New firearm licence
Whether you are buying from a private seller, from a dealer, inherited a firearm from a deceased estate or have an expired licence, we can assist with your application prep.
99% of rejected applications are due to mistakes. Not with us. We prepare your full application and you receive a ready-to-print, ready-to-submit application with further instructions.
Free to ask. You get the right application and your price before you pay anything.
Cathy van der Westhuizen
For 27 years Cathy was the officer who received and checked firearm applications at the station. She knows exactly what the DFO looks for and why files come back. She checks every application before it reaches you.
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google · 27 years SAPS · Not SAPS, no guarantees
1 You need the proficiency training certificate in the specific weapon category.
2 You need a competency certificate in that weapon category.
Do not have them yet? Message us anyway and we will tell you the order to do things in.
How it works
Our process and what it includes
- Everything runs via email. The final product you receive from us is ready to print and submit, with further instructions.
- Each application is 100% correct, without the mistakes that delay the process.
- Includes a comprehensive motivation letter and the supporting SAPS documentation completed in advance on behalf of the DFO, to save you time at the police station.
- You simply go to the station by appointment to take fingerprints, pay and sign. The rest is completed and ready for submission, without the risk of delays due to application faults.
Getting started
WhatsApp us a short summary of your situation. We confirm the right application and send you an estimate.
If you accept the estimate, we send you the invoice. As soon as payment is received, you receive an email with the list of documents we need to complete your application.
What you get
- Every page of the SAPS licence application typed and complete, with all the attached SAPS forms
- Your motivation, written for your situation. Not a template.
- The safe declaration and the dealer or private-seller pages prepared
- Your supporting documents in the order the DFO expects, with a checklist on top
- Every page checked by Cathy before it goes to you
- Exact hand-in instructions: what to take, what to ask for, what to keep
Basic document needs
Phone photos are fine. You bring the originals to the station. Your checklist after payment lists exactly what your case needs.
- A copy of your ID
- Your competency certificate
- Proof of where you live, not older than three months
- Details of the firearm and who you are buying it from
- Proof of your safe
- Hunters and sport shooters: association membership and dedicated status certificate
Cost. One fixed price, told to you on WhatsApp before you pay. The SAPS fee is paid separately in cash at the station; your checklist gives the exact amount.
New firearm licence: frequently asked questions
South Africa, Firearms Control Act, through your local SAPS Designated Firearms Officer.
You need a competency certificate for that type of firearm first. Then you apply on the SAPS 271 form at your local police station’s Designated Firearms Officer, with a written motivation, your competency certificate, ID, proof of residence, proof of a safe and the firearm’s details. SAPS takes your fingerprints at the station. We prepare the complete application so you only go to the station to take fingerprints, pay and sign.
A copy of your ID, your competency certificate, proof of residence not older than three months, proof of your safe, the firearm’s details and where it comes from, and, for hunters and sport shooters, your association membership or dedicated status certificate. The exact list depends on your case; you get it with your checklist.
SAPS’s own target is 120 working days. Three to six months is common, and longer is not unusual. Nobody can speed SAPS up. A complete file is the only thing that shortens the wait, because an application sent back for corrections starts the clock again.
Yes, with a licence application in your name. The seller keeps the firearm until your licence is approved, signs the seller’s declaration page of your application and gives you the firearm details and a copy of their licence. We prepare that page for the seller to sign and complete the rest. The firearm is handed over only once your licence card is issued.
The dealer completes their own pages of the application with the firearm’s details and stores the firearm until your licence is issued. We tell you exactly which pages to get from the dealer and prepare everything else: motivation, safe declaration, supporting SAPS documents and document order.
Through a new licence application made in the estate. You need a competency certificate for that type of firearm, the executor’s letter from the Master, and the executor signs the application. Until the licence is issued the firearm stays locked in a safe and may not be used. Estate firearms are Cathy’s speciality.
No. An expired licence cannot be renewed. It becomes a new licence application for the same firearm, with an extra page explaining the expiry, and your competency certificate must be valid first. The courts have confirmed you may apply again. Do not carry or use the firearm in the meantime.
No. The SAPS receipt proves you applied; it is not a licence. The dealer or seller keeps the firearm until your licence card is in your hand.
Yes, for that type of firearm, and you need accredited proficiency training before the competency certificate. Training first, then competency, then the licence.
No. You hand in your own application at your police station; nobody may do that for you. We are an independent private company, not SAPS, and we cannot guarantee a decision. We make sure your file is complete and correct. SAPS decides.
What clients say
Google reviews ★★★★★ 5.0 on Google
“Exceptional service from start to finish!”
Bernadette Richter
“Wow, what an absolute pleasant experience I’ve had working with you.”
Brendon
“Our family had a unique scenario with an estate firearm application and Cathy gave us the proper advice over a consultation call. Her expertise is above and beyond.”
Combrinck Associates
Facebook page reviews Recommended on Facebook · 6 000 followers · See our Facebook page
“Fast, efficient and friendly! Cathy is very knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with! Highly recommended!”
Chris Kriel · Facebook recommendation
“Best in the business and thoroughly knowledgeable. Quick responses. Most definitely recommend and wish them all the best in their business.”
Ashley Clint Newton · Facebook recommendation
“I have received excellent assistance from Cathy for many years as a firearm owner.”
Alivia Brown · Facebook recommendation
Contact us
Send us a short summary of your situation on WhatsApp or by email. We reply during office hours, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00, with the right application and your price.
Firearm Licensing Assistance SA is an independent private consultancy. We are not part of SAPS and cannot approve, speed up or guarantee any application. You hand in your own application; we prepare and check it. We do not sell firearms or ammunition.