ITU prefix

The ITU prefix (ugs. Also country connoisseur ) is an internationally valid component of the call sign of a transmitter or radio station in radio technology issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) .

General

The prefix is country-specific and is used to localize the callsign. It can consist of single letters or digits or a combination thereof; the Latin alphabet and Arabic numerals are used . The aircraft registration numbers in international aviation are also derived from this .

Regulated is the prefix in the ITU Radio Regulations ( Radio Regulations ; 1927: Article 14; 1947: Article 19; 1981/82: Article 25 of Appendix 42; 1995: Article 19 of Appendix 42).

Lists

Prefix by country

A.
country	Assigned prefix
Afghanistan	T6, YA
Egypt	SSA-SSM, SU, 6A-6B
Albania	ZA
Algeria	7R, 7T-7Y
Andorra	C3
Angola	D2-D3
Antigua and Barbuda	V2
Equatorial Guinea	3C
Argentina	AY-AZ, L2-L9, LO-LW
Armenia	EK
Aruba	P4
Azerbaijan	4J-4K
Ethiopia	ET, 9E-9F
Australia	AX, VH-VN, VZ
B.
Bahamas	C6
Bahrain	A9
Bangladesh	S2-S3
Barbados	8P
Belgium	ON – OT
Belize	V3
Benin	TY
Bhutan	A5
Bolivia	CP
Bosnia and Herzegovina	E7
Botswana	A2, 8O
Brazil	PP – PY, ZV – ZZ
Brunei	V8
Bulgaria	LZ
Burkina Faso	XT
Burundi	9U
C.
Chile	CA-CE, XQ-XR, 3G
China (People's Republic) (see also Taiwan)	B, XS, 3H-3U
China (People's Republic) (see also Taiwan)	VR ( Hong Kong ), XX ( Macau )
Cook Islands	E5
Costa Rica	TE, TI
D.
Denmark	OU-OZ, XP, 5P-5Q
Sahara Arab Democratic Republic	S0 (not officially awarded by the International Telecommunication Union , but tolerated)
Germany	DA – DR, Y2 – Y9 (Y2-Y9: formerly DDR )
Dominica	J7
Dominican Republic	HI
Djibouti	J2
E.
Ecuador	HC-HD
Ivory Coast	TU
El Salvador	HU, YS
Eritrea	E3
Estonia	IT
F.
Fiji	3DN-3DZ
Finland	OF – OJ
France (and its overseas departments / territories )	F, HW-HY, TH, TK, TM, TO-TQ, TV-TX
G
Gabon	TR
Gambia	C5
Georgia	4L
Ghana	9G
Grenada	J3
Greece	J4, SV-SZ
Guatemala	TD, TG
Guinea	3X
Guinea-Bissau	J5
Guyana	8R
H
Haiti	HH, 4V
Honduras	HQ-HR
I.
India	AT-AW, VT-VW, 8T-8Y
Indonesia	JZ, PK-PO, YB-YH, 7A-7I, 8A-8I
International Civil Aviation Organization	4Y
Iraq	HN, YI
Iran	EP-EQ, 9B-9D
Ireland	EI – EJ
Iceland	TF
Israel	4X, 4Z
Italy	I.
J
Jamaica	6Y
Japan	JA-JS, 7J-7N, 8J-8N
Yemen	7O
Jordan	JY
K
Cambodia	XU
Cameroon	TJ
Canada	CF-CK, CY-CZ, VA-VG, VO, VX-VY, XJ-XO
Cape Verde	D4
Kazakhstan	UN-EQ
Qatar	A7
Kenya	5Y-5Z
Kyrgyzstan	EX
Kiribati	T3
Colombia	HJ-HK, 5J-5K
Comoros	D6
DR Congo	9O-9T
Republic of the Congo	TN
Kosovo	Z6 (16.05.2018 officially banned by the International Telecommunication Union )
Croatia	9A
Cuba	CL-CM, CO, T4
Kuwait	9K
L.
Laos	XW
Lesotho	7P
Latvia	YL
Lebanon	OD
Liberia	A8, D5, EL, 5L-5M, 6Z
Libya	5A
Liechtenstein (uses prefixes assigned to Switzerland)	HB (HB0, HB3Y, HBL)
Lithuania	LY
Luxembourg	LX
M.
Madagascar	5R-5S, 6X
Malawi	7Q
Malaysia	9M, 9W
Maldives	8Q
Mali	TZ
Malta	9H
Morocco	CN, 5C-5G
Marshall Islands	V7
Mauritania	5T
Mauritius	3B
North Macedonia	Z3
Mexico	XA-XI, 4A-4C, 6D-6J
Micronesia	V6
Moldova	HE
Monaco	3A
Mongolia	JT – JV
Montenegro	4O
Mozambique	C8-C9
Myanmar	XY-XZ
N
Namibia	V5
Nauru	C2
Nepal	9N
New Zealand	ZK – ZM
Nicaragua	HT, H6-H7, YN
Netherlands	PA-PI
Netherlands	PJ ( Netherlands Antilles )
Niger	5U
Nigeria	5N-5O
North Korea	HM, P5-P9
Norway	JW-JX, LA-LN, 3Y
O
Oman	A4
Austria	OE
East Timor	4W
P
Pakistan	AP-AS, 6P-6S
Palau	T8
Palestinian Territories	E4
Panama	HO – HP, H3, H8 – H9, 3E – 3F (H9: in the beginning, before 1930 Switzerland)
Papua New Guinea	P2
Paraguay	ZP
Peru	OA-OC, 4T
Philippines	DU-DZ, 4D-4I
Poland	HF, SN-SR, 3Z
Portugal	CQ-CU
R.
Rwanda	9X
Romania	YO-YR
Russia	R, UA-UI
S.
St. Kitts and Nevis	V4
St. Lucia	J6
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	J8
Solomon Islands	H4
Zambia	9I-9Y
San Marino	T7
Sao Tome and Principe	S9
Saudi Arabia	HZ, 7Z, 8Z
Sweden	SA-SM, 7S, 8S
Switzerland (see also Liechtenstein)	HB, HE
Senegal	6V-6W
Serbia	YT-YU
Seychelles	S7
Sierra Leone	9L
Zimbabwe	Z2
Singapore	9V, S6
Slovakia	OM
Slovenia	S5
Somalia	6O, T5
Sovereign Order of Malta	1A (not officially awarded by the International Telecommunication Union , but tolerated)
Spain	AM-AO, EA-EH
Spratly Islands	1S (not officially awarded by the International Telecommunication Union , but tolerated)
Sri Lanka	4P-4S
South Africa	S8, ZR – CLOSE
Sudan	SSN-STZ, 6T-6U
South Korea	DS-DT, D7-D9, HL, 6K-6N
South Sudan	Z8
Suriname	PZ
Swaziland	3DA-3DM
Syria	YK, 6C
T
Tajikistan	EY
Taiwan (uses prefixes associated with the People's Republic of China)	B (BM, BN, BO, BQ, BV, BX)
Tanzania	5H-5I
Thailand	E2, HS
Togo	5V
Tonga	A3
Trinidad and Tobago	9Y-9Z
Chad	TT
Czech Republic	OK – OL
Tunisia	TS, 3V
Turkey	TA-TC, YM
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus	1B (not officially awarded by the International Telecommunication Union , but tolerated)
Turkmenistan	EZ
Tuvalu	T2
U
Uganda	5X
Ukraine	EM – EO, UR – UZ
Hungary	HA, HG
Uruguay	CV-CX
Uzbekistan	UJ – UM
V
Vanuatu	YJ
Vatican city	HV
Venezuela	YV-YY, 4M
United Arab Emirates	A6
United Kingdom (and overseas territories / crown possessions )	2, G, M, VP-VQ, VS, ZB-ZJ, ZN-ZO, ZQ
United States of America	AA-AL, K, N, W
United Nations	4U
Vietnam	XV, 3W
Donetsk People's Republic	D0-D1 (not assigned by the International Telecommunication Union , therefore illegal)
W.
Belarus	EU – EW
World Meteorological Organization	C7
Western Samoa	5W
Z
Central African Republic	TL
Cyprus	C4, H2, P3, 5B

Prefix by alphabet

A.
ITU prefix	Assignment to
AA-AL	United States of America ( USA )
AM-AO	Spain
AP-AS	Pakistan
AT – AW	India
AX	Australia
AY-AZ	Argentina
A2	Botswana
A3	Tonga
A4	Oman
A5	Bhutan
A6	United Arab Emirates
A7	Qatar
A8	Liberia
A9	Bahrain
B.
B.	People's Republic of China
B (BM – BO, BP, BQ, BU, BV, BW, BX)	Republic of China (Taiwan)
C.
CA – CE	Chile
CF-CK	Canada
CL-CM	Cuba
CN	Morocco
CO	Cuba
CP	Bolivia
CQ-CU	Portugal
CV-CX	Uruguay
CY-CZ	Canada
C2	Nauru
C3	Andorra
C4	Cyprus
C5	Gambia
C6	Bahamas
C7	World Meteorological Organization
C8-C9	Mozambique
D.
DA – DR	Germany
DS-DT	South Korea
DU – DR	Philippines
D0-D1 (not assigned by the International Telecommunication Union , therefore illegal)	Donetsk People's Republic
D2-D3	Angola
D4	Cape Verde
D5	Liberia
D6	Comoros
D7-D9	South Korea
E.
EA-EH	Spain
EI – EJ	Ireland
EK	Armenia
Tbsp	Liberia
EM – EO	Ukraine
EP-EQ	Iran
HE	Moldova
IT	Estonia
ET	Ethiopia
EU – EW	Belarus
EX	Kyrgyzstan
EY	Tajikistan
EZ	Turkmenistan
E2	Thailand
E3	Eritrea
E4	Palestinian Territories
E5	Cook Islands
E7	Bosnia and Herzegovina
F.
F.	France (and its overseas departments / French overseas territories )
G
G	United Kingdom (with British overseas territories / Crown possessions of the British Crown )
H
HA	Hungary
HB	Switzerland without HB0, HBL and HB3Y
HB0, HBL, HB3Y	Liechtenstein (uses prefix of Switzerland HB followed by 0, L and 3Y)
HC-HD	Ecuador
HE	Switzerland
HF	Poland
HG	Hungary
HH	Haiti
HI	Dominican Republic
HJ – HK	Colombia
HL	South Korea
HM	North Korea
HN	Iraq
HO-HP	Panama
HQ-HR	Honduras
HS	Thailand
HT	Nicaragua
HU	El Salvador
HV	Vatican city
HW-HY	France (and its overseas departments / French overseas territories )
HZ	Saudi Arabia
H2	Republic of Cyprus
H3	Panama
H4	Solomon Islands
H6-H7	Nicaragua
H8-H9	Panama (H9: in the beginning before 1930 Switzerland)
I.
I.	Italy
J
YES – JS	Japan
JT – JV	Mongolia
JW-JX	Norway
JY	Jordan
JZ	Indonesia
J2	Djibouti
J3	Grenada
J4	Greece
J5	Guinea-Bissau
J6	St. Lucia
J7	Dominica
J8	St. Vincent and the Grenadines
K
K	United States of America ( USA )
L.
LA – LN	Norway
LO – LW	Argentina
LX	Luxembourg
LY	Lithuania
LZ	Bulgaria
L2-L9	Argentina
M.
M.	United Kingdom (with British overseas territories / Crown possessions of the British Crown )
N
N	United States of America ( USA )
O
OA-OC	Peru
OD	Lebanon
OE	Austria
OF – OJ	Finland
OK – OL	Czech Republic
OM	Slovakia
ON – OT	Belgium
OU – OZ	Denmark
P
PA-PI	Netherlands
PJ	Netherlands Antilles
PK-PO	Indonesia
PP-PY	Brazil
PZ	Suriname
P2	Papua New Guinea
P3	Republic of Cyprus
P4	Aruba
P5-P9	North Korea
Q
No prefix starting with Q as it is reserved for the Q key
R.
R.	Russia
S.
SA-SM	Sweden
SN-SR	Poland
SSA-SSM	Egypt
SSN – STZ	Sudan
SU	Egypt
SV – SZ	Greece
S0 (not officially awarded by the International Telecommunication Union , but tolerated)	Sahara Arab Democratic Republic
S2-S3	Bangladesh
S5	Slovenia
S6	Singapore
S7	Seychelles
S8	South Africa
S9	Sao Tome and Principe
T
TA-TC	Turkey
TD	Guatemala
TE	Costa Rica
TF	Iceland
TG	Guatemala
TH	France (and its overseas departments / French overseas territories )
TI	Costa Rica
TJ	Cameroon
TK	France (and its overseas departments / French overseas territories )
TL	Central African Republic
TM	France (and its overseas departments / French overseas territories )
TN	Republic of the Congo
TO-TQ	France (and its overseas departments / French overseas territories )
TR	Gabon
TS	Tunisia
TT	Chad
TU	Ivory Coast
TV – TX	France (and its overseas departments / French overseas territories )
TY	Benin
TZ	Mali
T2	Tuvalu
T3	Kiribati
T4	Cuba
T5	Somalia
T6	Afghanistan
T7	San Marino
T8	Palau
U
UA – UI	Russia
UJ – UM	Uzbekistan
UN-EQ	Kazakhstan
UR – UZ	Ukraine
V
VA – VG	Canada
VH – VN	Australia
VO	Canada (formerly Newfoundland (Dominion) )
VP-VQ	United Kingdom (with British overseas territories / Crown possessions of the British Crown )
VR	China - Hong Kong
VS	United Kingdom
VT – VW	India
VX-VY	Canada
VZ	Australia
V2	Antigua and Barbuda
V3	Belize
V4	St. Kitts and Nevis
V5	Namibia
V6	Federated States of Micronesia
V7	Marshall Islands
V8	Brunei
W.
W.	United States of America ( USA )
X
XA-XI	Mexico
XJ-XO	Canada
XP	Denmark
XQ-XR	Chile
XS	People's Republic of China
XT	Burkina Faso
XU	Cambodia
XV	Vietnam
XW	Laos
XX	People's Republic of China - Macau
XY-XZ	Myanmar
Y
YA	Afghanistan
YB-YH	Indonesia
YI	Iraq
YJ	Vanuatu
YK	Syria
YL	Latvia
YM	Turkey
YN	Nicaragua
YO-YR	Romania
YS	El Salvador
YT-YU	Serbia
YV-YY	Venezuela
Y2-Y9	Germany (formerly German Democratic Republic )
Z
ZA	Albania
ZB-ZJ	United Kingdom (with British overseas territories / Crown possessions of the British Crown )
ZK – ZM	New Zealand
ZN-ZO	United Kingdom (with British overseas territories / Crown possessions of the British Crown )
ZP	Paraguay
ZQ	United Kingdom (with British overseas territories / Crown possessions of the British Crown )
ZR – CLOSE	South Africa
ZV – ZZ	Brazil
Z2	Zimbabwe
Z3	Macedonia
Z6 (officially banned by the International Telecommunication Union on May 16, 2018 )	~~Kosovo~~
Z8	South Sudan
1
1A (not officially awarded by the International Telecommunication Union , but tolerated)	Sovereign Order of Malta
1B (not officially awarded by the International Telecommunication Union , but tolerated)	Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
1S (not officially awarded by the International Telecommunication Union , but tolerated)	Spratly Islands
2
2	United Kingdom (with British overseas territories / Crown possessions of the British Crown )
3
3A	Monaco
3B	Mauritius
3C	Equatorial Guinea
3DA-3DM	Swaziland
3DN-3DZ	Fiji
3E-3F	Panama
3G	Chile
3H-3U	People's Republic of China
3V	Tunisia
3W	Vietnam
3X	Guinea
3Y	Norway
3Z	Poland
4th
4A-4C	Mexico
4D-4I	Philippines
4J-4K	Azerbaijan
4L	Georgia
4M	Venezuela
4O	Montenegro
4P-4S	Sri Lanka
4T	Peru
4U	United Nations
4V	Haiti
4W	East Timor
4X	Israel
4Y	International Civil Aviation Organization
4Z	Israel
5
5A	Libya
5B	Republic of Cyprus
5C-5G	Morocco
5H-5I	Tanzania
5J-5K	Colombia
5L-5M	Liberia
5N-5O	Nigeria
5P-5Q	Denmark
5R-5S	Madagascar
5T	Mauritania
5U	Niger
5V	Togo
5W	Samoa
5X	Uganda
5Y-5Z	Kenya
6th
6A-6B	Egypt
6C	Syria
6D-6J	Mexico
6K-6N	South Korea
6O	Somalia
6P-6S	Pakistan
6T-6U	Sudan
6V-6W	Senegal
6X	Madagascar
6Y	Jamaica
6Z	Liberia
7th
7A-7I	Indonesia
7J-7N	Japan
7O	Yemen
7P	Lesotho
7Q	Malawi
7R	Algeria
7S	Sweden
7T-7Y	Algeria
7Z	Saudi Arabia
8th
8A-8I	Indonesia
8J-8N	Japan
8O	Botswana
8P	Barbados
8Q	Maldives
8R	Guyana
8S	Sweden
8T-8Y	India
8Z	Saudi Arabia
9
9A	Croatia
9B-9D	Iran
9E-9F	Ethiopia
9G	Ghana
9H	Malta
9I-9Y	Zambia
9K	Kuwait
9L	Sierra Leone
9M	Malaysia
9N	Nepal
9O-9T	Democratic Republic of Congo
9U	Burundi
9V	Singapore
9W	Malaysia
9X	Rwanda
9Y-9Z	Trinidad and Tobago
0
No prefix starting with the number 0 as there is a risk of confusion with O (letter)

Prefix given to international organizations

International organization	Assigned prefix
International Civil Aviation Organization	4Y
World Meteorological Organization	C7
United Nations	4U

Web links

Table of International Call Sign Series (Appendix 42 to the RR) of the ITU

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f qsl.net
↑ ^a ^b ITU Bulletin 1149. In: itu.int. ITU, May 16, 2018, accessed June 20, 2017 .
↑ ^a ^b Funkamateur (magazine) 11.2012 FUNKAMATEUR 11 · 2012 - FUNKAMATEUR OnlineShop

[qsl.net-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f qsl.net

[Z6-2] ITU Bulletin 1149. In: itu.int. ITU, May 16, 2018, accessed June 20, 2017 .

[box73.de-3] Funkamateur (magazine) 11.2012 FUNKAMATEUR 11 · 2012 - FUNKAMATEUR OnlineShop