How to Get a Gun Licence (PAL) in BC

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

Last updated: 7 November 2026

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 eight 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. What BC has is a Chief Firearms Officer, a federally appointed official whose office in Surrey serves BC. 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, and 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 at eight venues across the province, taught by Silvercore instructors. I have taught these courses since 1994, and as an RCMP Master Instructor I also train the instructors who teach them.

Lower Mainland

• Delta: Silvercore Classroom Delta, #115-7198 Vantage Way, Delta BC V4G 1K7. Our permanent classroom and the home base for most of our weekend courses.
• Vancouver: LaSalle College Vancouver, 2808 Bradfield Court, across from Renfrew SkyTrain station (Millennium Line).
• 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.

Training from Vancouver? We teach at LaSalle College Vancouver, across from Renfrew SkyTrain station, and many Vancouver students also 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 one current photo with your guarantor's signature on the enclosed photo sticker, include a copy of your course report, and mail the package with payment by credit card, or by certified cheque or money order made payable to the Receiver General for Canada.

Whichever route you take, you will need two references who are 18 or older and have known you for at least three years. Your current spouse or partner cannot be one of them. You will also need government-issued identification (two pieces online; the paper form asks for one) and information about any current or former spouse, common-law or other conjugal partner from the past two years. If those partners do not sign your application, the Chief Firearms Officer has a duty to notify them of it. Mistakes at this step are the most common reason BC applications stall: missing signatures, photos that do not meet the specifications, and references who never answer their phone.

How much does a PAL cost in BC?

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; on March 31, 2027, the three fees above are scheduled to become $72.35, $96.47 and $48.24. Renewal carries the same fee as a new application. The standing exception is a fee waiver for people who need firearms to hunt or trap to sustain themselves or their families. 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 a PAL application take in BC?

Anyone who does not already hold a valid firearms licence sits through a minimum 28-day waiting period, set by section 5 of the Firearms Licences Regulations. Mail adds time at the front: the RCMP asks paper applicants to allow 2 to 4 weeks just for the application to be entered into its system. 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 How to Get Your BC Hunting Licence.

If restricted firearms are the goal, the Firearms Act authorizes you to transport each restricted firearm transferred to you for target shooting to and from approved shooting clubs and shooting ranges in your province of residence, and your Chief Firearms Officer issues any other Authorization to Transport. Canadian Firearms Program policy looks for gun club or range membership when your Chief Firearms Officer approves a restricted firearm transfer, and the Silvercore Club meets that policy in all provinces and territories 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 their membership letter is on file for their first restricted transfer. 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.

What do I need to apply for a PAL in BC?

Your CFSC course report (plus the CRFSC for restricted firearms), two references who are 18 or older, have known you for at least three years and are not your current spouse or partner, government-issued identification, a photo that meets the RCMP requirements, details of any conjugal partner from the past two years, and the application fee, which is $70.38 for a non-restricted PAL or $93.84 with restricted privileges until March 30, 2027.

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 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 minimum waiting period is 28 days for anyone who does not already hold a valid firearms licence, and a mailed application can take 2 to 4 weeks just to be entered into the RCMP system. Most of our students see 3 to 6 months from booking the course to holding the card.

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.