The competency certificate, and how long it really lasts

What the Act requires

• 21 years or older on the day the DFO receives the application.
• A South African citizen, or the holder of a permanent residence permit.
• A fit and proper person, of stable mental condition, not inclined to violence, and not dependent on any intoxicating or narcotic substance.
• Free of the convictions the Act lists, which include offences involving violence, sexual abuse, domestic violence, drugs, and the negligent handling of a firearm.
• Has passed the prescribed test on knowledge of the Act.
• Has passed the prescribed training and practical tests on the safe and efficient handling of a firearm.

Under 21

The age requirement is not absolute. The Registrar may allow someone under 21 to apply where there are compelling reasons, and the Act names some: conducting a business, being gainfully employed, or being a dedicated hunter, dedicated sports person or private collector.

How long it lasts, which is the part people get wrong

A competency certificate does not have a validity of its own. It remains valid for the same period as the licence it relates to.

So a competency tied to a section 13 self-defence licence runs five years, and one tied to a section 15 or 16 licence runs ten. Assuming a flat five years is how people discover the mistake late.

A competency certificate for a muzzle loading firearm is the exception: it lapses ten years from the date of issue.

Renewing it

Renew the competency together with the licence it relates to, in the same application. A muzzle loading competency is renewed on its own, and must be applied for at least 90 days before it expires.