How to get a firearm licence in South Africa

Getting a licence takes a few steps, and they have to happen in the right order. The short version: train, get your competency certificate, sort out a safe, then apply for the licence.

Before you start

You can apply if you are:

• 21 or older on the day you hand in your application. If you’re younger, SAPS can allow it for “compelling reasons”, for example if you’re a dedicated hunter or sports shooter, or you need it for your work (section 9(5)).
• A South African citizen or permanent resident.
• “Fit and proper”: mentally stable, not inclined to violence, not dependent on alcohol or drugs, and without certain criminal convictions in the last five years (section 9(2)).

Step 1: Do your competency training

Book a course with an accredited training provider. You learn the law and safe handling, and do a practical test for each kind of firearm: handgun, rifle, shotgun or self-loading rifle. You get a training certificate for each one you pass.

Step 2: Apply for your competency certificate

Take your training certificate to the Designated Firearms Officer (DFO) at the police station for the area where you live, and apply on form SAPS 517. Bring:

• your ID
• your original training certificate
• two colour passport photos

Your fingerprints are taken at the station. SAPS checks your background, which takes a while. You can’t apply for a licence until you have the competency certificate (section 6(2)). Read more about competency certificates.

Step 3: Get a safe

When your firearm isn’t on you or under your direct control, it and its ammunition must be locked in a safe or strongroom that meets SABS 953 (regulation 86). SAPS will only issue a licence if you can store it properly. Read the safe rules.

Step 4: Choose your firearm

Most people buy through a licensed gun shop. The shop keeps the firearm until your licence is approved, then you collect it.

Step 5: Write your motivation

You have to explain why you need this firearm for the purpose you’re applying for. For self-defence, the law asks you to show a need you can’t reasonably meet another way (section 13(2)). SAPS says you must “fully motivate” every application. Many gun shops help with this.

Step 6: Apply for the licence

Apply on form SAPS 271 at the police station for your area. Bring:

• a certified copy of your ID
• your original competency certificate
• colour photos (32 × 40 mm)
• your motivation
• proof that you paid the fee
• any supporting documents, for example your association’s sworn statement for a dedicated licence

Your fingerprints are taken again. You only get an acknowledgement of receipt once the application is complete and your identity is checked (regulation 13(10)). Keep it safe.

Step 7: Wait, then collect

In 2024 the Minister of Police told Parliament that licence applications took 120 working days on average (about six months). Once the licence is approved, you collect your firearm from the shop.