How long does it take to get a firearm competency certificate South Africa?


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Applicants should allow 12-15 weeks for the competence and another 3-6 weeks for the license.



When the tests have been marked, the certificates are normally printed immediately for applicants to collect, normally in the same week.

How long is a competency certificate valid?

SAPS Competency certificate validity will be interpreted in one of the following ways by a police station, so you should confirm this with your DFO:

  • Your Competency is linked to your longest valid licence’s expiry date.
  • Competency for handgun is valid for 5 years and for rifle, shotgun or self-loading rifle is valid for 10 years.
  • Your SAPS Competency certificate is valid 10 years from date of issue.