Registration of Firearms

Frequently Asked Questions

Canadian Firearms Program

• How do I register a firearm?
• How do I replace a lost, stolen or destroyed registration certificate.
• Can I laminate my paper registration certificates to protect them from wear and tear?
• If a firearm is registered to me, how do I get it deregistered from my name if I sell or give it to someone else.
• How do I de-register a firearm that I have exported to another country?
• Do air guns have to be registered?
• I always carry a flare gun in my boat/vehicle for emergencies. Do I need a licence and does it have to be registered?
• Do the licence and registration requirements apply to conversion kits?
• I have an old firearm that doesn’t work. Do I need to register it?
• Can firearms be registered to an organization such as a war veterans’ legion.
• If I make a firearm or assemble one from a kit, at what point do I have to register it?

Q. How do I register a firearm?

To be able to register a firearm, you need a firearms licence that is valid for that class of firearm. The firearm will also need to be verified by an approved verifier if it has not yet been verified.

Once you have a licence, you can apply online to register it or submit a paper application (form CAFC 998) if it has never been registered. If a registered firearm is being transferred to you, the registration records can be changed by calling 1 800 731-4000

Q. How do I replace a lost, stolen or destroyed registration certificate.

To replace a lost, stolen or damaged registration certificate, submit a Firearms Documents Replacement Request (form CAFC 718). Up to four registration certificates can be replaced for a total of $10 if all replacements are requested at the same time.

Q. Can I laminate my paper registration certificates to protect them from wear and tear?

Yes.

Q. If a firearm is registered to me, how do I get it deregistered from my name if I sell or give it to someone else.

If you sell or give a firearm to a business or individual in Canada, the firearm will be registered to the new owner as part of the transfer process that must take place when a firearm changes owners.

Q. How do I de-register a firearm that I have exported to another country?

To deregister a firearm that is no longer in Canada, send a written notice to Canada Firearms Centre, Box 1200, Miramichi, NB E1N 5Z3. With your notice, please include the following:

• your full name and firearms licence number,
• the registration certificate number and firearms identification number of the firearm, as indicated on the registration certificate, and
• proof that the firearm is no longer in Canada (for example, a photocopy of an import document from the other country).

Please note that you may need an export permit to take or send a firearm to another country. For more information and to obtain an application form, contact the Export Controls Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade at 1 800 267-8376 or (613) 996-2387, or send a fax to (613) 996-9933.

Q. Do air guns have to be registered?

Air guns need to be registered if they have both a high muzzle velocity (greater than 152.4 meters or 500 feet per second) and a high muzzle energy (greater than 5.7 joules or 4.2 foot-pounds). As a rule, the manufacturer’s specifications are used to determine what muzzle velocity and muzzle energy an air gun was designed to have. You may be able to find this information in the user’s manual or on the manufacturer’s web site.

More information on air guns can be found in the air gun fact sheet. If you have questions about a particular air gun, call 1 800 731-4000.

Q. I always carry a flare gun in my boat/vehicle for emergencies. Do I need a licence and does it have to be registered?

Flare guns and other devices designed exclusively for signalling or notifying of distress, and intended to be used exclusively for that purpose by the person in possession of it, are not classified as firearms for purposes of the Firearms Act. You do not need a licence to possess one, and it does not have to be registered. These devices are classified as firearms for purposes of the Criminal Code if they are used to commit a crime.

Q. Do the licence and registration requirements apply to conversion kits?

It depends on what is in the conversion kit. If the kit contains a frame or receiver, you need a licence to possess it and it has to be registered. You do not need a licence or registration certificate if the kit simply contains parts, such as a barrel, unless the barrel is also a receiver – for example, the barrel of a percussion-cap muzzle-loader. For more information, call 1 800 731-4000 to speak with a firearms technician.

Q. I have an old firearm that doesn’t work. Do I need to register it?

As a general rule, you need a licence to possess it and you must register it unless it meets the definition of an antique or it is permanently deactivated and incapable of discharging projectiles. It may have to be examined by a forensic expert at the RCMP to determine whether it is permanently incapable of discharging projectiles. For more information, call 1 800 731-4000.

Q. Can firearms be registered to an organization such as a war veterans’ legion.

Organizations that possess firearms are treated as firearm businesses for the purposes of the Firearms Act. They need to get a Firearms Business Licence before they can register their firearms.

Q. If I make a firearm or assemble one from a kit, at what point do I have to register it?

The requirements can vary depending on the type of firearm you are making or assembling. Firearms that meet the definition of an antique, including matchlock, wheel lock or flint lock long guns, do not have to be registered. In all other cases, if a frame or receiver is included in the kit, it must be registered . For more guidance, please call 1-800-731-4000 and ask to speak with a firearms technician.