How long does it take for a gun license to be approved in South Africa?

It’s not unheard of that firearm license applications can take over a year to be approved. How true is that? I took the time to search online for as many firearm application stories as I could. Then I built a database of 200 of the most recent firearm license approvals. Using that information, I hope to give a more accurate answer to how long it takes to get a firearm license.

Firearm licenses take an average of 142 calendar days to be approved, according to a survey of 197 of the most recent firearm applications. The quickest application took 32 days, and the longest application took 306 calendar days. The time a firearm license takes to get approved depends mainly on the type of application.

I took my analysis a step further. I broke the license applications into categories of licenses to find out if one category of license or firearm type takes longer than another, and here’s what I found:

Firearm and ApplicationNo. of applications I analyzedAverage DaysMin.Max.
Handgun Self-Defense5313272235
Handgun – Occasional Sport1014572190
Handgun – Dedicated Sport2812090177
Manual Rifle – Occasional Hunting / Sport1814232198
Manual Rifle – Dedicated Hunting / Sport2616786208
Pump Action Shotgun2115093206
Semi-Auto Shotgun813899209
Semi-Auto Rifle3314296306
All Applications Types (Average):14280216

How long does it take to get a firearm license for a handgun in South Africa?

Out of the 197 firearm license applications that I analyzed, 53 of them were handguns applied for under “Section 13: Self Defense”. This seems to be the majority of applications, making sense as most people will use this firearm for self-defense and occasional sports shooting.

According to 197 of the most recent firearm license applications submitted and approved by SAPS, firearm license applications for a handgun take on average 136 days to be approved from the date of the application. The quickest application took 72 days, and the longest application took 204 days to be approved.

This is averaged out of all handgun application types, which include “Section 13: Self Defense”, “Section 15: Occasional Sport Shooting”, and “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting”. Let’s look at how long these different license categories for handguns usually take.

How long does it take to get a license for a handgun for self-defense in South Africa?

53 out of the 69 firearm license applications for a handgun were for self-defense. This is the largest group of firearm license application types out of the 200 that I analyzed.

The average firearm license application for a handgun for self-defense in South Africa takes 132 days or just over four months. The quickest application took 72 days to be approved, while the longest application took 230 days, based on an analysis of 197 of the most recent firearm applications submitted to SAPS in 2019 and 2020.

Applicant:Application Type:Firearm:Date Applied:Date Approved:Number of days:
Ta***ntSec. 13Handgun10-Oct-20194-Feb-2020117
Jua***odupSec. 13Handgun25-Sept-20195-Feb-2020133
Juan***upSec. 13Handgun25-Sept-20195-Feb-2020133
The***VSec. 13Handgun6-Nov-20192-Mar-2020117
AB***omSec. 13Handgun6-Nov-20195-Mar-2020120
AB***mSec. 13Handgun6-Nov-20195-Mar-2020120
ea***msSec. 13Handgun25-Oct-20191-Apr-2020159
D******GSec. 13Handgun7-Jan-202015-May-2020129
jvr***urgSec. 13Handgun6-Jan-202020-May-2020135
Nul***egralSec. 13Handgun21-Feb-202015-Jun-2020115
Ru***neSec. 13Handgun26-Nov-201911-Jul-2020228
Jo****MSec. 13Handgun7-Jan-202029-Jul-2020204
Ds******JSec. 13Handgun8-Jun-202024-Aug-202077
le*****nSec. 13Handgun10-Jan-20201-Sept-2020235
Ne*****23Sec. 13Handgun7-Jul-20204-Nov-2020120
Ma****Sec. 13Handgun25-Mar-202010-Nov-2020230 (Longest)
El****cSec. 13Handgun5-Jun-202010-Nov-2020158
F*****kSec. 13Handgun19-Jun-202010-Nov-2020144
B*****d3Sec. 13Handgun9-Jun-202020-Nov-2020164
St*******01Sec. 13Handgun15-Jul-20204-Jan-2021173
m****deSec. 13Handgun2-Sept-201920-Feb-2020171
Stev****d01Sec. 13Handgun1-Oct-201924-Jan-2020115
Kwagga78Sec. 13Handgun13-Sept-201925-Jan-2020134
Ne****dwSec. 13Handgun10-Oct-201930-Jan-2020112
Adam****dSec. 13Handgun18-Oct-201930-Jan-2020104
S****dwSec. 13Handgun6-Aug-201921-Jan-2020168
Andre****dHug****dSec. 13Handgun1-Aug-201913-Dec-2019134
D****dDSec. 13Handgun5-Aug-201919-Nov-2019106
M****dJSec. 13Handgun25-Jun-201917-Dec-2019175
St****dnSec. 13Handgun16-Sept-201915-Jan-2020121
wernervos47Sec. 13Handgun5-Aug-201925-Nov-2019112
M****dleySec. 13Handgun27-Aug-201913-Dec-2019108
K****ToSec. 13Handgun7-Jun-20194-Oct-2019119
Ne***ikSec. 13Handgun14-Jun-20197-Oct-2019115
To***igerSec. 13Handgun24-Jun-20191-Oct-201999
Za***asSec. 13Handgun6-Mar-201922-Jul-2019138
Ale****T97Sec. 13Handgun21-Feb-201930-May-201998
Sli***ieSec. 13Handgun28-Feb-20193-Jun-201995
Bi*ck ***41Sec. 13Handgun5-Feb-201921-May-2019105
Nj***msSec. 13Handgun28-Dec-20182-May-2019125
Ma***sTSec. 13Handgun12-Mar-201923-May-201972 (Quickest)
Eti***DHSec. 13Handgun19-Feb-201929-May-201999
Alexa****97Sec. 13Handgun21-Feb-201930-May-201998
El***arSec. 13Handgun28-Jan-201910-May-2019102
Mr***g88Sec. 13Handgun12-Jan-20196-May-2019114
Vic***88Sec. 13Handgun13-Dec-20185-Apr-2019113
drie***8Sec. 13Handgun1-Oct-201819-Mar-2019169
W***eySec. 13Handgun15-Nov-201820-Mar-2019125
co****pSec. 13Handgun30-Oct-201828-Mar-2019149
Willi****lmanSec. 13Handgun9-Jan-201925-Apr-2019106
awes***imusSec. 13Handgun14-Nov-201826-Mar-2019132
shi***25Sec. 13Handgun9-Nov-201814-Mar-2019125
M****thSec. 13Handgun30-Jan-201916-May-2019106
Average Calendar Days:132
Months4.4

How long does it take to get a license for a handgun for occasional sport shooting in South Africa?

Out of the 69 firearm license applications submitted for handguns, only 10 were submitted under “Section 15: Occasional Sport Shooting”. “Section 15: Occasional Sport Shooting” licenses do not require that you have “Dedicated Sport shooting Status”, making it a practical option to obtain a second handgun, where perhaps your “Section 13: Self-Defense” handgun is too small for sports shooting.

Based on the analysis of 197 recent firearm license applications, the average firearm license application for a handgun for occasional sport shooting takes around 134 calendar days to be approved. The quickest application took only 72 days, while the longest one took 139 days.

Applicant:Application Type:Firearm:Date Applied:Date Approved:Number of days:
Sla***ieSec. 15Handgun22-Oct-201919-Feb-2020120
Bi***adowSec. 15Handgun17-Oct-20194-Mar-2020139 (Longest)
corr***asSec. 15Handgun23-Dec-20194-Mar-202072 (Quickest)
Bis***arckSec. 15Handgun29-Jan-20206-Aug-2020190
Bismar***941Sec. 15Handgun29-Jan-20206-Aug-2020190
ni***naSec. 15Handgun16-Mar-202026-Aug-2020163
Brand***8Sec. 15Handgun3-Jun-20191-Oct-2019120
Bra***8Sec. 15Handgun3-Jun-20191-Oct-2019120
Li***nSec. 15Handgun18-Apr-201929-Jul-2019102
Cra***eySec. 15Handgun8-Dec-20189-Apr-2019122
Average Calendar Days:134
Months4.5

How long does it take to get a license for a handgun for dedicated sport shooting in South Africa?

Out of the 69 firearm license applications for a handgun, 28 were submitted under “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting”.

A firearm license application for a handgun under “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting” takes around 148 days, or approximately 5 months, to be approved. The quickest application I found in this category took 90 days to be approved, while the longest application took 440 calendar days.

Applicant:Application Type:Firearm:Date Applied:Date Approved:Number of days:
Mr***mithSec. 16Handgun10-Sept-201915-Jan-2020127
El***rSec. 16Handgun2-Sept-201925-Jan-2020145
Mo***S1Sec. 16Handgun7-Oct-20196-Feb-2020122
Baf***ersSec. 16Handgun1-Nov-201926-Feb-2020117
Dan***ppSec. 16Handgun11-Nov-20194-Mar-2020114
Mr***JSec. 16Handgun31-Oct-20195-Mar-2020126
ban***080Sec. 16Handgun25-Nov-201913-Mar-2020109
B***llaySec. 16Handgun20-Nov-201927-May-2020189
RI***ARSec. 16Handgun14-Jan-202025-Jun-2020163
Ol***ellySec. 16Handgun18-Feb-20201-Sept-2020196
Blac***adowSec. 16Handgun23-Mar-202023-Oct-2020214
Greu***enSec. 16Handgun15-Jun-20201-Nov-2020139
Bjo***Sec. 16Handgun8-Jun-202016-Nov-2020161
Lo***1Sec. 16Handgun6-Aug-202028-Nov-2020114
Jose***lesSec. 16Handgun18-Jun-202015-Dec-2020180
a****ddySec. 16Handgun13-Sept-201913-Feb-2020153
D****dJSec. 16Handgun12-Sept-201924-Jan-2020134
ky****riSec. 16Handgun18-Jul-201930 Sept 2020440 (Longest)
K****73Sec. 16Handgun6-May-201930-Oct-2019177
I****cSec. 16Handgun25-Apr-201931-Jul-201997
ad****ySec. 16Handgun3-May-20195-Aug-201994
B****XSec. 16Handgun25-Feb-201916-Jul-2019141
N****daSec. 16Handgun29-Apr-201915-Aug-2019108
M****HPSec. 16Handgun27-Feb-201919-Jun-2019112
Bk****erSec. 16Handgun18-Dec-20183-May-2019136
p****uwSec. 16Handgun3-Jan-20197-May-2019124
m****cSec. 16Handgun10-Dec-201812-Apr-2019123
An****KSec. 16Handgun9-Jan-20199-Apr-201990 (Shortest)
Average Calendar Days:148
Months4.9

How long does it take to get a firearm license for a manually operated rifle in South Africa?

Hunting and sports shooting are deeply engrained in South African culture and history. They are some of the most licensed firearms licensed in South Africa. Section 15 of the Firearms Control Act allows an individual to apply for a license for either a shotgun, handgun, or manual rifle for the purposes of occasional hunting or occasional sports shooting. Out of the 200 most recent applications that I analyzed, 33 are for manual rifles for sport shooting or hunting.

Based on 197 of the most recent firearm applications submitted to SAPS in 2019 and 2020, a firearm license for a manually operated rifle for hunting or sports shooting takes an average of 154 calendar days. Applications submitted under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting/Sport Shooting” take around 25 days quicker than those submitted under “Section: 16: Dedicated Hunting/Sport Shooting.

There are two ways to license a manually operated rifle in South Africa. The first and the easiest way is under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting / Sports Shooting”, and the second is under “Section 16: Dedicated Hunting or Sports Shooting”.

How long does it take to get a license for a rifle for occasional hunting or sport shooting?

Out of the 44 firearm applications for manually operated rifles, 18 were applied for under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting or Sports Shooting”

A firearm license application for a manually operated rifle under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting / Shooting” takes around 143 days to be approved. The longest application took about 310 days, while the quickest application took a mere 32 calendar days.

Applicant:Application Type:Firearm:Date Applied:Date Approved:Number of days:
Bj****81Sec. 15Manual Rifle10-Jun-201913-Sept-201995
El****rgerSec. 15Manual Rifle10-Apr-201913-Jul-201994
Ru****phVSec. 15Manual Rifle17-Apr-20196-Jul-201980
Da****GSec. 15Manual Rifle19-Feb-201920-Jul-2019151
sim****malSec. 15Manual Rifle18-Sept-201825-Jul-2019310 (Longest)
K****aToSec. 15Manual Rifle1-Mar-201911-Jun-2019102
M****iusTSec. 15Manual Rifle12-Mar-201923-May-201972
Ch***DSec. 15Manual Rifle20-Dec-201921-Jan-202032 (Shortest)
rp***07Sec. 15Manual Rifle25-Nov-201917-Mar-2020113
th***erSec. 15Manual Rifle4-Nov-201920-May-2020198
Av***MSec. 15Manual Rifle2-Dec-201925-May-2020175
WC***GSec. 15Manual Rifle23-Dec-201925-Jun-2020185
H***ouSec. 15Manual Rifle3-Mar-20201-Sept-2020182
K***ToSec. 15Manual Rifle17-Mar-202022-Sept-2020189
Nev***3Sec. 15Manual Rifle7-Jul-20204-Nov-2020120
gl***sonSec. 15Manual Rifle20-May-202023-Dec-2020217
Lo****dsSec. 15Manual Rifle4-Jun-201926-Nov-2019175
toxi****xSec. 15Manual Rifle8-Feb-201924-Apr-201975
Average Calendar Days:143
Months4.8

If possible, you should submit your application for a manually operated rifle under Section 15 because it is much easier to maintain. Suppose you have reached the maximum number of firearms you can license under Section 15 (Section 15 is limited to four firearms). In that case, you could apply for the license under Section 16.

How long does it take to get a license for a rifle for dedicated hunting or sport shooting?

Out of the 45 firearm applications for manually operated rifles, 26 of them were for “Section 16: Dedicated Sports Shooting”. To apply for a Section 16 license, you will need to first obtain “Dedicated Hunting or Sport Shooting Status” with an accredited association such as NHSA.

On average, a firearm license application for a manual rifle for “Section 16: Dedicated Sports Shooting” takes around 147 days, or 5 months, to be approved. The quickest application took 86 days to be approved, and the longest application took 208 calendar days.

Applicant:Application Type:Firearm:Date Applied:Date Approved:Number of days:
Vir***anSec. 16Manual Rifle2-May-20191-Aug-201991
My***niSec. 16Manual Rifle18-Nov-201923-Apr-2020157
ah***ltzSec. 16Manual Rifle12-Nov-201913-May-2020183
Riga***SSec. 16Manual Rifle11-Dec-201915-May-2020156
go***ofSec. 16Manual Rifle18-Dec-201918-May-2020152
Mo***e***Sec. 16Manual Rifle24-Feb-202028-Aug-2020186
oaf***rollSec. 16Manual Rifle28-Feb-202016-Sept-2020201
Bl***esSec. 16Manual Rifle20-Mar-202016-Sept-2020180
h***nysSec. 16Manual Rifle11-May-202017-Sept-2020129
C***WSec. 16Manual Rifle27-Feb-202022-Sept-2020208 (Longest)
CZ***WSec. 16Manual Rifle27-Feb-202022-Sept-2020208
Bo***terSec. 16Manual Rifle8-Jun-20203-Nov-2020148
El***acSec. 16Manual Rifle5-Jun-202010-Nov-2020158
glen***tsonSec. 16Manual Rifle27-May-202020-Nov-2020177
Kric***73Sec. 16Manual Rifle28-May-202020-Nov-2020176
Jose***alesSec. 16Manual Rifle18-Jun-202015-Dec-2020180
ma****d980Sec. 16Manual Rifle23-Jul-201917-Oct-201986 (Shortest)
To****cSec. 16Manual Rifle4-Jul-201912-Oct-2019100
Ol****ellySec. 16Manual Rifle24-May-20192-Sept-2019101
ja****erSec. 16Manual Rifle15-May-20199-Sept-2019117
Gra****m12Sec. 16Manual Rifle17-May-20194-Sept-2019110
C****KSec. 16Manual Rifle26-May-201910-Sept-2019107
kope****oosSec. 16Manual Rifle22-Jan-20199-May-2019107
Rogu****eisterSec. 16Manual Rifle23-Oct-20181-May-2019190
PW****jagerSec. 16Manual Rifle11-Dec-201825-Mar-2019104
Lon*****nmanSec. 16Manual Rifle12-Dec-20184-Apr-2019113
Average Calendar Days:147
Months4.9

Interestingly, applications submitted under “Section 16: Dedicated Hunting or Sport Shooting” took on average 25 days longer than those submitted under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting or Sport Shooting”

Additionally, obtaining and maintaining “Dedicated Status” is more complicated and time-consuming than simply applying under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting or Sport Shooting”. Suppose you want to apply for a firearm license for a manually operated rifle such as a bolt action. In that case, I highly recommend that you submit your application under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting or Sports Shooting”.

How long does it take to get a firearm license for a shotgun in South Africa?

Out of the 200 applications that I analyzed, there were 29 applications for shotguns. Interestingly, the vast majority of the applications I analyzed were submitted under “Section 16: Dedicated Hunting or Sport Shooting”, even though pump-action shotguns are allowed under Section 15, which is a much easier license to obtain.

Shotguns may also be licensed under Section 13: Self Defense. However, there seem to be little to no shotguns being licensed for self-defense. This is most likely because, in South Africa, you can only license one firearm under this section, and the vast majority of people opt for a handgun. Let’s look at other types of applications for handguns and how long they take.

How long does it take to get a firearm license for a pump-action shotgun in South Africa?

After analyzing 197 of the most recent firearm applications submitted to SAPS, 21 of the most recent firearm applications for a pump-action shotgun took an average of 150 days to be approved from the date of the application. The quickest application took 86 days. The longest one took 319 days, which included an appeal process after the license was refused.

Applicant:Application Type:Firearm:Date Applied:Date Approved:Number of days:
Lou***Sec. 15Shotgun4-Mar-202022-Sept-2020202
be****dzSec. 15Shotgun22-Aug-201923-Dec-2019123
Jua***dupSec. 16Shotgun18-Oct-201913-Feb-2020118
johndur***Sec. 16Shotgun7-Nov-20195-Mar-2020119
johnd***urand***Sec. 16Shotgun7-Nov-20195-Mar-2020119
mar***uskSec. 16Shotgun9-Dec-201913-Mar-202095
Da***GSec. 16Shotgun7-Jan-202015-May-2020129
Alf***insonSec. 16Shotgun3-Mar-20204-Jun-202093
Tea***camSec. 16Shotgun8-Nov-201911-Jun-2020216
Josey***alesSec. 16Shotgun15-Jan-202013-Aug-2020211
Mr***mithSec. 16Shotgun4-Jun-202016-Sept-2020104
Deo***NSec. 16Shotgun13-Mar-20205-Oct-2020206
De***_NSec. 16Shotgun13-Mar-20205-Oct-2020206
Vu****dopSec. 16Shotgun8-Sept-201915-Jan-2020129
St***Sec. 16Shotgun30-Jul-201924-Oct-201986 (Quickest)
m***eSec. 16Shotgun20-Apr-201911-Oct-2019174
D***oxSec. 15Shotgun8-Feb-201920-May-2019101
p***wSec. 16Shotgun21-Nov-20184-Apr-2019134
p***wSec. 16Shotgun21-Nov-20184-Apr-2019134
L***anSec. 16Shotgun12-Dec-20184-Apr-2019113
S***akSec. 16Shotgun25-May-20189-Apr-2019319 (Longest)
Average Calendar Days:149
Months4.9

How long does it take to get a firearm license for a semi-automatic (self-loading) shotgun in South Africa?

Out of the 29 applications submitted for shotguns, 8 of them were for semi-automatic shotguns. While you might think that a firearm application for a semi-automatic shotgun would take longer than a pump action, the numbers suggest otherwise.

Firearm license applications for semi-automatic shotguns take on average 138 days to be approved, which is around 12 days quicker than applications for pump-action shotguns. The longest application took 209 days, and the quickest application took 99 days to get approved.

Applicant:Application Type:Firearm:Date Applied:Date Approved:Number of days:
Ju***dupSec. 16Semi-Auto Shotgun18-Oct-201913-Feb-2020118
Mr***JSec. 16Semi-Auto Shotgun7-Nov-201917-Mar-2020131
cor***asSec. 16Semi-Auto Shotgun1-Jan-202028-Jul-2020209 (Longest)
K***DSec. 16Semi-Auto Shotgun7-May-201913-Sept-2019129
B***XSec. 16Semi-Auto Shotgun18-Feb-201911-Jul-2019143
De***nSec. 16Semi-Auto Shotgun28-Mar-201913-Aug-2019138
P***zSec. 16Semi-Auto Shotgun27-Mar-201914-Aug-2019140
Wv***hSec. 16Semi-Auto Shotgun27-Feb-20196-Jun-201999 (Quickest)
Average Calendar Days:138
Months4.6

How long does it take to get a firearm license for a semi-automatic rifle in South Africa?

Out of the 197 of the most recent applications I analyzed, 33 were for semi-automatic rifles. In South Africa, semi-automatic rifles can only be licensed under “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting”

On average, a firearm license application under “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting” for a semi-automatic rifle takes around 156 calendar days, or roughly five months to be approved. The quickest application took about 96 days to be approved, while the longest took 306 days.

Applicant:Application Type:Firearm:Date Applied:Date Approved:Number of days:
pb***uwSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle10-Sept-201920-Jan-2020132
La***oSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle10-Jul-20182-Feb-2020572 (Longest)
will***ynSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle29-Oct-20196-Feb-2020100
mike***llingeSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle1-Nov-201920-Feb-2020111
pa***nbSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle8-Oct-20194-Mar-2020148
Mr***JSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle7-Nov-201917-Mar-2020131
Jua***odupSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle18-Oct-201922-May-2020217
he***araisSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle15-Jan-20204-Jun-2020141
Fla***etSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle18-Feb-202013-Jul-2020146
Fla***jetSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle18-Feb-202013-Jul-2020146
ni***urieSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle22-Jan-202027-Jul-2020187
Fr***yBSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle17-Jan-202020-Aug-2020216
Mr***mithSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle4-Jun-20202-Oct-2020120
ma***waneSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle30-Jul-20203-Nov-202096 (Quickest)
Stev***Sec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle22-May-202030-Dec-2020222
Pd****deezSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle23-Aug-20199-Jan-2020139
Dv****dntSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle9-Oct-201925-Jan-2020108
spo****dolfSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle14-Oct-201930-Jan-2020108
will****dynSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle29-Oct-20196-Feb-2020100
pbla****dwSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle10-Sept-201920-Jan-2020132
be****dzSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle7-Oct-201924-Jan-2020109
P****deezSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle23-Aug-20199-Jan-2020139
F***lSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle18-Jun-201930-Sept-2019104
Bj***81Sec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle1-Jun-201913-Sept-2019104
G***YSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle9-Apr-20196-Aug-2019119
De***nSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle28-Mar-201913-Aug-2019138
M***0Sec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle28-Mar-201917-Jul-2019111
ch***itsSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle26-Mar-201918-Jul-2019114
Gv***Sec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle5-Apr-201919-Jul-2019105
Jo***.eSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle25-Mar-20192-Jul-201999
V***opSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle10-Nov-201815-Apr-2019156
W***nsSec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle11-May-201813-Mar-2019306
Av****2Sec. 16Semi-Auto Rifle1-Aug-201816-Apr-2019258
Average Calendar Days:156
Months5.2

To be allowed to apply for a semi-automatic rifle in South Africa, you first need to obtain “Dedicated Sports Shooting Status” from a recognized and approved shooting association. To maintain your dedicated status, you need to remain active by attending a minimum of shooting events every year and renewing your status with the organization you are a member of.

How long did your firearm license application take?

I find it interesting that some applications take as little as 32 days, while others can take up to a year to be approved. How long did yours take? Please let me know your experience by leaving a comment below. It will help other readers and will assist me in keeping this article as up-to-date as possible!

2 Replies to “How long does it take for a gun license to be approved in South Africa?”

  1. I applied for renewal on 2019-10-24. Looked at the SAP website to see the progress of my application and it showed “in progress”. Can it really take this long? This was done long before lockdown. What can be done about this?
    Date: 2021-05-14

  2. My Section 13: Self Defense Gun License application was submitted on the 20th February 2023 and 150 days and still not approved.
    That’s 150 days and sitting at received at licensing section. Estimated date for Consideration is 21st December 2023. That will be close to 1 year.

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