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> lasts a lifetime

You need to renew the license every 10 years, but as long as you renew you don't need to take a test (which is maybe what you mean by "lasts a lifetime").

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Yeah depends on the country/jurisdiction - in Canada, an amateur radio certification is valid for life, and doesn't require any sort of re-testing or paid renewal or anything. Pretty nice. One of the few times the government has really done something right, IMO :)

In the US, it lasts a lifetime but you have to tell them you're still alive every ten years. This is free, but if you don't file the form, your license is no longer valid.

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