What is an RLS-Enabled Beacon?

An RLS-enabled beacon is a beacon that has the Return Link Service feature.  The Return Link Service feature is an indication (e.g., a light or text display) on the beacon that confirms to the user that the distress signal from the beacon has been received and localized by the Cospas-Sarsat system and forwarded to government authorities for action.  It does NOT mean that a rescue has yet been organized/launched, only that the distress alert has been received and routed to the appropriate government agencies.   For further information about how the Return Link Service feature works, and performance expectations, you should watch the Cospas-Sarsat video on RLS and read the related sections of the SAR/Galileo Service Definition Document.

Every beacon includes as part of the transmitted distress message a preprogrammed “country code”, that normally indicates the national residency of the owner and/or the country/territory where the beacon was purchased.  Some countries/territories allow RLS-enabled beacons (using an RLS “protocol” for the transmitted distress message) to be preprogrammed with their “country code”, and sold and used on their territory, and some other countries/territories do not.  (However, any properly programmed beacon will work anywhere on Earth.)

Please Register your Beacon

Cospas-Sarsat strongly recommends that you register your beacon.  It only is possible to register a beacon in the registry operated by the country matching the country code programmed into the beacon (or the International Beacon Registration Database (IBRD) if the country uses it for their registrations).  (For example, it only is possible to register a beacon with a French country code in France’s registry.  However, owners of Belgian-coded beacons must register in the IBRD.)  Visit Where to Register My Beacon to see where you can register your beacon

Where Can I Buy an RLS-Enabled Beacon?

The countries/territories that have informed Cospas-Sarsat that RLS-enabled beacons are allowed to be preprogrammed with their “country code”, and sold and used on their territory are listed below, together with notes about any limitations and with links to country/territory-specific regulations as they have been reported to Cospas-Sarsat.  Because there may be a delay in countries informing Cospas-Sarsat, some countries not on this list may also allow RLS-enabled beacons.  (It is also recommended to check directly with the national/territorial authorities for the latest information on what is allowed.  Your local beacon vendor may be able to tell you where to find this information.) 

 (Please see countries’ S.007 webpages.)

Country or Territory	Limitations	Country Code (MID)	Specific Country Regulations
Algeria	Allowed for all beacon types	605	S.007
Argentina	Allowed for all beacon types	701	S.007
Australia	Allowed for all beacon types	503	S.007
Brazil	Allowed for all EPIRBs and PLBs  only	710	S.007
Canada	Allowed for all beacon types	316	S.007
Chile	Allowed for all beacon types	725	S.007
Croatia	Allowed for all beacon types	238	S.007
Cyprus	Allowed for all beacon types	209	S.007
Cyprus	Allowed for EPIRBs only	210, 212	S.007
Denmark	Allowed for all beacon types	219, 220	S.007
Faroe Islands (DK)	Allowed for all beacon types	231	S.007
Finland	Allowed for EPIRBs only	230	S.007
France	Allowed for all beacon types depending on the use. Restrictions may exist per Country Code (see *)	226*, 227, 228*, 329, 347, 361, 501*, 540, 546, 578, 607*, 618*, 635*, 660, 745	S.007
Germany	Allowed for EPIRBs and ELTs only	211, 218	S.007
Greece	Allowed for all beacon types	237, 239, 240, 241	S.007
Greenland (DK)	Allowed for all beacon types	331	S.007
Hong Kong (CHN)	Allowed for EPIRBs and PLBs only	457	S.007
Iceland	Allowed for all beacon types	251	S.007
Ireland	Allowed for EPIRBs and PLBs only	250	S.007
Israel	Allowed for all beacon types	428	S.007
Italy	Allowed for all beacon types	247	S.007
Japan	Allowed for EPIRBs only	431, 432	S.007
Latvia	Allowed for ELTs and PLBs only	275	S.007
Liechtenstein	Allowed for all beacon types	252	S.007
Moldova	Allowed for ELTs only	214	S.007
New Zealand	Allowed for all beacon types	512	S.007
Norway	Allowed for all beacon types	257, 258, 259	S.007
Peru	Allowed for EPIRBs and ELTs only	760	S.007
Poland	Allowed for all beacon types	261	S.007
Qatar	Allowed for all beacon types	466	S.007
Russian Federation	Allowed for EPIRBs and ELTs only	273	S.007
Saudi-Arabia	Allowed for all beacon types	403	S.007
Serbia	Allowed for all beacon types	279	S.007
Singapore	Allowed for all beacon types	563, 564, 565, 566	S.007
Spain	Allowed for EPIRBs only, with restrictions	224, 225	S.007
Sweden	Allowed for all beacon types	265, 266	S.007
Switzerland	Allowed for all beacon types	269	S.007
Taiwan (Ch. Taipei)	Allowed for PLBs only	416	S.007
Türkiye	Allowed for all beacon types	271	S.007
United Arab Emirates	Allowed for all beacon types	470, 471	S.007
United Kingdom	Allowed for all beacon types	232, 233, 234, 235	S.007
USA	Allowed for all beacon types	366, 367	S.007
Viet Nam	Allowed for all beacon types	574	S.007

 Last updated 24 May 2024