The contact details SAPS publishes
These are the details shown on the SAPS website on 19 October 2026. The SAPS pages do not say that the call centre or the enquiries address is staffed by the Registry itself; they are the firearms enquiry channels SAPS publishes. Check them against the SAPS page before you rely on them, because SAPS may change them.
| Channel | Detail |
|---|---|
| FLASH call centre | 012 353 6111 |
| FLASH enquiries email | cfrenquiry@saps.gov.za |
| The Registrar's postal address | The Registrar, Central Firearm Register, Private Bag X811, Pretoria, 0001 |
| Provincial FLASH enquiry desks | A telephone number and email for each province |
| SAPS head office | +27 (0) 12 393 1000 |
What an executor sends the Registrar for an estate
Regulation 103 requires the executor to deliver a letter, document or facsimile to the Registrar within 14 days of receiving the letter of appointment (Regulation 103(3)(b)). The Regulation 103 guide sets out each sub-regulation. The notice gives:
- the name and address of the holder of the licence, authorisation or permit;
- the address where the firearms and ammunition are stored;
- a copy of the inventory of the firearms, the ammunition and the firearm parts;
- a copy of the letter of appointment and, where the holder is deceased, a copy of the death notice;
- where the firearms devolve by will or intestate succession, the names, addresses and identity numbers of all beneficiaries; and
- documentary proof of the appointment as executor.
What follows the notice
- The Registrar records the particulars and must acknowledge receipt within 30 days (Regulation 103(5) and 103(6)). Keep the acknowledgement on the estate file.
- At least every three months the executor informs the Registrar in writing of the progress made and the steps taken to transfer the firearms and ammunition, with the details of the person to whom each was transferred (Regulation 103(7)).
- The Registrar may at any time direct a report by written notice, within the period the notice gives (Regulation 103(8)). Reply within that period.
- Only after the Registrar notifies that all the firearms have been transferred under the Act may the executor apply to the Master to finalise the estate (Regulation 103(9)).
- Where the executor stores the firearms with a licensed heir, the letter of consent is filed with the Designated Firearms Officer for the area where the heir lives (Regulation 103(2)).
Why the local DFO is the usual first call
The Designated Firearms Officer, or DFO, is the SAPS firearms official for your area, based at the police station. The DFO receives the executor's letter of consent for a licensed heir, and is the person to ask about local practice at the station. A question about one firearm, one licence or one station's practice is usually quicker to settle there than at the Registry in Pretoria.
The Registry in Pretoria keeps the Central Firearms Register and decides licence applications. Write to the Registrar for the formal steps Regulation 103 names: the notice, the three-monthly reports and the reply to a written direction. Use the FLASH channels above for a question that only the Registry can answer, such as whether it has recorded your notice, and quote the licence holder's name and the date you sent it.
The SAPS estate firearms page lists no email or fax number for the notice. Ask the DFO, or the FLASH call centre, how SAPS wants it delivered before you rely on email.
Send it so you can prove it
- Date the notice and sign it as executor, or as the attorney administering the estate for the executor.
- Attach every item in the list above and keep an identical copy for the estate file.
- Send it by a method that gives proof of delivery, and keep the proof with the copy.
- Diarise 30 days from delivery for the acknowledgement. If none arrives, contact the FLASH channels above, quote the licence holder's name and the date of delivery, and send the proof again.
- Diarise the first three-monthly report from the date of the notice and every three months after it.
How Firearmdesk helps
Firearmdesk prepares the Regulation 103 notice and each report for the executor or the administering attorney, keeps the proof of delivery and the Registrar's acknowledgement on the matter record, and follows up on the dates. Refer an estate and the notice work starts with the letter of appointment.
Questions
What is the Central Firearms Registry phone number?
The SAPS firearms page lists the FLASH call centre on 012 353 6111 and the enquiries address cfrenquiry@saps.gov.za. The SAPS estate firearms page gives no telephone number or email for the Registry itself, only its postal address. SAPS head office is on +27 (0) 12 393 1000.
Where do I send the notice to the Registrar for a deceased estate?
Regulation 103(3)(b) says to deliver a letter, document or facsimile to the Registrar. SAPS gives the address as The Registrar, Central Firearm Register, Private Bag X811, Pretoria, 0001. Ask the Designated Firearms Officer how SAPS wants it delivered.
Can I email the Regulation 103 notice to the Registry?
The regulation names a letter, document or facsimile and the SAPS estate firearms page lists no email for the notice. The FLASH enquiries address is an enquiry channel. Confirm with the DFO or the call centre that SAPS accepts the notice by email before you rely on it, and keep proof of whatever you send.
Who should I contact first, the Registry or the DFO?
The Designated Firearms Officer at the police station for the area, for practical questions about one firearm or one station. Write to the Registrar for the formal steps in Regulation 103: the 14-day notice, the three-monthly reports and any written direction.
How long does the Registrar take to acknowledge the notice?
The Registrar must acknowledge receipt within 30 days of receiving it (Regulation 103(6)). If nothing arrives, follow up through the FLASH channels with proof of delivery. Licence decisions take longer: the Minister of Police reported in November 2024 that licence applications averaged 120 working days from capture.
What does the executor have to report to the Registry after the first notice?
A written report at least every three months on the progress made and the steps taken to transfer the firearms and ammunition, with the details of the person to whom each was transferred (Regulation 103(7)), and a report within the period set by any written direction from the Registrar (Regulation 103(8)).
Does an enquiry to the Registry stop the 14 days running?
No. The 14 days run from receiving the letter of appointment, and the notice with the prescribed particulars must be delivered within them (Regulation 103(3)(b)). An enquiry about the process does not replace the notice.
Sources
- SAPS: firearms services page (FLASH): FLASH call centre, enquiries address and head office; checked 19 October 2026
- SAPS: questions on firearms in deceased estates: the Registrar's postal address and the notice contents; checked 19 October 2026
- SAPS: FLASH provincial enquiry desks: checked 19 October 2026
- Firearms Control Regulations, 2004 (SAFLII): regulation 103; consolidation updated to 17 February 2012