Before you may possess a firearm, you must obtain a firearm licence from the South African Police Service (SAPS). You need a licence for every firearm that you possess.

Prospective firearm owners must successfully undergo the prescribed training at an accredited training institution and obtain a training proficiency certificate. A list of accredited training institutions are maintained on the website of the SAPS or you may call the SAPS National Firearms Call Centre at Tel: 012 353 6111 or Fax: 012 353 6574 for information.

• You must successfully complete the prescribed test on the knowledge of the Act as well as the prescribed training and practical test regarding the safe and efficient handling of a firearm at an accredited training provider.
• On receipt of the training certificate from an accredited training provider or SASSETA (Safety and Security Training Authority), apply to the South African Police Service for a competency certificate. You must complete the SAPS 517 (Application for a competency certificate) form. The applicant must be submitted by the applicant together with the following supporting documentation to the Designated Firearms Officer situated in the area where you ordinarily reside:
  • official identify document
  • your original training certificate issued by an accredited by an accredited training provider (SASSETA)
  • two unobscured passport size colour photographs (with a neutron background) not older than 3 months,
  • any other supporting documents.
• After you have obtained a Competency Certificate, you must complete the relevant sections of the SAPS 271 form (Application for a licence to possess a firearm). Submit the completed SAPS 271 form to the Designated Firearms Officer (DFO) situated in the area where you ordinarily reside.
• You must take the following documents with you to the DFO:
  • your original official identity document
  • original Competency Certificate (if it has already been issued)
  • letter of appointment as executor, if the firearm is inherited
  • two unobscured passport-size colour photographs, not older than three months
• You must fully motivate your application and submit supporting documents in support of your application.
• The DFO will:
  • take a full set of your fingerprints on the SAPS 91(a) form (only for a competency certificate).
  • issue you with a remittance advice (SAPS 523 (a) and direct you to the Financial Office at the police station to pay the prescribed fee. The payment must be made by means of cash or a bank-guaranteed cheque. You will be issued with an expenditure receipt (Z263) as proof of the payment, which you must submit to the DFO to enable the continuance in processing the application.
• You will receive a signed acknowledgment of receipt (SAPS 523) as proof that you have submitted an application for a licence to possess a firearm.

(Documents are provided in PDF format. To open PDF documents, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or higher installed on your computer.)

Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act 60 of 2000)

The DFO will send the application form, as well as the supporting documents, to the Central Firearms Register (CFR) for consideration. After the successful consideration of your application for a firearm licence, the DFO will ask you to obtain and install, within 14 days, a firearm safe that meets the standards set by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). The DFO will carry out a physical inspection of your premises to ascertain that you have met the requirements for a safe. Upon receipt of the successful Safe Inspection Report, your licence will be printed and sent to the Designated Firearms Officer to be handed to you against a signature in the SAPS 86 register.

• Competency Certificate: R70
• Firearm licence: R140

(Forms are provided in PDF format. To open PDF documents, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or higher installed on your computer.)

• Application for a competency certificate, SAPS 517
• Application for a licence to possess a firearm, SAPS 271

National Firearms Call Centre: 012-353 6111