Renewal motivation

A renewal is not automatic: section 24(3) requires you to show that you have continued to comply with the requirements for the licence, on the facts since it was issued, not the case you made the first time. This is the additional motivation for one firearm, written to attach to field D6 of the sworn Annexure to SAPS 518(a). The six-page renewal form itself has no motivation field of its own; the Annexure does.

Renewal motivation

R180per firearm, once-off

One firearm, one Annexure, one motivation. Renewing three licences needs three of these.

Before you start

A renewal motivation cannot help you if:

Your firearm is a muzzle-loader, a small airgun or a deactivated firearm.
You only use someone else's licensed firearm under their supervision.
The licence is an additional licence under section 12, for a firearm licensed to someone who lives on the same premises as you.
You are not a South African citizen and do not hold permanent residence.
You need the firearm for your work as a security officer.
You are a professional hunter and need it for your professional hunting.
The firearm is for a business.
Your licence is a green licence, issued under the Arms and Ammunition Act 75 of 1969.

Why, and what to do instead

Muzzle-loaders, airguns under 5.6 mm calibre or under 8 joules, and deactivated firearms are not firearms under the Act, so there is no licence to motivate. A muzzle-loader needs a competency certificate instead.
You do not need a licence of your own to use a licence holder's firearm under their immediate supervision.
We do not prepare motivations for additional licences under section 12.
Without citizenship or permanent residence you cannot hold a licence under sections 13 to 17. Your route is a temporary authorisation under section 21, which we do not prepare.
Your employer provides work firearms under its own business licence.
A professional hunter needs a section 16A licence for professional hunting. We do not prepare section 16A motivations yet, but they are on our roadmap. If you run a hunting business, such as outfitting, that is a section 20 licence instead. We do prepare motivations for a firearm you need for another reason: self-defence, or your own hunting or sport shooting as an occasional hunter or sports person (section 15), or as a dedicated hunter or sports person (section 16).
A firearm for a business needs a section 20 business licence.
SAPS deals with a green licence as a new application, not a renewal. A motivation letter for a new licence is what you need, and we can help with that.

None of these apply to me.

I accept the terms of service, including that the renewal motivation is written by AI, that AI can make mistakes, that I must check every sentence myself before I swear to it and hand it in, and that using it does not guarantee my application will be approved.

What is included

The five certifications the Annexure asks first, D1 to D5: competency, no disqualifying conviction, no declaration of unfitness, safe storage against the SABS standard, and carrying as prescribed.
The continued-purpose argument for field D6, with the evidence you give cited by number so a Designated Firearms Officer can check each claim against a numbered document rather than hunt for it.
A checklist of your supporting documents matched against what you have told us, so you can see at a glance what is still missing before you submit.
A Sources page listing every provision, form and notice the document rests on, each with its own verification date.
Up to three drafts, so you can adjust your answers and write another if one does not read the way you want.

How it works

We check it is the right document before you pay. A short check before you start tells you if a renewal motivation is not what you need, and what to do instead.
We ask what your licence was issued for. For a section 15 licence, what the firearm was licensed for: hunting, sport shooting, both, or vermin control. For a section 16 licence, the dedicated status it was issued on. The renewal is argued on that basis.
We argue from what you have done since. Field D6 is argued on your use of the firearm since the licence was issued, with each piece of evidence you give cited by number.
We stop what cannot be renewed. A green licence, issued under the old 1969 Act, is dealt with by SAPS as a new application, so we tell you before you pay and point you to a new-licence motivation. A licence is renewed under the same section it was issued under, so moving to another section is a new application too.
We warn you about what SAPS would refuse. If your competency certificate does not cover the firearm's type, or the dedicated status your section 16 licence was issued on has lapsed, we tell you, and your renewal never claims a lapsed status is current.

When to apply

Apply at least 90 days before your licence expires. Lodge it that early and section 24(4) keeps the existing licence valid while the renewal is decided.

A late application, lodged after that 90-day cutoff but still before the licence expires, is drafted with the reason SAPS asks for on the form and the document that supports it. Section 24(4)'s protection belongs only to an application lodged in time.

An expired licence cannot be renewed. It has already terminated, and the route SAPS has directed people to is a fresh application under the licence section that fits you, backed by a valid competency, handled through your DFO. That is the motivation letter, not this product.

The fee in the last published schedule is R92 for the renewal and R92 for the competency certificate (Government Notice R.3412 of 17 May 2023, 2025/2026 column). The remittance advice the Designated Firearms Officer issues is the amount actually payable.

No approval is guaranteed, and none can be. Your renewal is decided by the Registrar of Firearms through the Central Firearms Registry, on an application your Designated Firearms Officer forwards. We are independent of all three.

The Annexure you attach it to is a sworn declaration, and a false statement is an offence, so the wizard only writes what you tell it.

Publishing a draft is final. Once you publish one, no further drafts are available on that application, even if you have not used all three, and the text you published can no longer be edited here. Read a draft carefully before you publish it.

R180 is the full amount for one firearm's renewal motivation. Nothing is added at checkout. All payments are final; see our terms.

Common questions about renewing a firearm licence

General answers about how a renewal works, not legal advice: for advice about your own licence, speak to your Designated Firearms Officer or a qualified attorney.

What is the difference between a licence, a renewal and a competency?

A competency certificate says you are legally permitted to hold firearms at all, and you apply for it on form SAPS 517. A licence is for one specific firearm, on form SAPS 271. A renewal extends a licence you already hold, on form SAPS 518(a). They are separate applications with separate reference numbers, and SAPS will not grant a licence or a renewal unless you hold a valid and relevant competency certificate.

How long is my licence valid?

It depends on the section of the Firearms Control Act it was issued under. Section 13, a firearm for self-defence, runs five years. Section 14, a restricted firearm for self- defence, runs two. Sections 15, 16 and 16A, for occasional, dedicated and professional hunting and sports shooting, and section 17, a private collection, all run ten. Your competency certificate has no separate expiry calendar of its own: SAPS states it stays valid for the same period as the licence it relates to.

When must I renew, and does my licence stay valid while I wait?

You must submit the renewal to your DFO at least 90 days before your current licence expires, meaning 90 days or more, not at some point inside the final 90. Lodge it that early and your existing licence stays legally valid until the application has been decided, and SAPS counts it as decided only once any appeal is finished. Leave it later and you lose that protection; let the licence expire without renewing and it lapses, and you are then in unlawful possession of the firearm.

What happens if my licence has already expired?

You may not lawfully possess a firearm on an expired licence, and a lapsed licence cannot be renewed. The route SAPS has directed people to is a fresh licence application backed by a valid competency, handled through your DFO. This has been through the courts more than once and the position has moved, so do not act on anything you read online, including this page. Speak to your DFO and to an attorney.