AFTER THE COURSE

Applying for your PAL after the CFSC: Step by step

Last reviewed July 15, 2026

Passing the CFSC doesn’t start your licence - the application does, and nothing happens until the RCMP receives it. The application for a PAL goes to the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program on form RCMP 5614 (paper) or through the online licensing portal, with your course report number, personal-history answers, two references, a photo with guarantor, and the fee.

Complete applications move through the system; incomplete ones get returned and restart the clock. Here’s each piece, and the mistakes that cause returns.

What you need before you start

• Your CFSC course report - the number goes on the application. Adding restricted privileges? You’ll need the CRFSC report number too. Lost it or took the course years ago? Course reports never expire, and the guide covers recovering one.
• Personal history - the application asks direct questions about the last five years: relationship breakdowns, job loss, mental-health treatment, substance use, police contact. Answer everything truthfully; the checks will verify. If you have a record, read applying with a criminal record first.
• Two references - adults who’ve known you at least three years. Pick people who answer unknown numbers; an unreachable reference stalls the file.
• Passport-style photo plus guarantor - the guarantor (someone who’s known you two years; the form lists eligible categories) signs the back of the photo and can’t double as a reference.
• Partner notification - your current spouse/common-law partner and any former partner from the last two years must be aware of the application. The form collects their information; unnotified partners get contacted by the RCMP directly.
• The fee - set by regulation, higher with restricted privileges, payable by card online or with the paper form. Current amounts: RCMP fees page.

Online vs. paper

Same requirements, different failure modes. The online portal validates fields as you type, takes payment immediately, and skips mail time - use it if you can. Paper (form 5614) still works everywhere, but transcription and legibility problems are real: unsigned photos, missed questions, and unreadable reference phone numbers are the classic return reasons. Either way, keep copies of everything, including your course report.

What happens after you submit

1. Completeness screening. Missing pieces = returned application. This is where most self-inflicted delays happen.
2. Background checks - police databases, your history answers, reference calls, partner contact where applicable.
3. The 28-day minimum. First-time applicants can’t be issued a licence sooner than 28 days from application - it’s statutory, not a backlog.
4. CFO review where anything needs a closer look, sometimes with a follow-up interview.
5. The licence arrives by mail, valid five years from issue.

Realistic end-to-end timing - and what to do when it’s slower than promised - is covered in How long does a PAL take?

While you wait: the rules that still apply

Until the physical licence is in hand, you have no licence. Don’t buy a firearm, accept one as a gift or inheritance, or “just store” one for a friend - possession without a licence is a criminal offence regardless of a pending application. Use the wait to learn the obligations that start on day one: storage law and transport law.

Haven’t taken the course yet and reading ahead? Good instinct - application quality starts with a clean course report. Find a CFSC course in your province and get your name on it exactly as it appears on your ID.