How to apply for a firearm certificate

Your name and any previous names, your address and contact details, your previous addresses (forces always need these, however long ago you moved, and you must tell them if you are planning to move), and your work contact details unless you are unemployed or retired.

You declare your physical and mental health and give your GP's details, including any previous GP within the last 10 years. Your GP completes a form (the proforma), which you upload with your application. Disclose every relevant condition. The guidance notes list them. The form also asks about anyone aged 18 or over you live with, which is covered in section 4.

If there were times you were not registered with a UK GP, the form will ask why and invite you to explain, for example if you were posted abroad with the armed forces.

Fill in every GP field, including email address and phone number. A missing GP email address is one of the commonest causes of delay.

After you are granted a certificate you are expected to tell your force if you are diagnosed with, or treated for, a listed condition, or if a previously disclosed condition gets worse.

Declare convictions and cautions, including motoring offences such as speeding. The guidance notes list the types of offence your force needs to know about.

Your force can consider anything relevant to your suitability to have firearms, going back as far as it needs to. People argue about whether an incident that ended with no further action has to be declared. Being open about it, with a short explanation, helps your application. Leaving it out and having it come to light does not.

Keep any explanation brief and factual. The officer may ask for more detail if it is relevant, or may tell you they already know about it and have no concerns. Do not sensationalise an incident, and do not play down anything serious. If you left something out of the online form, the interview is your last chance to put it right, along with changing the rifles you are applying for or disclosing a health issue.

The police are deciding whether your household is suitable for firearms to be stored in it, so the form asks about everyone aged 18 or over who lives with you. For each person you give:

• their full name;
• their date and place of birth;
• their contact details, including phone number and email address; and
• anything that could affect whether the household is suitable for firearms, such as a mental health condition (for example depression with suicidal thoughts), violent tendencies, or any history of criminal activity, including cautions or repeated dealings with the police.

Talk to the people you live with before you apply, so nothing in their answers surprises you or them. If there is something else the police should know about your household, use the 'anything else' box at the end of the form.

You give the calibre of each rifle, the calibre and quantity of ammunition, and your reason for having them. Choose the calibre with the deer you will stalk in mind, and be ready to explain your choice at interview. For ammunition, 100 to 200 rounds is usually regarded as reasonable for a recreational stalker, and 150 is a sensible request (see 'The interviews' below for why).

How many rifles to ask for. There is a myth that you should apply for more rifles than you want so the police can refuse some. It is not true. You need a good reason for every rifle you apply for. Your application should not be a shopping list, but if you have a genuine good reason for a rifle, state it and apply for it. Sound moderators no longer need a separate authority, so this is only about rifles.

Two rifles can be justified when you have very different ground that needs different set-ups. For example, a heavy long-range rifle in a larger calibre for big deer species, and a lightweight rifle for small deer in woodland. A rifle you want because it looks good is not a good reason.

For many applicants this is the first time the police become aware of them, and granting a rifle to someone completely unknown to them is a risk. Forces are rarely keen to grant several rifles to someone they do not know unless that person can show significant good reason and experience. Keep your first application closer to what you need than to everything you could justify, and be ready to talk through your good reason at the home visit.

If the officer will not grant a particular calibre, or as many rifles as you asked for, they are most likely following their force's policy. Unless you think the decision is grossly unfair, our advice is to respect it and apply again for what you want in 6 to 12 months. If a certificate is refused altogether, you will often be given advice on whether and when to reapply.

Not sure what to choose? Read how to choose your first deer rifle.

You describe how and where the rifle and ammunition will be stored, what sort of cabinet you will use, whether the arrangement is shared with anyone, who has access to your home and who holds keys. Your force may visit to check your security, and a poorly fitted safe is one of the commonest reasons a grant is delayed.

The law does not say a rifle must be in a cabinet, and some forces accept a safe room. In practice most applicants use a gun safe, and the national firearms security guidance describes what forces expect.

Fixing the safe

• Fix it to a solid wall or to joists with six or more suitable bolts, each at least 8mm in diameter and at least 75mm deep into the wall or joist.
• If the wall is crumbly, or a material where bolts do not grip as they do in solid brick, resin-fixed bolts are a good idea.
• Expect the officer visiting to try to pull the safe off the wall.
• Leave no gap behind or around the safe where a pry bar could go. Ideally remove the skirting board so the safe sits against the wall and floor. Mounting above the skirting board is usually acceptable if the gap is filled with a substantial piece of wood or masonry.
• Choose a purpose-built gun safe, ideally with an anti-pry-bar design.

Where to put it

• It should not be visible to a casual visitor to the house, or from a ground floor window.
• The main house is best. A garage on the property is usually allowed if it has a separate monitored alarm and a camera.
• Think about practicality. If you will stalk early or return late, a safe in the loft or a spot that wakes the household when you open it is a poor choice. Pick a place where you will really lock the rifle away every time.

Ammunition

• Every force expects ammunition to be locked away separately from the rifle.
• If your safe has no locking ammunition box inside it, use a separate ammunition safe fixed with four of the same type of fixing.
• Only a person who holds the firearms and ammunition on their certificate should be able to open either safe.

Keep it locked away

Every force requires you to secure your firearms whenever they are not in use or being cleaned. The firearms security guidance says so, and certificates have been revoked for failing to do it. Whatever you decide about where the safe goes, it has to be somewhere you will lock the rifle away every time.

Keys and access to your home

The form asks who has keys to your home. A cleaner, dog walker or neighbour with a key who is not a suitable person to have access to a house with firearms in it can delay or sink an application. Your force may not be able to tell you that is the reason, so think carefully about who really needs a key before you apply.

You need two referees. The criteria for a referee are that they:

• have known you personally for at least two years;
• see you regularly (how often varies from force to force);
• not be a family member, a serving police officer or police staff, or a registered firearms dealer; and
• be of suitable standing to act as a referee, which means they have no significant or relevant involvement with the police.

Who makes the best referee. Fellow firearm or shotgun certificate holders are generally the best choice. They have already been vetted and passed the checks, which saves the police a great deal of time and resource. If you do not know anyone with a certificate, give as much information as you can about your chosen referees, including fields the form marks as optional: full name, date and place of birth, address, email address and mobile number.

Who makes a poor referee. Someone the licensing officer cannot reach easily. A teacher who is not allowed a mobile phone during working hours is a poor choice, for example, however well they know you.

Your referees must agree to act. They will be asked whether they support your application and whether they are willing to contact the police if they have any concerns in future. Share your force's referee guidance with both people before you apply, so they know what they are being asked to do.

Fill in all of the contact information. A missing phone number or email address leads to delays. Ask your force's firearms enquiry officer for their number and a good time for a call, then chase your referees to ring in that slot. Your application moves faster when the officer reaches both referees at the first attempt.

Upload one digital passport-style photograph. Your force may set a file size and type (one force asks for a JPG or JPEG under 1MB). It must be:

• Of a professional standard, against a plain cream or grey background, with no other objects or people.
• A true likeness: full face, with no head covering unless worn for religious or medical reasons.
• Taken looking straight at the camera with a neutral expression, eyes open and mouth closed.
• Without sunglasses or tinted glasses, and without red eye.

The form asks where you will use the rifle. For private land it asks for the landowner's or authorised agent's name, address and contact details. Do not assume a tenant can give permission: on large estates with tenant farmers, the shooting rights often stay with the landowner or authorised agent. It then asks for the land's address, a description of the land, its size, why you will be shooting there (for example deer stalking) and the rifle and calibre you will use. You also upload the approval of the landowner or authorised agent, known as a land approval form. Some forces have their own name for it, such as the F7 form. It records the name, date of birth, address and certificate number (if held) of the person given permission, the name and contact details of the landowner or authorised agent, the address and size of the land, the quarry (deer and any other lawful quarry, deer and fox, or deer only) and the calibres allowed. The landowner or authorised agent signs it.

It is a template, and your local constabulary may have their own version.

Good reason. What counts as a good reason varies from force to force. Each force follows the national statutory guidance but may depart from it for a policing reason set out in its own standard operating procedure, so check your force's published guidance first. In an ideal application you have land to stalk, with written permission from the landowner or membership of a shooting syndicate, either of which says you may shoot deer. Depending on the force, the following may also be accepted, alone or in combination:

• Evidence of booked paid stalking.
• A letter from a friend who has permission on land and the right to take guests, either an invitation or an open invitation.
• A DSC1 certificate on its own.

Showing you are safe. You will usually also need to show you can handle a rifle safely. Evidence of a formal course helps if you can prove you attended. A letter from an experienced stalker who will mentor you also helps. It should say they intend to supervise you until you can shoot deer independently, safely and humanely.

The strongest application. The strongest applications show three things: significant previous stalking experience (more than just a few deer), safe firearms handling training, and a signed land approval form. With those in place, and with clear medical and criminal record checks, it is unlikely there would be a reason for the police to refuse to grant the certificate.

The declaration confirms that what you have written is true. It is an offence under section 28A(7) of the Firearms Act 1968 to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement to obtain or renew a certificate, and the maximum penalty is six months' imprisonment, a fine, or both. You also confirm that you are over 18, that you understand the police will check their records, and that your information may be shared with your GP and with government, regulatory and enforcement bodies as the declaration sets out.

The form ends with an 'anything else' free-text box. Use it for anything relevant to your application that the form had no room for or did not ask about.

It is also the only place to state a professional purpose for the certificate. If you are a professional pest controller, a gamekeeper or a full-time deer manager, your force may have a policy of prioritising professionals, so say so here. Please be accurate. Knowingly making a false statement is a criminal offence, and overstating how important the certificate is to your work can lead to a refusal. Describing deer management, vermin control or crop protection as a professional need is only appropriate if it is your full-time work, and not if other shooters already work the ground. If it is not your profession, use the box for anything else relevant to your application.

The review page is your last chance to check everything before you submit. Read every section again slowly. Check names, dates, addresses, your GP's and referees' contact details, and that no field has been left blank. Then pay online by credit or debit card.

On submission you can usually download a copy of your application. Keep it. The interview can be more than 12 months away, and you will want it to hand. You will usually also get a receipt by email. Keep that too.

• Housekeeping. You show photo ID and confirm your contact details and address. You are asked whether you are, or have ever been, a police officer, police staff, PCSO, police volunteer or registered firearms dealer.
• Your background. You are asked about your medical and criminal history. Many applicants assume the DBS check they had for work shows everything the police know. It does not. A DBS check shows convictions and does not always go far back, but a firearms licensing check can go back much further, and covers both police and medical records. The officer will not always discuss what they find, because of data protection or an open investigation. Be open and factual about any police involvement, without exaggerating or playing it down. The same applies to your medical history. NHS information can reach the police slowly, but it rarely fails to arrive. A condition you did not disclose can lead to refusal, or to revocation after the grant.
• Good reason and knowledge. You explain why you want the rifle (deer control, in our case) and why you chose that calibre. The officer wants to see that you know how to handle a firearm safely, including muzzle awareness, the misfire procedure and taking the rifle in and out of its slip and putting it away. They also want to see that you know the law on calibres and ammunition for deer and that you practise safe shooting, including a safe backstop and backdrop.
• Ammunition quantity. You are asked how much you want. For a recreational stalker, 100 to 200 rounds is usually regarded as reasonable, and 150 is a sensible request. A new rifle shoots different brands with different accuracy, so five boxes of 20 rounds already uses 100 rounds just to find the one it likes, before zeroing, practice and the deer themselves. Some of that ammunition will only be good for rough practice, and if your chosen brand disappears you may have to test again.
• Security. The officer inspects your storage against the security guidance and usually photographs it for the record.
• Your certificate. The officer talks you through the certificate and each of its conditions, your responsibilities, and what happens if there is a problem. Conditions and policies are open to each force's interpretation, so we do not cover them here.

Keys and the safe. Nobody other than the certificate holder should have access to the safe. If you keep the safe keys in a combination key safe, the location should be kept secret from everyone except your partner and the licensing authority, and only you should know the combination.

If you have a partner, the officer interviews them, by phone or in person, away from you and out of your sight and earshot. The purpose is to establish whether there is any domestic abuse, whether your partner has concerns about firearms in the home, or anything else relevant to the application. They are usually asked whether you have ever shown controlling or coercive behaviour, and they are asked the same questions as other adults in your household and your referees (below). Your partner may also have a criminal or medical history that needs to be discussed in private.

The officer also interviews other adults who live with you and your referees, in person or by phone. They start by confirming their full name, date and place of birth, and their relationship to you. They are then asked whether they have any concerns about your suitability to possess firearms, and whether they know what to do if they have any in future (contact Crimestoppers, 111 or 999). Tell the people involved what to expect before the officer calls.

Specimen pages with invented details. Real certificates differ between forces.