Firearms Licensing Fees published

On 15 January 2025, the Home Office published the new fees for firearms certification from 5 February 2025.  The new fees and the order can be found at Circular 001/2025: Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 2025 - GOV.UK

From 5 February 2025, the new fees will be:

Grant of firearms certificate £198

Renewal of firearm certificate £131

Grant of shotgun certificate £194

Renewal of shotgun certificate £126

Coterminous grant of firearm and shotgun certificates £202

Coterminous renewal of firearm and shotgun certificates £155

Registration as a firearms dealer: grant £466

Registration as a firearms dealer: Renewal £466

Registration as a firearms dealer: Game fair etc £30

Replacement of lost or destroyed firearms certificate £9

Replacement of lost or destroyed shotgun certificate £9

Variation of firearm certificate (not like for like) £47

Grant of visitors permit: Group £233

Grant of visitors permit: Individual £47

The fees were last increased in 2015 and were due to be increased in 2020; however, due to the Covid pandemic, these were delayed.

The impact assessment published by the Government can be found here: Firearms licensing fees: impact assessment (accessible)—GOV.UK  This document sets out the rationale and methodology used to calculate the fees.

 The arrangements for the transition of the fees are set out in the Order, which states;

Firearms licensing applications received by the police on or after 5 February 2025 will incur the new fee. If an application and related payment has been received by the police on or before 4 February 2025, the police will honour the fee that has been paid. Applications to renew firearm and shotgun certificates should continue to be made within the usual timescales (please check the police force website for this information). Applicants should not apply ‘extra early’ in order to avoid paying the new fees. In these cases, the police may return applications and request that the new fee is paid. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has advised that most forces accept renewals up to four months before expiry date.. 

Whilst it was anticipated that there would be a move to increase fees, it is perhaps best to explain the context behind the increase.

There has been one meeting with representatives of the shooting organisations with the Home Office, which occurred in May 2023, in relation to fees.  During that meeting, the revised fees were presented with an explanation of the rationale.  The shooting organisations' representatives raised several concerns concerning the calculations presented, and the concerns were shortly thereafter communicated to the Home Office.  There was subsequently no communication between the Home Office and the stakeholders before a meeting of the British Shooting Sports Council and BASC on Monday, 13 January 2025, with the policing Minister, which stakeholders sought out. 

Within the Labour Party manifestos prior to the 2024 General Election, there was a commitment to move to full cost recovery of firearms licensing fees. To be fair, and it is difficult to acknowledge, the Labour government is just doing what it said it would do. Given the current political pressures the Government is under regarding revenue, there would never be a way to dissuade them from this matter. It was what the electorate voted for.

However, this Government is no friend of the countryside or those who live in the rural environment. The daily headlines about attacks on agriculture reflect this. Come 2029 nationally and in local elections in between, please don’t forget this lack of support and understanding of rural life. 

The police have consistently asked for full cost recovery regarding licensing fees. Given the demands upon their budgets, you would expect it. You would do the same in their shoes. The shooting organisations accepted that a fee increase would be expected. However, it should align with inflation, about 35% since the last increase in 2015. What has happened, though, is that every process has been looked at and increased significantly more than that albeit with a set commitment to increasing efficiency.

The licensing picture in the UK is extremely varied.  Some forces provide an excellent, timely service.  Others, meanwhile, display such ineptitude as it is staggering in its audaciousness.  In one Welsh force, you may have to wait 2 ½ years for the grant of a certificate.  In another Welsh force, it appears they have significant difficulty understanding the basic law concerning applications.  We have recently highlighted potential unlawful conduct issues in several forces.  One northeastern police force appears to make up the law as it goes.  And yet certificate holders are expected to pay increased fees to get such a service.  It is appalling.

The Home Office has stated that the increased fees will support police forces in providing an improved service to firearms applicants through better-resourced and trained licensing teams. In England and Wales, the NPCC Lead on Firearms Licensing is developing a new performance framework for firearms licensing teams, which they plan to publish to provide greater transparency on application turnaround times. This will include a performance target for forces to complete applications for the grant or renewal of firearm and shotgun certificates within four months unless there are concerns about the applicant's suitability.  We await with interest to see if this happens.  This already happens in Scotland.

Furthermore, the Home Office has stated that police forces must retain firearms fees income to support improvements in police firearms licensing.  That will be a gripping FOI return in the future.

We await the performance improvements; however, to say we are sceptical is an understatement.  Our responses to the recent consultations on firearms licensing matters have been consistently clear.  Significant reform must be implemented from top to bottom in the process.

In the meantime, sound moderators will likely be removed from certification.  We aim to continue to pressure for ten years certificates.  We will advocate for certification when necessary for employment to be a non-taxable expense.

In conclusion, this is a sad day.  It is proof positive that ears are closed as far as this Government is concerned, and that is a real worry for those whose lives revolve around and involve the countryside.