By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors. Personally teaching CFSC and CRFSC since 1994.

Every week someone calls our office asking how to get a gun licence in BC, and half the time they are braced for a provincial maze that does not exist. Here is the whole process, start to finish, the way I walk students through it at the counter.

The short answer

To get your firearms licence in BC, you take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC) in person, add the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC) if you want restricted firearms, submit your application to the RCMP with your course report, and wait through the mandatory 28-day period while your background checks run. The licence you receive is the Possession and Acquisition Licence, the PAL, and it is federal. There is no separate BC gun licence. What is provincial is where you train, and we teach the courses at seven venues across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

Continue on the Silvercore Path

If you are still working out the bigger picture, start with the pillar and the pieces around it:

• How to Get Your PAL in Canada (start here)
• How to Choose a CFSC/PAL Course in BC
• How Long Does It Take to Get Your PAL?
• How Much Does a PAL Cost in Canada?
• Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC and CRFSC) at Silvercore

Is there a BC gun licence?

No. Firearms licensing in Canada is federal law under the Firearms Act, and the card in your wallet is issued by the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program, not the province. What BC has is a Chief Firearms Officer, a federally appointed official whose office in Surrey serves BC and the Yukon. The CFO's office handles the provincial side of your file, issues Authorizations to Transport for restricted firearms, reviews the rare wilderness Authorization to Carry, and designates every CFSC and CRFSC instructor teaching in the province. The licence is federal, but the people reviewing your file and certifying your instructor are here in BC.

So if you have been searching for a BC firearms licence, a BC PAL, or a gun licence in BC, the PAL is the document you are looking for, and this page is the process.

Step 1: Take the CFSC, and the CRFSC if you want restricted firearms

The CFSC is the federal safety course for non-restricted firearms, which covers most hunting rifles and shotguns. The RCMP standard requires a minimum of 8 hours of classroom instruction, not counting breaks or exams. If you also want restricted firearms, primarily handguns, you add the CRFSC: a minimum of 6 hours, dropping to 4 hours when it is delivered within 7 days of the same provider's CFSC. The two courses cannot be taught on the same day. The standard prohibits it, so a combined program runs across at least two days.

Both are non-firing courses. There is no live range component, and no live ammunition is permitted in the classroom. You pass a written test and a practical handling test, each requiring 80%.

One thing that saves people time and money: you cannot challenge or test out of either course. That option was removed years ago. Everyone takes the full course, no matter how long they have been hunting or shooting.

Most of our students take both courses as a combined program over a single weekend. On its own the CFSC runs $190 and the CRFSC $135. The combined CFSC/CRFSC weekend is $270 plus tax, includes both exams, and saves you $55. Book the combined CFSC/CRFSC course.

Where to take the course in BC

Silvercore teaches the same RCMP-approved curriculum with Silvercore-certified instructors at seven venues across the province. I have taught these courses since 1994, and through Silvercore we have trained and certified most of the firearms instructors currently teaching in British Columbia.

Lower Mainland

• Delta: Silvercore Training Facility, #115 - 7198 Vantage Way. Our permanent classroom and the home base for most of our weekend courses.
• Langley: The Range Langley, 9938 201 Street #2.
• New Westminster: Douglas College, 700 Royal Avenue.

Vancouver Island

• Nanaimo: Vancouver Island University, 900 Fifth Street.
• Parksville: Shelly Hall, 186 Shelly Road.
• Comox Valley: Comox Valley Sports Centre, 3001 Vanier Drive, Courtenay.
• Victoria: Quality Inn Downtown, 850 Blanshard Street.

Commuting from Vancouver? Most of our Vancouver students train with us in Delta or New Westminster. See How to Get Your PAL in Vancouver for the practical routes.

Step 2: Apply to the RCMP

Once you have passed, your instructor issues your course report and you apply to the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program. You have two options.

Apply online (faster). Visit the RCMP's Individual Web Services and sign in with a GCKey account or through a Sign-in Partner using your online banking credentials. You upload a digital photo that meets the RCMP requirements, provide two references with valid email addresses, and pay by credit card or Visa/MasterCard debit. Online applications are limited to first-time applicants who are Canadian residents.

Apply by mail. Download Form RCMP 5592, complete it in blue or black ink with a handwritten signature (e-signatures are not accepted), attach two identical passport-style photos with a guarantor signature on the back, include a copy of your course report, and mail the package with payment by certified cheque or money order made payable to the Receiver General for Canada.

Whichever route you take, you will need two references who have known you for at least three years (a spouse cannot act as a reference), two pieces of government-issued identification, and information about any current or former spouse or common-law partner from the past two years, who will be notified as part of the application. Mistakes at this step, missing signatures, photos that do not meet the specifications, references who never answer their phone, are the single most common reason applications from BC stall.

What does it cost?

Two components: the course and the federal application fee. Course fees at Silvercore are $190 for the CFSC, $135 for the CRFSC, or $270 plus tax for the combined weekend. The RCMP application fees, effective March 31, 2026, are:

• Non-restricted PAL: $70.38 (five-year licence)
• Restricted PAL: $93.84 (five-year licence)
• Upgrading an existing PAL to add restricted privileges: $46.92

These fees adjust annually under the Service Fees Act. Renewal carries the same fee as a new application; renewal fee waivers ended in 2013, and the only standing exceptions are for eligible sustenance hunters and trappers and certain minors. For the full breakdown, including the costs to budget for after your licence arrives, see How Much Does a PAL Cost in Canada?

How long does it take?

Every first-time application sits through a mandatory 28-day waiting period written into the Firearms Act. The RCMP estimates 45 days to process a complete application, with that waiting period included. In practice, most of our students see 3 to 6 months from booking the course to holding the card. If your file is taking longer, see How Long Does It Take to Get Your PAL in Canada? and Why Is My PAL Taking So Long?

Not a citizen, not a resident, or under 18?

Canadian citizenship is not required. Permanent residents apply through the standard route described above. Non-residents can take the CFSC and CRFSC in person with us in BC, need a letter of good conduct if they are not residents or have lived in Canada for under five years, and apply by mail, since the online route is for residents only. The details are in Can Non-Citizens Get a PAL in Canada? Applicants under 18 follow a different path, the Minor's Licence, which carries its own conditions.

After your card arrives

The card is the key to everything else. You need it to buy firearms and ammunition, and under former Bill C-21 you also need it to buy or be given a cartridge magazine (since December 15, 2023) and to buy a firearm barrel or handgun slide, or to import any of those items into Canada (since September 1, 2024).

If hunting is the goal, the PAL is only half the paperwork. BC also requires the CORE Hunter Education course and a Fish and Wildlife ID before you can buy a hunting licence. Start with What You Need to Hunt with a Firearm in British Columbia.

If restricted firearms are the goal, you will need an Authorization to Transport to move them to an approved range, and in BC that typically comes through membership in an approved club. The Silvercore Club is an RCMP-approved club for ATT purposes, serving members across Canada. Membership is $59 a year and includes $5 million in liability coverage through Lloyd's of London while you are engaged in lawful firearms activities, our online firearms safety course, and the PAL Exam Mastery practice bank, the preparation that gets students through the tests the first time. Many of our students join before their licence arrives so the ATT is one less moving piece when they are ready to shoot. Join the Silvercore Club.

Travis Bader Silvercore Outdoors

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a gun licence in BC? Take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course in person (add the CRFSC if you want restricted firearms), pass the written and practical tests with at least 80%, apply to the RCMP with your course report, and wait through the mandatory 28-day period. The licence is the federal PAL. There is no separate BC licence.

Is a firearms licence different in BC than in the rest of Canada? No. The PAL is federal and valid across Canada. What is specific to BC is the Chief Firearms Officer's office in Surrey, which handles BC and Yukon files, and where you take your course.

How much does a firearms licence cost in BC? The CFSC course is $190, or $270 plus tax for the combined CFSC/CRFSC weekend. The RCMP application fee is $70.38 for a non-restricted PAL and $93.84 with restricted privileges, effective March 31, 2026.

How long does it take to get a PAL in BC? The mandatory waiting period is 28 days and the RCMP estimates 45 days to process a complete application. In practice, most applicants see 3 to 6 months from course booking to card in hand.

Can I get my PAL online in BC? No. Online study is excellent preparation, but the federal curriculum requires in-person instruction and a practical handling test. There is no fully online path to a PAL anywhere in Canada.

Can non-residents or new Canadians get a firearms licence in BC? Yes. Permanent residents apply through the standard route. Non-residents can take the courses in person, need a letter of good conduct if they have lived in Canada under five years, and apply by mail.