Firearms licensing fees are going up: Here's what you'll pay from 4 June
20-May-2026
Chris Cooper
The Home Office has confirmed new firearms licensing fees that come into force on 4 June 2026. If you're due a grant, renewal, or variation, it's worth knowing what's changed and what it means for your timing.
The increases come via the Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 2026, published as Circular 001/2026 on 14 May. Across the board, fees are rising by around 3%. It's not a dramatic jump, but it touches almost every type of application.
The new fees at a glance
Here's what you'll pay from 4 June:
The updated application fees include £204 for the grant of a firearm certificate and £135 for the renewal of a firearm certificate. The grant of a shotgun certificate is £200, while the renewal of a shotgun certificate is £130. A coterminous grant covering both firearm and shotgun certificates costs £208, and a coterminous renewal costs £160. Firearms dealer registration, whether for grant or renewal, is £480, while firearms dealer registration for events such as a game fair is £31. A variation of a firearm certificate, where it is not like-for-like, costs £48. The replacement of a lost or destroyed certificate is £9. Visitor’s permits are charged at £48 for an individual and £240 for a group.
It's worth noting that Section 5 authorities, shooting club approvals, and museum licences are not affected; those fees stay as they are for now.
Coterminous applications: How the maths works
If you hold both a firearm and shotgun certificate, the coterminous route remains the most cost-effective way to manage them. The combined fees are significantly less than applying for each separately.
The way it breaks down depends on your specific situation. If you're renewing both at the same time, you'll pay £160, that's £135 for the firearm renewal and £25 for the shotgun renewal. If one is a grant and the other a renewal, the total is £208 regardless of which way round it falls. The system is designed so you're always paying the full firearm fee plus a reduced shotgun element.
What about timing?
This is the practical bit. Any application received by the police on or before 3 June 2026 will be processed at the current fee. From 4 June onwards, the new rates apply.
That said, the circular is clear: don't try to game the system by submitting a renewal months early just to dodge the increase. Police forces may return early applications and ask you to resubmit with the new fee. Most forces accept renewals up to four months before expiry, so stick to that window, and you'll be fine.
If you've already submitted your application and payment before 4 June, you won't be asked to top up. The police will honour the fee you've paid.
Should you rush to apply?
Probably not. The differences are modest, a few pounds in most cases. If your renewal is genuinely due in the next few weeks, it makes sense to get it in before 4 June. But submitting months early to save a fiver risks having your application bounced back, which helps nobody.
The more important thing, as always, is getting your application in on time and with the right paperwork. As we covered in our recent look at the NPCC licensing data, processing times vary wildly between forces, so giving your local team as much lead time as possible is the best thing you can do.
Not sure when your certificate is due?
Rather than trying to remember the date, you can use our free Firearms Licence Renewal Checker to check your expiry date and work out the right window to apply. Pop in your details and it'll tell you when to get moving, so you're not scrambling at the last minute or applying too early and risking a returned form. It takes a few seconds, and it's one less thing to keep track of.
The bigger picture
A 3% uplift isn't going to break the bank for most certificate holders. But it's a reminder that the cost of holding a licence, on top of safe storage, insurance, and everything else, continues to creep up. Whether these fees reflect the true cost of administering the system, or whether they're simply rounded up every few years, is a conversation the shooting community has been having for a long time.
For now, the key date is 4 June 2026. Make sure you know where you stand.
Source: Home Office Circular 001/2026 - Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 2026, published 14 May 2026.
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