Information about Itu Prefix

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) allocates call sign prefixes for radio and television stations of all types. They also form the basis for aircraft registration identifiers. These prefixes are agreed upon internationally, and are a form of country code. A call sign can be any number of letters and numerals but each country must only use call signs that begin with the characters allocated for use in that country.

A few countries do not fully comply with these rules. Australian broadcast stations officially have—but do not use—the VL prefix, and Canada uses Chile's CB for its own Canadian Broadcasting Corporation stations.

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 call signs with the digits 2 to 9 in that position. For example, the United States is assigned KA–KZ, and therefore can also use prefixes like KA1 or K5.

Many large countries in turn have internal rules on how and where specific subsets of their callsigns can be used (such as Mexico's XE for AM and XH for FM radio and Television broadcasting), which are not covered here.

Unallocated and unavailable call sign prefixes

Unallocated: The following call sign prefixes are available for future allocation by the ITU. (x represents any letter; n represents any digit from 2–9.)

• E6, E8, E9, H5, J9, On, S4, T9*, Un, V9, Xn, YZ*, Z4–Z9, 4N*.

(* Indicates a prefix that has recently been returned to the ITU.)

Unavailable: Under present ITU guidelines the following call sign prefixes shall not be allocated[1]. They are sometimes used unofficially - such as amateur radio operators operating in a disputed territory or in a nation state that has no official prefix (e.g. S0 in Western Sahara or 1A at Knights of Malta headquarters in Rome). (x represents any letter; n represents any digit from 2–9.)

• nn, x0, x1, 0x, 1x, Qx.
• no prefixes beginning with Q are used—they may be confused with Q codes.
• no prefixes with the digits 1 or 0 are used—they may be confused with the letters I or O.
• two digit prefixes (nn) are not as yet considered by the ITU.

Table of Allocation of International Call Sign Series

View as grid chart
View this list arranged by nation

Call Sign Series	Allocated to
A
AA–AL	United States of America
AM–AO	Spain
AP–AS	Pakistan (Islamic Republic of)
AT–AW	India (Republic of)
AX	Australia
AY–AZ	Argentine Republic
A2	Botswana (Republic of)
A3	Tonga (Kingdom of)
A4	Oman (Sultanate of)
A5	Bhutan (Kingdom of)
A6	United Arab Emirates
A7	Qatar (State of)
A8	Liberia (Republic of)
A9	Bahrain (State of)
B
B	China (People's Republic of)
B (BM-BO, BQ, BV, BX)	Taiwan (uses prefixes allocated to China)
C
CA–CE	Chile (See note 5)
CF–CK	Canada
CL–CM	Cuba
CN	Morocco (Kingdom of)
CO	Cuba
CP	Bolivia (Republic of)
CQ–CU	Portugal
CV–CX	Uruguay (Eastern Republic of)
CY–CZ	Canada
C2	Nauru (Republic of)
C3	Andorra (Principality of)
C4	Cyprus (Republic of)
C5	The Gambia (Republic of)
C6	Bahamas (Commonwealth of the)
C7	World Meteorological Organization (See note 1)
C8–C9	Mozambique (Republic of)
D
DA–DR	Germany (Federal Republic of)
DS–DT	Korea (Republic of)
DU–DZ	Philippines (Republic of the)
D2–D3	Angola (Republic of)
D4	Cape Verde (Republic of)
D5	Liberia (Republic of)
D6	Comoros (Islamic Federal Republic of the)
D7–D9	Korea (Republic of)
E
EA–EH	Spain
EI–EJ	Ireland (Republic of)
EK	Armenia (Republic of)
EL	Liberia (Republic of)
EM–EO	Ukraine
EP–EQ	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
ER	Moldova (Republic of)
ES	Estonia (Republic of)
ET	Ethiopia (Federal Democratic Republic of)
EU–EW	Belarus (Republic of)
EX	Kyrgyz Republic
EY	Tajikistan (Republic of)
EZ	Turkmenistan
E2	Thailand
E3	Eritrea
E4	Palestinian Authority
E5	Cook Islands (See note 2)
E7	Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republic of) (See note 2)
F
F	France
G
G	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
H
HA	Hungary (Republic of)
HB	Switzerland (Confederation of)
HB (HB0, HB3Y, HBL)	Liechtenstein (uses prefixes allocated to Switzerland)
HC–HD	Ecuador
HE	Switzerland (Confederation of)
HF	Poland (Republic of)
HG	Hungary (Republic of)
HH	Haiti (Republic of)
HI	Dominican Republic
HJ–HK	Colombia (Republic of)
HL	Korea (Republic of)
HM	Democratic People's Republic of Korea
HN	Iraq (Republic of)
HO–HP	Panama (Republic of)
HQ–HR	Honduras (Republic of)
HS	Thailand
HT	Nicaragua
HU	El Salvador (Republic of)
HV	Vatican City State
HW–HY	France
HZ	Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of)
H2	Cyprus (Republic of)
H3	Panama (Republic of)
H4	Solomon Islands
H6–H7	Nicaragua
H8–H9	Panama (Republic of)
I
I	Italy
J
JA–JS	Japan
JT–JV	Mongolia
JW–JX	Norway
JY	Jordan (Hashemite Kingdom of)
JZ	Indonesia (Republic of)
J2	Djibouti (Republic of)
J3	Grenada
J4	Greece
J5	Guine–Bissau (Republic of)
J6	Saint Lucia
J7	Dominica (Commonwealth of)
J8	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
K
K	United States of America
L
LA–LN	Norway
LO–LW	Argentine Republic
LX	Luxembourg
LY	Lithuania (Republic of)
LZ	Bulgaria (Republic of)
L2–L9	Argentine Republic
M
M	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
N
N	United States of America
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 (Kingdom of the)
PJ	Netherlands (Kingdom of the) — Netherlands Antilles
PK–PO	Indonesia (Republic of)
PP–PY	Brazil (Federative Republic of)
PZ	Suriname (Republic of)
P2	Papua New Guinea
P3	Cyprus (Republic of)
P4	Aruba
P5–P9	Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Q
There are no prefixes beginning Q (See note 3)
R
R	Russian Federation
S
SA–SM	Sweden
SN–SR	Poland (Republic of)
SSA–SSM	Egypt (Arab Republic of)
SSN–STZ	Sudan (Republic of the)
SU	Egypt (Arab Republic of)
SV–SZ	Greece
S2–S3	Bangladesh (People's Republic of)
S5	Slovenia (Republic of)
S6	Singapore (Republic of)
S7	Seychelles (Republic of)
S8	South Africa (Republic of)
S9	São Tomé and Príncipe (Democratic Republic of)
T
TA–TC	Turkey
TD	Guatemala (Republic of)
TE	Costa Rica
TF	Iceland
TG	Guatemala (Republic of)
TH	France
TI	Costa Rica
TJ	Cameroon (Republic of)
TK	France
TL	Central African Republic
TM	France
TN	Congo (Republic of the)
TO–TQ	France
TR	Gabonese Republic
TS	Tunisia
TT	Chad (Republic of)
TU	Côte d'Ivoire (Republic of)
TV–TX	France
TY	Benin (Republic of)
TZ	Mali (Republic of)
T2	Tuvalu
T3	Kiribati (Republic of)
T4	Cuba
T5	Somali Democratic Republic
T6	Afghanistan (Islamic State of)
T7	San Marino (Republic of)
T8	Palau (Republic of)
T9	(T9 returned to the ITU on 7 Aug 2007. Bosnia and Herzegovina is now E7)
U
UA–UI	Russian Federation
UJ–UM	Uzbekistan (Republic of)
UN–UQ	Kazakhstan (Republic of)
UR–UZ	Ukraine
V
VA–VG	Canada
VH–VN	Australia
VO	Newfoundland (Canada)
VP–VQ	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
VR	China (People's Republic of) — Hong Kong
VS	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
VT–VW	India (Republic of)
VX–VY	Canada
VZ	Australia
V2	Antigua and Barbuda
V3	Belize
V4	Saint Kitts and Nevis
V5	Namibia (Republic of)
V6	Micronesia (Federated States of)
V7	Marshall Islands (Republic of the)
V8	Brunei Darussalam
W
W	United States of America
X
XA–XI	Mexico
XJ–XO	Canada
XP	Denmark
XQ–XR	Chile
XS	China (People's Republic of)
XT	Burkina Faso
XU	Cambodia (Kingdom of)
XV	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)
XW	Lao People's Democratic Republic
XX	China (People's Republic of) — Macao (See note 2)
XY–XZ	Burma or Myanmar (Union of)
Y
YA	Afghanistan (Islamic State of)
YB–YH	Indonesia (Republic of)
YI	Iraq (Republic of)
YJ	Vanuatu (Republic of)
YK	Syrian Arab Republic
YL	Latvia (Republic of)
YM	Turkey
YN	Nicaragua
YO–YR	Romania
YS	El Salvador (Republic of)
YT–YU	Serbia (See note 2)
YV–YY	Venezuela (Republic of)
Y2–Y9	Germany (Federal Republic of)
Z
ZA	Albania (Republic of)
ZB–ZJ	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
ZK–ZM	New Zealand
ZN–ZO	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
ZP	Paraguay (Republic of)
ZQ	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
ZR–ZU	South Africa (Republic of)
ZV–ZZ	Brazil (Federative Republic of)
Z2	Zimbabwe (Republic of)
Z3	Republic of Macedonia
2
2	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
3
3A	Monaco (Principality of)
3B	Mauritius (Republic of)
3C	Equatorial Guinea (Republic of)
3DA–3DM	Swaziland (Kingdom of) (See note 4)
3DN–3DZ	Fiji (Republic of) (See note 4)
3E–3F	Panama (Republic of)
3G	Chile
3H–3U	China (People's Republic of)
3V	Tunisia
3W	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)
3X	Guinea (Republic of)
3Y	Norway
3Z	Poland (Republic of)
4
4A–4C	Mexico
4D–4I	Philippines (Republic of the)
4J–4K	Azerbaijani Republic
4L	Georgia (Republic of)
4M	Venezuela (Republic of)
4O	Montenegro (See note 2)
4P–4S	Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic of)
4T	Peru
4U	United Nations (See note 1)
4V	Haiti (Republic of)
4W	Timor–Leste (East Timor)
4X	Israel (State of)
4Y	International Civil Aviation Organization (See note 1)
4Z	Israel (State of)
5
5A	Libya (Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)
5B	Cyprus (Republic of)
5C–5G	Morocco (Kingdom of)
5H–5I	Tanzania (United Republic of)
5J–5K	Colombia (Republic of)
5L–5M	Liberia (Republic of)
5N–5O	Nigeria (Federal Republic of)
5P–5Q	Denmark
5R–5S	Madagascar (Republic of)
5T	Mauritania (Islamic Republic of)
5U	Niger (Republic of the)
5V	Togolese Republic
5W	Western Samoa (Independent State of)
5X	Uganda (Republic of)
5Y–5Z	Kenya (Republic of)
6
6A–6B	Egypt (Arab Republic of)
6C	Syrian Arab Republic
6D–6J	Mexico
6K–6N	Korea (Republic of)
6O	Somali Democratic Republic
6P–6S	Pakistan (Islamic Republic of)
6T–6U	Sudan (Republic of the)
6V–6W	Senegal (Republic of)
6X	Madagascar (Republic of)
6Y	Jamaica
6Z	Liberia (Republic of)
7
7A–7I	Indonesia (Republic of)
7J–7N	Japan
7O	Yemen (Republic of)
7P	Lesotho (Kingdom of)
7Q	Malawi
7R	Algeria (People's Democratic Republic of)
7S	Sweden
7T–7Y	Algeria (People's Democratic Republic of)
7Z	Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of)
8
8A–8I	Indonesia (Republic of)
8J–8N	Japan
8O	Botswana (Republic of)
8P	Barbados
8Q	Maldives (Republic of)
8R	Guyana
8S	Sweden
8T–8Y	India (Republic of)
8Z	Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of)
9
9A	Croatia (Republic of)
9B–9D	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
9E–9F	Ethiopia (Federal Democratic Republic of)
9G	Ghana
9H	Malta
9I–9J	Zambia (Republic of)
9K	Kuwait (State of)
9L	Sierra Leone
9M	Malaysia
9N	Nepal
9O–9T	Democratic Republic of the Congo
9U	Burundi (Republic of)
9V	Singapore (Republic of)
9W	Malaysia
9X	Rwandese Republic
9Y–9Z	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. This is through a special agreement with the government of Chile, which is officially assigned the CB prefix.