Check the Status of your Application

Canadian Firearms Program

Our service standards to process a complete and accurate application are:

• 45 days, including the 28-day legislated waiting period, for a licence application;
• 30 days for a registration application.

If you have not received information concerning your application within those time frames, please call 1-800-731-4000 and one of our client representatives will check the reason for the delay.

Online Status Check

• What do I need to do before I can check the status of my licence application online?
• Browser requirements
• Proceed to Secure Site to Check the Status of your application
• Transfer of Firearms using the Internet
• About this service

What do I need to do before I can check the status of my licence application online?

• Licence Renewal
  You will need to provide your firearms licence number and other personal identification information. Once your identity has been confirmed, you can proceed to verify the status of your application.
• New Application
  You will need to provide some personal information before proceeding to verify the status of your licence application. You do not need to provide a firearms licence number since one will be issued only after your application has been approved.

Transfer of Firearms using the Internet

Web service for buying and selling firearms between licensed individuals is not currently available from the internet. To buy or sell a firearm the Call Centre will help you at
1-800-731-4000.

Browser requirements

To access the secure web site you must use a Web browser that supports SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) with 128-bit 'strong' encryption.

The secure web site is best viewed with:

• 128-bit Microsoft Internet Explorer® (version 5.x or higher)
• Online applications that make use of GC Key (formerly Access Key) are best viewed with Internet Explorer (IE), versions 7 and up.
• The site is not optimized for use with Windows 8; users experiencing loss of functionality with Windows 8 should switch to machines running Windows 7 or lower.

Individuals can link directly to these sites to upgrade your version of browser software.

About this service

Is my information secure?

The Canadian Firearms Information System website uses the Entrust SSL Security Solution which provides secure e-commerce on the Internet. Through its Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) web certificates, the solution identifies a website and encrypts communications between the browser and web server. The Entrust SSL Security Solution delivers strong web SSL security, trusted verification of the website's identity and 128-bit SSL data encryption during browser to web server transmission. This is based on the same technology as numerous internet banking sites and offers a high level of security.

Individual and business clients are further protected by PIN and BIN passwords to access their data. There are processes in place to detect hackers and prevent them from breaking into a user's personal information. In addition image verification security has been added to some areas of the website to enhance an already secure service.

Why can't I access the online service?

Encrypted connections are accepted using TLS 1.0 only. If your encryption is invalid, errors may include "error 401 - unauthorized", “Page cannot be displayed” or “Page cannot be found”.

To update your SSL encryption, please follow these instructions:

1. From your Internet Explorer web browser
2. Under the Menu Bar select/click ‘TOOLS’
3. Select/click ‘Internet Options’
4. Select/click ‘Advanced’ tab (If this option is missing, it has been locked or disabled. Contact your LAN Admin/Helpdesk)
5. Scroll down in the list of checkboxes to:
   1. (use SSL2.0)
   2. (use SSL3.0)
   3. (use TLS1.0)
6. Ensure all three are selected
7. Exit with OK/Apply changes

Where do I go if I have questions?

• Individuals with questions about the status of their application should contact the CFP's Central Processing Site at 1-800-731-4000.
• Individuals who are experiencing technical difficulties, should contact CFP's E-Services Technical Help Desk at 1-800-731-4000 extension 1040 - Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (nationwide) - or by e-mail.