Firearm application pack
Firearm applications cannot be submitted online and cannot be submitted by anyone but you: the form and its supporting documents go in person to the Designated Firearms Officer where you ordinarily reside. So this is not a service, it is the paperwork. Every document list, the section chooser with the legal limits, the motivation worksheet and every deadline with its form number, so your one trip to the station is the only trip.
Firearm application pack costs R390 at ProperSA. That is our fixed service fee; government and authority fees are charged at cost on top. If you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page promises, we refund our fee; a refusal by the authority is not refundable.
What is included
- Competency checklist for form SAPS 517, with every supporting document and whether it must be certified
- Licence checklist for form SAPS 271, including the documents people most often arrive without
- A section chooser: which of sections 13, 14, 15, 16, 16A, 17 and 20 fits what you want, with the limit and validity of each
- A motivation worksheet, question by question, because the motivation decides most applications
- The section 14 test written out, for a restricted firearm for self-defence
- The safe sequence: what SAPS asks for after approval, and the 14 day deadline
- An ongoing obligations table: renewals, address and circumstance changes, lost firearms, and the form number for each
- What happens at the station: fingerprints, remittance advice, payment method and the receipt to keep
How ordering works
- Order the pack below and pay securely by card or instant EFT.
- The editable pack lands in your client portal. There is no questionnaire to complete, because nothing here is done on your behalf.
- Work through the checklists, complete the motivation worksheet, and gather the documents in the order listed.
- Submit in person to the Designated Firearms Officer at the police station in the area where you ordinarily reside. Only you can do that step; the Act does not allow anyone to do it for you.
- SAPS charges its own fees at the station, and the competency training is charged by your accredited provider. Neither is included here.
Not sure this is the right one for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
Can you apply for a firearm licence on my behalf?
No, and nor can anyone else. The Firearms Control Act requires the application and its supporting documents to be handed in personally to the Designated Firearms Officer at the police station in the area where you ordinarily reside. There is no online route and no agent route. What this pack does is make sure that when you go, you go once.
What is actually in the pack?
Document checklists for form SAPS 517 (competency) and form SAPS 271 (licence), a section chooser covering sections 13, 14, 15, 16, 16A, 17 and 20 with the limit and validity of each, a motivation worksheet, the safe installation sequence, and a table of ongoing obligations with the form number and deadline for each.
Why does the motivation matter so much?
Because a licence is granted on a need the Act recognises under the section you applied under, not on tidy paperwork. Section 13(2)(b) requires you to show the need cannot reasonably be met without a firearm, and section 14(4) requires you to show an ordinary firearm will not provide sufficient protection. The worksheet walks through both.
Do you provide the competency training?
No. Competency requires prescribed training and a practical test at an accredited provider, and it must be done before a licence application. The pack covers the application that follows the training, not the training itself.
How many firearms can I apply for?
It depends on the section. One for self-defence under section 13, one restricted under section 14, and up to four under section 15 for occasional hunting and sport, reduced to three if you hold a section 13 licence and limited to one handgun. Dedicated hunters, professional hunters and collectors under sections 16, 16A and 17 have no fixed limit but need an accredited association. Our free firearm limit checker works out your position.