Firearm Owners and Users Aged 18 and Older

This fact sheet contains information you need to know about Canada’s Firearms Act if you are a Canadian resident who owns, uses or wants to acquire a firearm. Additional information is available for firearm users younger than 18 and for non-residents who wish to bring a firearm to Canada.

Licence Requirements

You need a valid firearms licence if you are in possession of a firearm, including a borrowed firearm, or if you wish to acquire firearms and ammunition by any means, including as a gift.

Exception: you do not need a licence to use a borrowed firearm if you remain under the direct and immediate supervision of a properly licensed adult aged 18 or older while you are in possession of the firearm.

Your licence must be valid for the class or classes of firearms in your possession. The three classes are:

• non-restricted (ordinary rifles and shotguns);
• restricted; and
• prohibited

Types of Licence

• The Possession-Only Licence (POL) was only available to individuals who applied by January 1, 2001. It is no longer available to new applicants. However, if you already have a POL, you can renew it if you apply before it expires and have a firearm registered in your name. It is only valid for firearms that you owned on December 1, 1998. If you wish to obtain more firearms, you will need to obtain a Possession and Acquisition Licence after meeting the additional safety-training requirements.
• The Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) is the only licence available to you unless you are renewing an existing, valid POL. To be eligible, you must meet specific safety-training requirements.
• A valid Firearms Acquisition Certificate (FAC) issued under the former law is considered to be the same as a PAL until it expires.

All three of the above licences will allow you to obtain ammunition.

Licence Renewals

To maintain legal possession of your firearms, you need to keep your licence current by renewing it before it expires. Maintaining a valid firearms licence is also important in order to preserve any grandfathering privileges you may have for prohibited firearms. Licences are renewable every five years.

A partially completed renewal application form will be mailed to you at least 90 days before your licence expires. To ensure you get your renewal application and to keep your current licence in good standing, it is important to notify us of any address changes.

If you have a POL, note that if it expires before you renew it, you will only be eligible for a PAL and must meet the additional safety-training requirements. You do not need to meet the safety-training requirements to renew a POL if you renew it before the expiry date.

Registration

You need a valid registration certificate for each firearm in your possession. A registration certificate issued under the former law (prior to December 1, 1998) is no longer valid. If you have any firearms that have not yet been registered, or any restricted or prohibited firearms that were registered under the former law but not re-registered under the Firearms Act, you are in illegal possession of those firearms. To minimize the risk of penalties, you need to take immediate steps to register them or to dispose of them lawfully – for example, by turning them in to a police or firearms officer. You need a valid firearms licence to be able to register a firearm.

If you borrow a firearm, you need to borrow the registration certificate as well.

If you buy or sell a firearm that is registered in Canada, the registration records must be updated to show the transfer of ownership.

All registration applications must include evidence that the firearm has been verified by an approved verifier unless:

• the firearm has already been verified; and
• the description of the firearm has not changed; and
• the Registrar is satisfied that the firearm does not need to be re-verified.

Fees

A PAL costs $60 for non-restricted firearms only, or $80 for any combination of non-restricted, restricted and prohibited firearms.

The renewal fee for a POL is $60 for all classes of firearms.

Exception: If you need a non-restricted firearm to hunt or trap in order to sustain yourself or your family, indicate this by putting a check mark in the box in the “Fee” section of the firearms licence application form and you may not be required to pay a fee for that class of firearm.

There are no fees to register or transfer a firearm or to obtain an Authorization to Transport (ATT).

Storing, Displaying, Transporting and Handling Firearms

You are required to store, display, transport and handle firearms safely as set out in the Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations.

You need a valid ATT for restricted and prohibited firearms. To apply, call 1 800 731-4000 or submit form CAFC 679.

Information

For more information, contact us by one of the following methods:

telephone: 1 800 731-4000 (Toll Free)

web site: www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca

e-mail: cfc-cafc@cfc-cafc.gc.ca

This fact sheet is intended to provide general information only. For legal references, please refer to the Firearms Act and its regulations.

Provincial, territorial and municipal laws, regulations and policies may also apply.

Revised April 2005