How to Renew Your PAL in Canada
By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors. Personally teaching CFSC and CRFSC since 1994.
We hear from people every week who are renewing a licence they have held for years and want to get it right without the process dragging on. Renewal is simpler than the first application, and for most people it does not cost anything. There are a couple of places people trip, though, and one of them, letting the licence lapse, turns a simple renewal into starting over. Here is how to do it cleanly.
The short answer
To renew your PAL in Canada, apply through the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program before your current licence expires. You can renew online or by mail. There is no course to retake and no exam, and for a non-restricted licence the renewal fee is currently waived. The CFP sends a renewal notice three months before your expiry date, but do not wait for it. Start early to avoid any gap. If you hold restricted firearms, include proof of a club or range membership for your Authorization to Transport. If you let your licence expire, you lose the renewal path entirely and have to reapply as a first-time applicant, including the mandatory 28-day waiting period.
Continue on the Silvercore Path
- Start here: How to Get Your PAL in Canada (Complete Guide)
- How Long Does It Take to Get a PAL in Canada?
- How Much Does a PAL Cost in Canada?
- PAL vs RPAL: What's the Difference?
How do I renew my PAL in Canada?
Your PAL is valid for five years. Renewing it keeps your licence continuous, which matters more than people realize, because a PAL covers possession, not just acquisition. As long as you apply before your current licence expires, your authority to possess your firearms carries on while the renewal is processed.
The renewal itself is straightforward. There is no course to retake, no written test, and no practical test. The training you completed for your original licence stands for life. Renewal is an administrative process: you confirm your information, answer the eligibility questions again, provide a current photo, and the Canadian Firearms Program runs its checks.
To renew, you will need your firearms licence number, your current and former spousal or conjugal partner information (former only if within the last two years), payment information if a fee applies to your licence class, and a digital photo that meets the RCMP's requirements. You apply either through the RCMP's online Individual Web Services or by submitting the paper Application for Renewal of a Firearms Licence for an Individual (RCMP form 5614).
The CFP mails a renewal notice three months before your licence expires. Treat that notice as a backup reminder, not your trigger to act. If your address changed since you were licensed and you did not update it with the CFP, that notice goes to the wrong place. Track your own expiry date, which is printed on the front of your licence card.
When should I start the renewal process?
Start at least three months before your expiry date. The CFP sends its renewal notice three months out for exactly this reason.
There is no downside to renewing early and a real downside to renewing late. Processing is not instant, and if anything on your file needs a closer look, you want that happening while your current licence is still valid. Renew with margin and you never have to think about a gap.
How much does it cost to renew a PAL?
For a non-restricted PAL, the renewal fee is currently waived. You read that right. Under the federal Firearms Fees Regulations, the fee to renew a non-restricted possession and acquisition licence is waived for licence holders who have held a valid licence continuously, and the RCMP renewal form instructs you to leave the fee section blank. The one exception is if your previous licence was revoked, in which case the waiver does not apply.
For a licence that includes restricted privileges, confirm the current fee with the RCMP before you submit, since the published fee schedule is adjusted annually and the waiver provisions are written specifically around non-restricted licences. You can check the current numbers on the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program fee schedule. [VERIFY: confirm whether the renewal fee waiver extends to a full PAL/RPAL renewal, or whether the restricted renewal carries the $93.84 application fee, before publishing.]
The fees people see quoted as "renewal costs," typically the $70.38 and $93.84 figures, are the fees for a first-time application or for reapplying after a lapse. They are not what a straightforward, on-time renewal costs.
Can I renew my PAL online?
Yes, and it is the faster option. You can renew through the RCMP's online Individual Web Services at rcmp.ca/en/firearms/individual-web-services. Online renewal gets your application to the CFP immediately, with no postal transit time and nothing to lose in the mail. You submit your details, answer the eligibility questions, upload your photo, and you receive a confirmation number showing your renewal is in progress.
You cannot use the online service if your licence has already expired or is otherwise no longer valid, if you already have a renewal in progress, if you are requesting a religious exemption from the photo requirement, or if you hold a Minor's Licence. In those cases you renew or apply by paper.
If speed matters, renew online and do it before expiry, which keeps both doors open.
What happens if my PAL has already expired?
This is the one that costs people, so it is worth being blunt about it.
If your licence has expired, you cannot renew it. The renewal path is gone, and the online service will not accept you. You have to submit a new application, and that reapplication is treated like a first-time application: the full background check and the mandatory 28-day waiting period that comes with a fresh file.
There is a second consequence most people do not think about. A PAL is your authority to possess firearms, not just to buy them. If your licence lapses, you are required to make arrangements so you are no longer in unlawful possession of your firearms until you are licensed again. That is not a position you want to be in over a missed renewal date.
And there is the paperwork sting. To reapply, you need proof that you completed the required safety training, which means a copy of your CFSC and CRFSC course reports. If you cannot produce them, you may have to retake the course. If you trained with Silvercore, contact our office and we can look into pulling your course report. If you trained elsewhere, track those records down before you need them.
The takeaway is simple. Renew before expiry and the process is easy and usually free. Let it lapse and you are back at the start, paying the application fee and waiting out the 28 days.
What if I'm renewing an RPAL and own restricted firearms?
This is where renewal has one extra step, and where most of our restricted-licence holders save themselves a delay.
To possess and transport restricted firearms, you need to be eligible for an Authorization to Transport, and that eligibility requires belonging to an approved club or range. When you renew a licence with restricted privileges while holding restricted firearms, include your proof of club or range membership with the renewal. If you do not, the CFP may have to follow up for it, and that round trip adds time to your file.
This is one of the practical reasons people hold Silvercore Club membership. The Club is RCMP approved for the purpose of ATT and restricted PAL eligibility, which is the membership piece the Chief Firearms Officer looks for. To be clear, membership makes you eligible. It does not guarantee issuance, because the ATT and the RPAL are decisions the CFO makes, not us. Membership is $59 a year and also carries $5 million in liability insurance, includes our online courses free, and comes with partner discounts across optics, cases, and gear. For someone renewing a restricted licence, having that membership current and the proof in hand is the difference between a renewal that moves and one that waits on a letter.
How long does PAL renewal take?
The CFP runs the same background and eligibility checks on a renewal that it runs on any licence decision, and it quotes a 45-day processing estimate for applications. A clean renewal submitted well ahead of expiry generally processes without drama, but times vary with application volume and with anything on your file that needs review.
This is the entire argument for renewing early. As long as you applied before your expiry date, your current licence remains valid while the renewal is processed, so a longer processing time does not leave you unlicensed. Leave it to the last minute and a normal processing delay can become a gap in your licence.
Check your form before you send it
The single most common self-inflicted renewal delay is a mistake on the form. A missing signature, a blank field, an inconsistent date. An incomplete application gets sent back, and that round trip can cost you weeks you may not have if you left renewal late.
Review your application more than once. Better still, fill it out, set it aside, and come back to it with fresh eyes the next day. Tired eyes skip things. A clean, complete application is the biggest thing standing between you and a renewal that just goes through. If you are unsure about anything on the form, contact our office and we can point you in the right direction.
Frequently asked questions
How do I renew my PAL in Canada?
Apply to renew through the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program before your licence expires, online through Individual Web Services or by submitting paper form RCMP 5614. There is no course or exam to retake. You confirm your information, answer the eligibility questions, provide a current photo, and if you hold restricted firearms, include proof of your club or range membership for your Authorization to Transport.
How much does it cost to renew a PAL?
For a non-restricted PAL, the renewal fee is currently waived under the federal Firearms Fees Regulations, provided you have held a valid licence continuously and it was not revoked. The renewal form instructs you to leave the fee section blank. The fees often quoted online, around $70 to $94, are first-application or post-lapse reapplication fees, not the cost of an on-time renewal. Confirm the current figure for a restricted licence with the RCMP before paying.
When should I renew my PAL?
Start at least three months before your expiry date. The CFP sends a renewal notice three months out, but do not rely on it. Renewing early means that even if processing takes time, your current licence stays valid until the renewal is finished, so there is no gap.
Do I have to retake the CFSC to renew my PAL?
No. The safety course is required only for your first licence, and your training stands for life. The exception is if you let your licence expire and have to reapply without proof of your original course reports, in which case you may have to retake the course.
What happens if my PAL expires before I renew?
You lose the renewal path and must submit a new application, treated like a first-time application, including the mandatory 28-day waiting period and the application fee. You also need proof of your original safety training, and while you are unlicensed you are required to arrange that you are not in unlawful possession of your firearms. Renewing before expiry avoids all of this.
Can I renew my PAL online?
Usually, yes, and it is faster than mail. You renew through the RCMP Individual Web Services. You cannot renew online if your licence has already expired or is no longer valid, if you already have a renewal in progress, if you are requesting a religious photo exemption, or if you hold a Minor's Licence.
Do I need a club membership to renew my RPAL?
If you hold restricted firearms, you need to be eligible for an Authorization to Transport, which requires a club or range membership, and you should include proof of it with your renewal. The Silvercore Club is RCMP approved for this purpose. Including the proof up front saves the CFP from having to follow up for it.
Travis Bader
Silvercore Outdoors
