How long is a firearm license valid in South Africa?

Getting a firearm license involves a great deal of paperwork. When you eventually receive the license, it is imperative to know how long the license is valid to renew it in time. With that in mind, I decided to do some research and find out how long each type of firearm license is valid for. This is what I found.

A firearm licensed in South Africa for self-defense or business purposes is usually valid for 5 years. Any firearm licensed in South Africa for sport shooting or hunting is valid for 10 years. A semi-automatic rifle licensed under self-defense is only valid for two years. 

I thought it would be helpful to organize these different sections of firearm licenses by the length of validity. I also looked at the basic time requirements for renewing these licenses and what will happen if you fail to renew your firearm license in time. Read on to find out what I discovered.

How long is a firearm license valid for (by shortest to longest)

Before licensing a firearm, it would be wise to choose the section under which you license the firearm so that you don’t have to renew the license more often than necessary. PLAN AHEAD!

For example, if you wish to license a semi-automatic rifle, it would be better to license that weapon under “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting,” which only needs to be renewed every 10 years, compared to having to license it every 2 years under “Section 14:Restricted Firearm for Self-Defense”. Sure, you will need to gain membership with a sports shooting organization. However, it is well worth it.

You might ask: “But can I use a firearm registered for sport shooting for self-defense?” Well, that is an article for another day, but according to the Firearms Control Act, yes, you can.

Licenses that need to be renewed every 2 years:

  • Section 14: Restricted Firearm for Self-Defense.
  • (One semi-automatic rifle or shotgun only, subject to extensive motivation)

Licenses that need to be renewed every 5 years:

  • Section 13: Self Defense. 
  • (One handgun or one shotgun only).
  • Section 20: Business Purposes. 
  • (other than game rancher and hunting, for example, armed security or training).

Licenses that need to be renewed every 10 years:

  • Section 15: Occasional Hunting and Sport Shooting. 
  • (1 handgun only and a total of 3 manual rifles or shotguns)
  • Section 16: Dedicated Hunting and Sport Shooting. 
  • (Manual or semi-automatic rifles, handguns or shotguns) 
  • *requires membership to an accredited association
  • Section 16A: Professional Hunting. 
  • (Manual or semi-automatic rifles, handguns or shotguns) 
  • *requires membership to an accredited association
  • Section 17: Firearm for private Collection. 
  • (Manual or semi-automatic rifles, handguns or shotguns) 
  • *requires membership to an accredited association
  • Section 18: Ammunition for private Collection. 
  • *requires membership to an accredited association
  • Section 19: Firearm and Ammunition in Public Collection. 
  • (Manual or semi-automatic rifles, handguns or shotguns) 
  • *reserved for museums and other displays
  • Section 20: Business Purposes for Game Ranching and Hunting. 
  • (Manual or semi-automatic rifles, handguns or shotguns) 
  • *requires membership to an accredited association

Licenses that do not need to be renewed and are valid indefinitely:

Suppose you have an old green card license or an old license stamped into your ID book that was issued under the Arms and Ammunition Act 75 of 1969. In that case, your license is still valid indefinitely.

If you have a ‘green’ license, i.e., a license from the old Arms and Ammunition act 1969, then this license is still considered valid.

ctsasa.co.za/firearms-legislation/firearms-legislation-general-news

How often must I renew my firearm license?

According to Section 24 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000, you need to apply for the renewal of your firearm license at least 90 days before the license expires.

I can’t stress how vital it is that you submit the application AT-LEAST 90 days before the expiry date. Suppose your renewal takes more than 3 months. You did not submit the renewal application at least 90 days before the expiry date. In that case, you are in possession of an unlicensed firearm, and you will be required to hand in the firearm to the South African Police Service.

With that said, let’s look at how often you need to renew each type of firearm license, section by section.

  • If you have a “Section 13 license for self-defense”, or any other license that is only valid for 5 years, then you will need to renew that license every five years, 90 days before the expiry date printed on the license card.
  • Section 14 licenses for Restricted Firearms for Self-Defense” are only valid for 2 years and need to be renewed accordingly, but the application needs to be submitted at least 90 days before the expiry date printed on the license card.
  • If you have a firearm licensed under any section which is valid for 10 years, Such as “Section 15: Occasional Hunting and Sport Shooting”, then you need to renew that license every ten years, but 90 days before the expiry date printed on the license card.

I will stress once more how important it is that you submit your application to renew your license at least 90 days before it expires! In fact, I would suggest you submit an application to renew your firearm license as early as 120 days before the expiry date.

What happens if I don’t renew my firearm license in time?

I hear this all the time. Yes, some might have negligently missed the cut-off date, but others have genuine reasons. Some have been out of the country and have had a family or medical emergency that has prevented them from doing the necessary paperwork. This is made even more difficult because making an appointment with the DFO is near impossible in some areas. With that in mind, I will start with what the law itself requires.

If your firearm license is not renewed before the expiry date, then you will be required by law to hand in the firearm to the South African Police Service. It is worth asking if there is any amnesty available where you may be allowed to re-license the firearm, with the possibility of getting the firearm back.

From time to time, the government does implement an amnesty period where gun owners are allowed an opportunity to hand in the firearm for which a license has expired and apply for a new license, subject to motivation for the need for the firearm.

It is also important to note that once your firearm license has expired, it is likely that your competency certificate has expired too. That means you will have to obtain a new competency certificate before applying for the new license for your firearm.

I would advise that even if you have missed the 90 days, go ahead and attempt to renew the license rather than just handing in the firearm. Some DFO’s (Designated Firearms Officers) are very helpful in this regard. They might accept the application if you have a genuine reason for the late application.

If the DFO accepts the application, you have been thrown a bone and have been saved from a motherload of admin and inconvenience, so be nice to them 😉

If not, you most likely will have to start from scratch and apply for a new competency certificate before being able to re-apply for a firearm license. Let’s look at that next.

How long is a competency certificate valid for?

In addition to renewing your firearm license, you also need to make sure that your competency certificate remains valid. A competency certificate remains valid for 5 years, or as long as the license to it remains valid and is renewed.

If you are in possession of a competency certificate but do not have any firearm licensed in its category. You will need to renew your competency certificate every five years. If you have a firearm license in the same category as your competency certificate, the certificate will stay valid for as long as the firearm license is.

Usually, when your firearm license expires, so does your competency certificate.

Conclusion

Being a firearm owner in South Africa takes a lot of continued paperwork. Being organized can help make sure that you know your firearm license expiry date and give you enough time to renew the license before it expires. When you receive a new firearm license, be sure to set as many reminders as you can. It would be a good idea to use a Google Calendar and set it up to send you an email more than 90 days before your license expires. In fact, try to apply for the renewal as early as 120 days before the license expires.

If you submit an application to renew the firearm later than 90 days, but before the license actually expires, the South African Police Service should still accept the application. However, you run the risk of being in possession of an unlicensed firearm while the application is still being processed.

6 Replies to “How long is a firearm license valid in South Africa?”

  1. Where can I apply for my renewal. I work at the Univ of Pretoria and stay in Willow patk manor east of Pretoria.

    1. Hi Alta. You need to apply to the nearest DFO (Designated Firearms Officer) to your home. Willow Park Manor will probably fall under Silverton Police station. Their address is 194 Fakkel St, Silverton, Pretoria, 0184. Make sure you make an appointment with them to avoid disappointment. Contact Capt. Hartze on 082 196 1345, or the police station directly on 021 804 2836 or 012 845 4000 and ask to be put through to the DFO.

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