How to Get Your PAL in Canada

Last updated: July 25, 2026.

Silvercore has been teaching Canadians how to earn a Possession and Acquisition Licence since 1994. I am Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors, and I hold RCMP Master Instructor credentials for both the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course, along with a CORE Hunter Education train-the-trainer designation. I have been qualified as an expert witness in firearms matters at the Federal Court of Canada and the Provincial Court of British Columbia. That background is what this guide is built on.

A Possession and Acquisition Licence, or PAL, is the federal licence that allows you to own, buy, and use firearms in Canada. It is issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police under the authority of the Firearms Act. There is no shortcut to it, no way to test out of the training, and no online-only version. If you want to get this right, and get it done, this page walks you through every step in the order it actually happens.

The two licences

Canada has one licence with two classes. A non-restricted PAL covers most rifles and shotguns. A restricted PAL, sometimes called an RPAL, extends that authority to restricted firearms, which includes most handguns and certain rifles classified as restricted. A restricted PAL is a superset of the non-restricted licence, so it requires both course components rather than one.

Prohibited firearms sit in a separate category. Only holders of pre-existing prohibited licences may possess them, and no new prohibited licences are issued for handguns or the firearms captured by recent orders in council (save 12-7 inherited firearms). For the vast majority of Canadians earning their first licence today, the choice is between non-restricted and non-restricted plus restricted. Most of our students take both course components together, because the incremental cost and time are small and the future flexibility is significant.

The training requirement

Every applicant for a non-restricted PAL must pass the Canadian Firearms Safety Course, known as the CFSC. Every applicant for a restricted PAL must additionally pass the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course, or CRFSC. Both courses are set nationally by the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program. Only a Canadian CFSC and CRFSC satisfy the training requirement. A safety course completed in another country, no matter how comprehensive, does not count.

The CFSC is a minimum of eight hours. The CRFSC is a minimum of six hours. When the two are delivered back to back within seven days, the CRFSC minimum drops to four hours because it can build on the CFSC foundation. The RCMP prohibits delivering both courses in a single day. Class size is capped at twelve students. Every course involves classroom instruction, handling of disabled firearms and inert ammunition under instructor supervision, a written examination, and a practical examination.

There is no challenge option. There has not been one since 2015. If someone offers you a way to skip the course and go straight to the exams, that offer does not comply with current RCMP policy and any resulting paperwork will be rejected. Every applicant sits in the same classroom and does the same practical.

If this is your first time

Most people in a Silvercore CFSC classroom have never handled a firearm before. That is the assumption we teach to. You do not need to arrive with a vocabulary, a background in shooting, or a friend who does this already. You need to arrive on time, willing to pay attention, and willing to ask when something is not clear. Everything else is what the course is for.

Here is what actually happens on the day. Your instructor introduces the terminology, explains a safety procedure, shows you what that procedure looks like with a disabled training firearm, then puts one in your hands and walks you through it. When you make a mistake, you get corrected in the moment and asked to try again. Nothing is sudden. Nothing lands on you without warning. The class moves at the pace of the room, not at the pace of the fastest person in it. If you need to see something a second time, you see it a second time. That is how the day is designed.

The written and practical examinations sound formal until you sit down for them. By the end of a well-taught day you will have handled each of the required actions repeatedly under supervision, so the practical is a demonstration of what you already know, not a test you are trying to remember. The written portion asks about the material you spent the day discussing. Passing is not a gatekeeper. It is a confirmation that the material stuck.

What to look for in a course

The RCMP sets the curriculum, but the quality of your experience varies dramatically with the instructor. In three decades of teaching this material and training other instructors to teach it, I have watched what separates a course that produces a confident, safe, life-long firearms owner from a course that produces a passed exam and not much else.

Look for a course where the instructor teaches this material regularly rather than a few times a year, handles firearms in class themselves rather than reading slides at you, gives you time to work through each action type with your own hands, and answers questions carefully instead of brushing them off. The RCMP curriculum is the same everywhere. What differs is whether the instructor treats it as a lifetime discipline or an add-on to something else.

Silvercore has trained more Canadians in firearms safety than any other provider in the country. Our program is built and maintained under RCMP Master Instructor oversight, our instructors are current, formally credentialed, and teach the way the RCMP intends the material to be taught. That is the standard we hold ourselves to, and it is the standard you should hold every course you consider.

The application

Once you pass the required course or courses, you are eligible to apply for your PAL. The application is submitted to the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program. Canadian residents can apply online through the Canadian Firearms Program portal or by mailing the paper application form. Non-residents apply by paper.

Two forms exist, and choosing the wrong one is one of the most common ways applications get returned. Form RCMP 5614 is used to renew a currently valid PAL, and can also be used during the six-month extension period that begins when a PAL expires without renewal. During that extension you cannot use, transport, or acquire firearms or ammunition, but the renewal path is still open. Form RCMP 5592 is used for a first-time application, for a licence that expired more than six months ago (the renewal path has closed and you reapply as a new applicant, including the 28-day waiting period), and for adding a new class to a licence you did not previously hold.

The application asks for personal history, references, and disclosures related to your safety to yourself and others. First-time applicants need two personal references who have known them for at least three years and can speak to their character, plus a photo guarantor who signs the back of a passport-style photograph. You will also need to disclose any current or former conjugal partner within the last two years, and the RCMP will contact those individuals as part of the safety review. This is a statutory requirement, not a discretionary one, and honesty in this section is critical.

Current fees, set by regulation and updated annually on March 31, are $70.38 for a non-restricted PAL and $93.84 for a restricted PAL. These are the fees effective March 31, 2026. Renewal fees are the same. The old non-restricted renewal fee waiver ended May 16, 2013, and has not been reinstated. The only standing fee waivers are for eligible sustenance hunters and trappers and for eligible minors.

Every first-time applicant is subject to a mandatory 28-day waiting period after the RCMP receives the application. This is not a processing estimate. It is a statutory hold that runs before the review begins. RCMP processing beyond that varies, and typical timelines are published on the Canadian Firearms Program website. Once approved, your PAL is valid for five years and can be renewed.

Residency and non-residents

You do not need to be a Canadian citizen to hold a PAL. Permanent residents and other lawful residents are eligible. Non-residents can also take the CFSC and CRFSC in Canada and can apply for a Canadian PAL. If you have not lived in Canada for the previous five years, or you are not currently resident, the RCMP requires a letter of good conduct from your country of residence as part of the application. Online applications are limited to Canadian residents. Non-residents apply on paper.

Applicants seeking a restricted or prohibited PAL in Quebec have an additional step. The Sûreté du Québec requires form SQ-3007, which is completed in person at the police station serving the applicant's territory of residence and attached to the federal application before it is submitted to Miramichi. This is a provincial requirement particular to Quebec.

After your PAL

A licence is a beginning. It grants you the legal authority to own firearms, but the skills, habits, and community that make firearms ownership a lifelong pursuit come from what you do next.

Live-fire training is where a course education becomes a working skillset. Silvercore's Rifle Marksmanship Fundamentals course, RF1, is designed for licence-holders who want their first structured range experience with professional coaching. RF2 builds on that foundation for intermediate marksmen. For restricted PAL holders, the HG1, HG2, and HG3 handgun courses run the same progression for handgun shooters, from a first structured range experience through intermediate and advanced work. Bear and Wildlife Defence and Wilderness Authorization to Carry courses extend that training into the field for hunters, guides, and anyone who spends serious time in bear country.

The Silvercore Club is where the community lives. Membership gives you $5 million in excess third-party liability insurance through Lloyd's, discounts across a Canada-wide network of outfitters, retailers, and service providers, and access to an ongoing library of training content. It keeps you sharp and has your back. The Club serves members nationally and internationally, and it is the natural home for anyone who takes their PAL seriously enough to want the tools and people around them that make ongoing use easier.

Frequently asked

Can I take the PAL course online? No. The CFSC and CRFSC must be delivered in person. There is no fully online version that satisfies the RCMP training requirement.

Can I test out of / or challenge the course if I already know firearms? No. The challenge option was removed in 2015. Every applicant takes the full course.

Does a foreign firearms safety course count? No. Only a Canadian CFSC and, where applicable, CRFSC satisfy the training requirement for a Canadian PAL.

How long does a PAL take in Canada? A first-time PAL typically takes two to four months from start to finish. That includes finding and completing your Canadian Firearms Safety Course, the mandatory 28-day waiting period after the RCMP receives your application, and RCMP processing time on top of that. The Canadian Firearms Program publishes current typical processing timelines on its website.

What is the cost of a PAL in Canada? The RCMP fee is $70.38 for a non-restricted PAL and $93.84 for a restricted PAL, effective March 31, 2026. Fees are set by regulation and updated annually. The Canadian Firearms Safety Course is priced separately by the provider you choose. Silvercore's current course fees and schedule are on our course pages.

What if I fail the exam? You can retake it. A failed attempt does not create any record that follows you into your PAL application.

Do I need a separate licence for restricted firearms? No. A restricted PAL is a single licence that includes both non-restricted and restricted authorities. You do not carry two cards.

Book your course

Silvercore runs the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course across British Columbia and by arrangement elsewhere in Canada. For Metro Vancouver students, our Lower Mainland schedule is here: PAL courses in Vancouver. For the combined non-restricted and restricted course, see the CFSC and CRFSC combined course page. To join the community of Canadians who take this seriously, the Silvercore Club is where the path continues after your licence arrives.

Travis Bader, Silvercore Outdoors