungary (Republic of) |
| HHA-HHZ | Haiti (Republic of) |
| HIA-HIZ | Dominican Republic |
| HJA-HKZ | Colombia (Republic of) |
| HLA-HLZ | Korea (Republic of) |
| HMA-HMZ | Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
| HNA-HNZ | Iraq (Republic of) |
| HOA-HPZ | Panama (Republic of) |
| HQA-HRZ | Honduras (Republic of) |
| HSA-HSZ | Thailand |
| HTA-HTZ | Nicaragua |
| HUA-HUZ | El Salvador (Republic of) |
| HVA-HVZ | Vatican City State |
| HWA-HYZ | France |
| HZA-HZZ | Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of) |
| H2A-H2Z | Cyprus (Republic of) |
| H3A-H3Z | Panama (Republic of) |
| H4A-H4Z | Solomon Islands |
| H6A-H7Z | Nicaragua |
| H8A-H9Z | Panama (Republic of) |
| I | |
| IAA-IZZ | Italy |
| J | |
| JAA-JSZ | Japan |
| JTA-JVZ | Mongolia |
| JWA-JXZ | Norway |
| JYA-JYZ | Jordan (Hashemite Kingdom of) |
| JZA-JZZ | Indonesia (Republic of) |
| J2A-J2Z | Djibouti (Republic of) |
| J3A-J3Z | Grenada |
| J4A-J4Z | Greece |
| J5A-J5Z | Guinea-Bissau (Republic of) |
| J6A-J6Z | Saint Lucia |
| J7A-J7Z | Dominica (Commonwealth of) |
| J8A-J8Z | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| K | |
| KAA-KZZ | United States of America |
| L | |
| LAA-LNZ | Norway |
| LOA-LWZ | Argentine Republic |
| LXA-LXZ | Luxembourg |
| LYA-LYZ | Lithuania (Republic of) |
| LZA-LZZ | Bulgaria (Republic of) |
| L2A-L9Z | Argentine Republic |
| M | |
| MAA-MZZ | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| N | |
| NAA-NZZ | United States of America |
| O | |
| OAA-OCZ | Peru |
| ODA-ODZ | Lebanon |
| OEA-OEZ | Austria |
| OFA-OJZ | Finland |
| OKA-OLZ | Czech Republic |
| OMA-OMZ | Slovakia |
| ONA-OTZ | Belgium |
| OUA-OZZ | Denmark |
| P | |
| PAA-PIZ | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) |
| PJA-PJZ | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) - Netherlands Antilles |
| PKA-POZ | Indonesia (Republic of) |
| PPA-PYZ | Brazil (Federative Republic of) |
| PZA-PZZ | Suriname (Republic of) |
| P2A-P2Z | Papua New Guinea |
| P3A-P3Z | Cyprus (Republic of) |
| P4A-P4Z | Aruba |
| P5A-P9Z | Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
| Q | |
| There are no prefixes beginning Q ~Note 3 | |
| R | |
| RAA-RZZ | Russian Federation |
| S | |
| SAA-SMZ | Sweden |
| SNA-SRZ | Poland (Republic of) |
| SSA-SSM | Egypt (Arab Republic of) |
| SSN-STZ | Sudan (Republic of the) |
| SUA-SUZ | Egypt (Arab Republic of) |
| SVA-SZZ | Greece |
| S2A-S3Z | Bangladesh (People's Republic of) |
| S5A-S5Z | Slovenia (Republic of) |
| S6A-S6Z | Singapore (Republic of) |
| S7A-S7Z | Seychelles (Republic of) |
| S8A-S8Z | South Africa (Republic of) |
| S9A-S9Z | São Tomé and Príncipe (Democratic Republic of) |
| T | |
| TAA-TCZ | Turkey |
| TDA-TDZ | Guatemala (Republic of) |
| TEA-TEZ | Costa Rica |
| TFA-TFZ | Iceland |
| TGA-TGZ | Guatemala (Republic of) |
| THA-THZ | France |
| TIA-TIZ | Costa Rica |
| TJA-TJZ | Cameroon (Republic of) |
| TKA-TKZ | France |
| TLA-TLZ | Central African Republic |
| TMA-TMZ | France |
| TNA-TNZ | Congo (Republic of the) |
| TOA-TQZ | France |
| TRA-TRZ | Gabonese Republic |
| TSA-TSZ | Tunisia |
| TTA-TTZ | Chad (Republic of) |
| TUA-TUZ | Côte d'Ivoire (Republic of) |
| TVA-TXZ | France |
| TYA-TYZ | Benin (Republic of) |
| TZA-TZZ | Mali (Republic of) |
| T2A-T2Z | Tuvalu |
| T3A-T3Z | Kiribati (Republic of) |
| T4A-T4Z | Cuba |
| T5A-T5Z | Somali Democratic Republic |
| T6A-T6Z | Afghanistan (Islamic State of) |
| T7A-T7Z | San Marino (Republic of) |
| T8A-T8Z | Palau (Republic of) |
| T9A-T9Z | Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republic of) |
| U | |
| UAA-UIZ | Russian Federation |
| UJA-UMZ | Uzbekistan (Republic of) |
| UNA-UQZ | Kazakhstan (Republic of) |
| URA-UZZ | Ukraine |
| V | |
| VAA-VGZ | Canada |
| VHA-VNZ | Australia |
| VOA-VOZ | Canada |
| VPA-VQZ | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| VRA-VRZ | China (People's Republic of) - Hong Kong ~Note 2 |
| VSA-VSZ | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| VTA-VWZ | India (Republic of) |
| VXA-VYZ | Canada |
| VZA-VZZ | Australia |
| V2A-V2Z | Antigua and Barbuda |
| V3A-V3Z | Belize |
| V4A-V4Z | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| V5A-V5Z | Namibia (Republic of) |
| V6A-V6Z | Micronesia (Federated States of) |
| V7A-V7Z | Marshall Islands (Republic of the) |
| V8A-V8Z | Brunei Darussalam |
| W | |
| WAA-WZZ | United States of America |
| X | |
| XAA-XIZ | Mexico |
| XJA-XOZ | Canada |
| XPA-XPZ | Denmark |
| XQA-XRZ | Chile |
| XSA-XSZ | China (People's Republic of) |
| XTA-XTZ | Burkina Faso |
| XUA-XUZ | Cambodia (Kingdom of) |
| XVA-XVZ | Viet Nam (Socialist Republic of) |
| XWA-XWZ | Lao People's Democratic Republic |
| XXA-XXZ | Portugal |
| XYA-XZZ | Myanmar (Union of) |
| Y | |
| YAA-YAZ | Afghanistan (Islamic State of) |
| YBA-YHZ | Indonesia (Republic of) |
| YIA-YIZ | Iraq (Republic of) |
| YJA-YJZ | Vanuatu (Republic of) |
| YKA-YKZ | Syrian Arab Republic |
| YLA-YLZ | Latvia (Republic of) |
| YMA-YMZ | Turkey |
| YNA-YNZ | Nicaragua |
| YOA-YRZ | Romania |
| YSA-YSZ | El Salvador (Republic of) |
| YTA-YUZ | Serbia and Montenegro |
| YVA-YYZ | Venezuela (Republic of) |
| YZA-YZZ | Serbia and Montenegro |
| Y2A-Y9Z | Germany (Federal Republic of) |
| Z | |
| ZAA-ZAZ | Albania (Republic of) |
| ZBA-ZJZ | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| ZKA-ZMZ | New Zealand |
| ZNA-ZOZ | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| ZPA-ZPZ | Paraguay (Republic of) |
| ZQA-ZQZ | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| ZRA-ZUZ | South Africa (Republic of) |
| ZVA-ZZZ | Brazil (Federative Republic of) |
| Z2A-Z2Z | Zimbabwe (Republic of) |
| Z3A-Z3Z | Republic of Macedonia |
| 2 | |
| 2AA-2ZZ | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 3 | |
| 3AA-3AZ | Monaco (Principality of) |
| 3BA-3BZ | Mauritius (Republic of) |
| 3CA-3CZ | Equatorial Guinea (Republic of) |
| 3DA-3DM | Swaziland (Kingdom of) ~Note 4 |
| 3DN-3DZ | Fiji (Republic of) ~Note 4 |
| 3EA-3FZ | Panama (Republic of) |
| 3GA-3GZ | Chile |
| 3HA-3UZ | China (People's Republic of) |
| 3VA-3VZ | Tunisia |
| 3WA-3WZ | Viet Nam (Socialist Republic of) |
| 3XA-3XZ | Guinea (Republic of) |
| 3YA-3YZ | Norway |
| 3ZA-3ZZ | Poland (Republic of) |
| 4 | |
| 4AA-4CZ | Mexico |
| 4DA-4IZ | Philippines (Republic of the) |
| 4JA-4KZ | Azerbaijani Republic |
| 4LA-4LZ | Georgia (Republic of) |
| 4MA-4MZ | Venezuela (Republic of) |
| 4NA-4OZ | Serbia and Montenegro |
| 4PA-4SZ | Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic of) |
| 4TA-4TZ | Peru |
| 4UA-4UZ | United Nations ~Note 1 |
| 4VA-4VZ | Haiti (Republic of) |
| 4WA-4WZ | Timor-Leste (East Timor) |
| 4XA-4XZ | Israel (State of) |
| 4YA-4YZ | International Civil Aviation Organization ~Note 1 |
| 4ZA-4ZZ | Israel (State of) |
| 5 | |
| 5AA-5AZ | Libya (Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) |
| 5BA-5BZ | Cyprus (Republic of) |
| 5CA-5GZ | Morocco (Kingdom of) |
| 5HA-5IZ | Tanzania (United Republic of) |
| 5JA-5KZ | Colombia (Republic of) |
| 5LA-5MZ | Liberia (Republic of) |
| 5NA-5OZ | Nigeria (Federal Republic of) |
| 5PA-5QZ | Denmark |
| 5RA-5SZ | Madagascar (Republic of) |
| 5TA-5TZ | Mauritania (Islamic Republic of) |
| 5UA-5UZ | Niger (Republic of the) |
| 5VA-5VZ | Togolese Republic |
| 5WA-5WZ | Western Samoa (Independent State of) |
| 5XA-5XZ | Uganda (Republic of) |
| 5YA-5ZZ | Kenya (Republic of) |
| 6 | |
| 6AA-6BZ | Egypt (Arab Republic of) |
| 6CA-6CZ | Syrian Arab Republic |
| 6DA-6JZ | Mexico |
| 6KA-6NZ | Korea (Republic of) |
| 6OA-6OZ | Somali Democratic Republic |
| 6PA-6SZ | Pakistan (Islamic Republic of) |
| 6TA-6UZ | Sudan (Republic of the) |
| 6VA-6WZ | Senegal (Republic of) |
| 6XA-6XZ | Madagascar (Republic of) |
| 6YA-6YZ | Jamaica |
| 6ZA-6ZZ | Liberia (Republic of) |
| 7 | |
| 7AA-7IZ | Indonesia (Republic of) |
| 7JA-7NZ | Japan |
| 7OA-7OZ | Yemen (Republic of) |
| 7PA-7PZ | Lesotho (Kingdom of) |
| 7QA-7QZ | Malawi |
| 7RA-7RZ | Algeria (People's Democratic Republic of) |
| 7SA-7SZ | Sweden |
| 7TA-7YZ | Algeria (People's Democratic Republic of) |
| 7ZA-7ZZ | Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of) |
| 8 | |
| 8AA-8IZ | Indonesia (Republic of) |
| 8JA-8NZ | Japan |
| 8OA-8OZ | Botswana (Republic of) |
| 8PA-8PZ | Barbados |
| 8QA-8QZ | Maldives (Republic of) |
| 8RA-8RZ | Guyana |
| 8SA-8SZ | Sweden |
| 8TA-8YZ | India (Republic of) |
| 8ZA-8ZZ | Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of) |
| 9 | |
| 9AA-9AZ | Croatia (Republic of) |
| 9BA-9DZ | Iran (Islamic Republic of) |
| 9EA-9FZ | Ethiopia (Federal Democratic Republic of) |
| 9GA-9GZ | Ghana |
| 9HA-9HZ | Malta |
| 9IA-9JZ | Zambia (Republic of) |
| 9KA-9KZ | Kuwait (State of) |
| 9LA-9LZ | Sierra Leone |
| 9MA-9MZ | Malaysia |
| 9NA-9NZ | Nepal |
| 9OA-9TZ | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| 9UA-9UZ | Burundi (Republic of) |
| 9VA-9VZ | Singapore (Republic of) |
| 9WA-9WZ | Malaysia |
| 9XA-9XZ | Rwandese Republic |
| 9YA-9ZZ | Trinidad and Tobago |
~Note 1: Series allocated to an international organization.
~Note 2: Provisional allocation in accordance with No. S19.33:
(S19.33 Between radiocommunication conferences, the Secretary-General is authorized to deal with questions relating to changes in the allocation of series of call signs, on a provisional basis, and subject to confirmation by the following conference).
~Note 3: Three letter codes beginning with Q are for communication abbreviations, the Q Codes and not used as callsign prefixes.
~Note 4: Half series allocation.
~Note 5: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation operates the vast majority of its stations with call signs beginning with CB. It is unclear what authority it has, if any is required, to do this.