I am a licensed radio amateur what do I need to be able to operate from the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria?

What you need is the equivalent of a certificate CEPT or HAREC .

What is CEPT and HAREC ?

A HAREC is a Harmonised Amateur Radio Examination Certificate. It is NOT a licence - it is more akin to an RAE or RCE pass slip (or perhaps the old Amateur Radio Certificate for those of us who remember those!).

There is not a HAREC examination, there are several national examinations which the corresponding licensing authorities declare as meeting the needs of HAREC (as defined in Annex 6 of TR61-02 http://www.erodocdb.dk/Docs/doc98/official/pdf/TR6102.PDF.

HAREC's are issued by national licensing authorities (eg CRC) who subscribe to CEPT.

Initially, only CEPT countries were involved in HAREC but, some years back, the scheme was modified to allow non-CEPT countries to participate.

HAREC's aren't issued to all licensees - only those who have passed an exam covering the requirements in the agreed spec (national administrations, it seems, determine compliance) and issue HARECs (generally for their 'top' licence).

So, in the BG for example, a Full Licence holder can request a HAREC from CRC. HARECs were free but the recent situation hasn't been checked. It isn't an impressive looking document- more like a Civil Servant's letter!

A HAREC holder can go to another HAREC country, present his HAREC, and apply for a licence- without needing to do the local exam.

So, for example, a French HAREC holder could, on moving to the BG, apply for a BG Full Licence.

To receive a Bulgarian call sign besides a certificate HAREC you must also have a certificate of temporary residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Holders of the CEPT certificate do not need to notify the local regulatory authority in this case CRC. They may operate from the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria with a call sign, for example: LZ/DL6BBM

For more questions and additional explanations, please use the site contact form.

Stefan Aleksandrov LZ1WDX.