This page is generated from the same catalogs Waffenschrank works with. Whatever it says, the app shows in the same words where it applies — with permits, deadlines and storage locations. When an entry changes, it changes in both places — in the app with the next update.
At a glance #
- Report after acquisition
- No single deadline in days in the catalog — see the deadlines below for specific cases
- Report after transfer
- No single deadline in days in the catalog — see the deadlines below for specific cases
- Recurring review
- Submit hunter report (Ontario)Hunting licence (province) · O. Reg. 665/98 ss. 58, 62
Permits #
| Permit or document | Validity | Recurring obligation |
|---|---|---|
| PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence) | limited validity | — |
| POL — Possession-Only Licence (legacy) | limited validity | — |
| Minor's Licence | limited validity | — |
| ATT (Authorization to Transport) | varies by document | — |
| ATC (Authorization to Carry) | limited validity | — |
| CFSC / CRFSC (Canadian Firearms Safety Course) | no expiry | — |
| Hunting licence (province) | limited validity | Ontario: hunter report per species on fixed dates, even without a harvest |
| Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit (federal permit, in addition to the provincial licence) | limited validity | — |
Registration #
No quota: the PAL allows possession of any number of non-restricted firearms, and those are not registered federally. Only restricted and prohibited firearms have to be registered — one registration certificate per firearm. It expires when the holder ceases to be the owner of the firearm (Firearms Act s. 66(a)); the acquirer needs a new certificate of their own — and a registration certificate for a handgun must not be issued to an individual (Firearms Act s. 12.2). In Québec the provincial registry (SIAF) applies to non-restricted firearms as well. The PAL expires at the latest five years after the holder's first birthday following the day it was issued (Firearms Act s. 64(1)). Grandfathering requires holding a registration certificate continuously (Firearms Act s. 12); if the licence lapses beyond its six-month extension (Firearms Act s. 64(1.1)), the certificates are revoked, according to provincial chief firearms officers (Alberta, for one) — and the status cannot be regained.
Purpose and club #
Federal law does not require proof of training or competitions. For restricted firearms the CFO checks the purpose on transfer (Firearms Act s. 28): target practice or competition (either under the conditions of an ATT or under the auspices of an approved club or range), a collection under s. 30, or an ATC ground. On every renewal of a licence for restricted firearms the CFO decides again whether you use them for one of these purposes; if not, the CFO notifies you and the Registrar (Firearms Act s. 67(2), (3)), and the Registrar must revoke the registration certificate (Firearms Act s. 71(1)(b)). Some CFOs ask for a club confirmation letter in practice — that is administrative practice, not a federal statutory duty. Approved clubs must be able to describe the participation of a member, officer or guest over the past 5 years on request by the CFO (SOR/98-212 s. 15(1)); your own training log is your voluntary counter-record. In Québec a provincial rule applies on top: the shooting club for restricted or prohibited firearms withdraws or refuses to renew the membership of a member who has not engaged in target shooting at least once in the previous twelve months at the range to which the membership gave access — unless the member produces a new certificate of success in the aptitude test or proof of shooting at another approved range — and informs the Minister or the chief firearms officer (Act respecting safety in sports, s. 46.29).
Storage #
No container standards, but functional levels per class of firearm (SOR/98-209): non-restricted (s. 5) unloaded and either fitted with a secure locking device, or with the bolt removed, or in a locked container or room that cannot readily be broken into. Restricted (s. 6) unloaded and either a secure locking device and a locked, break-in-resistant container or room, or a vault, safe or room built or modified specifically for the secure storage of restricted firearms and kept securely locked. Prohibited (s. 7) as for restricted, and for automatic firearms the removable bolt must additionally be stored in a separate locked room. In every class the firearm must not be readily accessible to ammunition, unless the ammunition is stored — together with or separately from the firearm — in a container or receptacle that is kept securely locked and that is constructed so that it cannot readily be broken open or into — or, for a restricted or prohibited firearm, in a vault, safe or room that has been specifically constructed or modified for the secure storage of such firearms and that is kept securely locked (SOR/98-209 ss. 5–7, paragraph (c)). Canadian law knows no resistance grades, certificates or weight limits.
The app does not list container classes for your country — your country’s storage rules and your authority prevail.
Legal deadlines (Canada) #
| Deadline | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Renew your PAL/RPAL early | A licence issued to an adult expires at the latest five years after the holder's first birthday following the day it was issued. It has to be renewed before then (s. 64(1)); the date that counts is the one printed on your licence. Processing takes time, so the reminder is deliberately set 6 months before expiry. If a licence is not renewed before it expires, it is extended by six months. During that period the holder may keep the firearms but must not use them, and must not acquire firearms, ammunition or cartridge magazines until the licence is renewed (s. 64(1.1), (1.2)). Once the extension has ended without renewal, possessing your firearms is an offence (Criminal Code ss. 91, 92); for models prohibited since 2020 the protection of the amnesty ends then as well, because it requires a licence to be held throughout (SOR/2020-97 s. 2). | Firearms Act s. 64 |
| Never break the grandfathering chain | Grandfathered status for prohibited firearms requires that you have continuously held a registration certificate for firearms of that kind (Firearms Act s. 12). By law, a licence that is not renewed in time is extended by six months (Firearms Act s. 64(1.1)); if it lapses beyond that, the registration certificates for restricted and prohibited firearms are revoked, according to provincial chief firearms officers (Alberta, for one) — the Registrar may revoke such a certificate for any good and sufficient reason (Firearms Act s. 71(1)(a)). Once the chain of certificates breaks, the status is lost irretrievably: the Act provides no way back. | Firearms Act ss. 12, 64, 71 |
| Watch your ATT validity | Only for restricted and prohibited firearms — non-restricted firearms never need an ATT. For any transport beyond the two purposes covered without a separate application (approved ranges in your province — restricted firearms and handguns under s. 12(6.1) only, and not firearms whose transfer was approved for a gun collection; taking the firearm home after acquiring it), you need an ATT from the CFO — valid at most until your licence expires. Moving to a new address is also such a transport — apply for the ATT before the move. | Firearms Act ss. 19, 65 |
| Report a change of address within 30 days | Notify the Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) of your new address within 30 days — this is a condition of your licence (RCMP). If you have restricted or prohibited firearms, the move is a transport: apply for the ATT before you move. | RCMP — licence condition |
| Report loss or theft without delay | Anyone who loses a firearm, a prohibited device (a magazine over the permitted capacity, for example), prohibited ammunition, an authorization (an ATT, for example), a licence or a registration certificate, or has any of these stolen, must report it “with reasonable despatch” to a peace officer (the police), a firearms officer or a chief firearms officer (Criminal Code s. 105). The Code names no number of days; failing to report is a criminal offence. | Criminal Code s. 105 |
| Estate: transfer or dispose of firearms within a reasonable period | A person who comes into possession of firearms by operation of law – according to the RCMP, the executor (in Québec, the liquidator of the succession) – may possess them without a licence only for a reasonable period; within it they must lawfully dispose of them or obtain a licence and registration certificate themselves, otherwise possession is an offence (Criminal Code ss. 91(4)(b), 92(4)(b)). The law sets no number of days. Notify the Canadian Firearms Program with form RCMP 6016. Transfer to a beneficiary only with the right PAL (Firearms Act ss. 23, 23.2); handguns only to exempt individuals (Firearms Act ss. 12.2, 97.1). For models prohibited since 2020, the declaration period of the federal compensation program ended on 31 March 2026; compensation is possible only for firearms declared in time – check canada.ca. In Québec, also send a notice of transfer (avis de transfert) to the SIAF. | Criminal Code s. 91(4)(b) |
| Amnesty for prohibited models: end date open | Applies to firearms whose model has been on the prohibited list since 1 May 2020 (SOR/98-462, Schedule, Part 1). An amnesty protects, under the conditions of the order, among others owners who possessed such a firearm on 1 May 2020 and held a licence. Parallel orders protect the owners of the models added on 5 December 2024 and 7 March 2025. Each amnesty protects only for as long as the owner continues to hold a licence; once the licence has expired and the six-month extension has also run out, the protection ends. None of these amnesties ends on a fixed date any more: each ends on the 90th day after the Supreme Court of Canada appeals 41858, 41859, 41860 and 41861 are terminated. As of 5 October 2026 those appeals are pending (hearing scheduled for 9 November 2026), so the end date is open. | SOR/2020-97 s. 2 |
| Québec: register with the SIAF, mark the NUAF | Every non-restricted firearm must be registered with the Service d’immatriculation des armes à feu (SIAF, Québec's firearms registration service) as soon as you take possession of it (new Québec residents: within 45 days). The NUAF (numéro unique d’arme à feu, the unique firearm number) shown on the confirmation must be marked indelibly and legibly, in a visible place on the frame or receiver, no later than 90 days after you take possession — unless it is identical to the number already on the firearm. Restricted and prohibited firearms remain under federal law (registration certificate). The app reminds you when you record an acquisition with a date — the same duty applies to a gift or an inheritance. | LIAF (RLRQ, c. I-0.01) |
| Québec: notify the SIAF of changes | If the main place where the firearm is kept changes, notify the SIAF no later than 15 days after the change. Any other change to the registration information (your telephone number, the firearm's characteristics): no later than 30 days after the change. The app reminds you when you change the storage location or a characteristic of the firearm; whether the address has actually changed, only you know. | LIAF (RLRQ, c. I-0.01) |
| Québec: avis de transfert when you sell | Anyone who sells or gives away a registered non-restricted firearm must send the SIAF an avis de transfert de propriété (notice of transfer of ownership) as soon as the firearm has been handed over — with the NUAF and NIAF, even if the firearm is leaving Québec. Before the handover, federal law already requires you to have the transferee's licence verified through the RCMP and to obtain a reference number (Firearms Act s. 23). If the firearm is handed over to the police for destruction, the SIAF must be notified of the destruction. If ownership passed earlier (sale concluded before the handover), the wording of the Act points to that earlier day; to be safe, send the notice as of that day. | LIAF (RLRQ, c. I-0.01); Firearms Act s. 23 |
| Québec: one session at your club every 12 months | Every member of a shooting club — membership is required for restricted and prohibited firearms — must shoot at least once in twelve months at the range their membership gives them access to. Otherwise the club must withdraw the membership or refuse to renew it, and inform the Minister or the chief firearms officer (Contrôleur des armes à feu) — unless you produce a new certificate of having passed the test d’aptitude (aptitude test) or proof that you shot at another approved range. The same applies if you did not renew your membership when it fell due. The reminder comes ten months after the date you enter. | Loi sur la sécurité dans les sports, art. 46.29 |
Recurring reviews #
| Review | Interval | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Submit hunter report (Ontario) Hunting licence (province) | — | O. Reg. 665/98 ss. 58, 62 |
Fully automatic and military semi-automatic firearms #
Fully automatic firearms #
A firearm capable of fully automatic fire is an automatic firearm and therefore a prohibited firearm, even if it has been altered to fire single shots (Criminal Code s. 84(1)). An individual can hold a licence for it only under grandfathering: for automatic firearms they possessed on 1 January 1978, or converted automatic firearms they possessed on 1 August 1992, and in each case only if they have held a registration certificate for it continuously since 1 December 1998 (Firearms Act s. 12(2), (3)). Possessing it without a licence and a registration certificate is an offence (Criminal Code s. 91(1)). It is stored like any prohibited firearm, with the removable bolt kept in a different locked room unless the firearm is stored in a vault built for that purpose (SOR/98-209 s. 7).
Military semi-automatic rifles #
A military-pattern semi-automatic rifle is a prohibited firearm in Canada if its model is on the prohibition list (since 1 May 2020, extended on 5 December 2024 and 7 March 2025; among others the M16/AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14 designs and their variants, SOR/98-462, Schedule, Part 1), if it was converted from an automatic firearm, or if it is a centre-fire semi-automatic originally designed with a detachable magazine of six cartridges or more and was designed and manufactured on or after 15 December 2023 (Criminal Code s. 84(1)). For the listed models an amnesty applies that ends 90 days after the Supreme Court of Canada appeals 41858 to 41861 are terminated; until then the owner may essentially only store it, have it deactivated, surrender it for destruction or export it (SOR/2020-97, SOR/2024-249 and SOR/2025-87, s. 2 of each). The amnesty protects only for as long as the owner continues to hold a licence; once the licence has expired and the six-month extension has also run out, the protection ends. The Federal Court (2023 FC 1419) and the Federal Court of Appeal (2025 FCA 82) have upheld the May 2020 prohibition list; the Supreme Court of Canada is scheduled to hear the appeals on 9 November 2026. In a dispute, it is for the court to decide whether a model is covered as a variant; the RCMP's Firearms Reference Table is only a non-binding administrative assessment. Otherwise it is restricted if its barrel is shorter than 470 mm or it can be fired when reduced below 660 mm by folding or telescoping, and non-restricted if not. Magazines for more than five cartridges are prohibited devices (SOR/98-462, Schedule, Part 4, s. 3).