The terms, in alphabetical order
Each entry says what the term means for firearms in a South African estate and points to the guide that covers it. Regulation numbers are those of the Firearms Control Regulations, 2004.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Central Firearms Registry (CFR) and the Registrar | The police office that decides firearm licence applications; the Registrar is the official to whom the executor reports. The executor sends the Registrar the inventory and notice within 14 days (Regulation 103(3)(b)), the Registrar acknowledges within 30 days (Regulation 103(6)), and the executor may apply to finalise the estate only after the Registrar notifies that every firearm has been transferred (Regulation 103(9)). See the guide for executors and attorneys. |
| Competency certificate | Shows that the applicant meets the requirements of section 9 of the Firearms Control Act: generally 21 or older, a South African citizen or permanent resident, the test on knowledge of the Act passed, the practical training completed and no disqualifying convictions. No licence can be issued without one, and it is a separate application with its own waiting time. See the guide for heirs. |
| Deactivation | Having a gunsmith deactivate an inherited firearm instead of licensing it, which section 148(1) of the Firearms Control Act allows an heir to choose. The executor arranges it. See the questions executors and heirs ask. |
| Designated Firearms Officer (DFO) | The police official at a police station who receives firearm applications. An heir lodges the competency and licence applications with the DFO, the executor's letter of consent is filed with the licensed heir's DFO (Regulation 103(2)), and a dealer's register pages are signed and date-stamped by the DFO before use (Regulation 37(5)(a)). See the guide for heirs. |
| Letter of consent | The executor's letter allowing an heir who holds a licence, authorisation or permit to keep the estate's firearms in safe custody where the executor does not have the required storage facilities. It gives the deceased's licence particulars and each firearm's make, type, calibre and serial number, and a copy is filed with the DFO for the area where the heir lives (Regulation 103(2)). It costs the estate nothing in storage. See the documents checklist. |
| Letter of executorship | The Master of the High Court's appointment of the executor. A copy goes with the Regulation 103 notice to the Registrar, due within 14 days of receiving it (Regulation 103(3)(b)). See the documents checklist. |
| Licensed dealer | A holder of a dealer's licence under the Firearms Control Act, tied to the premises specified on the licence. A licensed dealer may store firearms for a person who may lawfully possess them, in the safe or strongroom specified on its licence (Regulation 67), and may sell an estate firearm for the estate (section 31(2)). A business that only stores firearms for others still needs a dealer's licence. See the guide for executors and attorneys. |
| Liquidation and distribution (L&D) account | The estate account for which the executor keeps a voucher for each storage, transport and valuation charge on the firearms. How a firearm charge ranks in it, and how the Master's examiner treats it, is not settled by any published directive on firearm storage; confirm with the Master's office concerned. See costs and timeline. |
| Permitted transporter | A person who holds a firearm transporter's permit under section 86 of the Firearms Control Act. Anyone who carries a firearm for reward needs the permit and the holder's prior written consent (Regulation 70(a)). Firearms travel unloaded, packed separately from ammunition, in a locked metal container (Regulation 68). See the questions executors and heirs ask. |
| Regulation 67 | The storage rule for dealers: a dealer may store firearms in the safe or strongroom specified on its licence, only for a person who may lawfully possess them, and stored firearms must be unloaded, inaccessible and attached with a secure locking device to a non-portable structure (Regulation 67(2) to (4)). See the guide for executors and attorneys. |
| Regulation 86 | The storage standard: a firearm not under the holder's direct control is kept in a safe that conforms to SANS 953-1 or a strongroom that conforms to SANS 953-2, and a dealer stores at the place of business on its licence (Regulation 86(2)). Only the holder of the licence, permit or authorisation may transport a firearm to and from storage (Regulation 86(4)(b)). Regulation 103(2) points the executor to it. See the documents checklist. |
| Regulation 103 | The regulation for firearms in an insolvent or deceased estate: possession under a section 21 authorisation before appointment (103(1)), safe custody (103(2)), the inventory and the notice to the Registrar within 14 days (103(3)), the Registrar's acknowledgement within 30 days (103(6)), progress reports at least every three months (103(7)), finalisation only after the Registrar's notification (103(9)) and the attorney administering for the executor (103(11)). The numbers follow the Government Gazette and SAFLII; some commercial sites renumber from (5) onward. See the documents checklist. |
| Safe custody register | The Firearms Safe Custody Register: the dealer's register of firearms it holds for others (Regulation 37(3)). It records the date of receipt, the depositor's details, the firearm's make, type, calibre and serial number, the licence number and date and the signature, and later the date of return, transfer or disposal with the recipient's signature. A dealer keeps its registers for 10 years. See the documents checklist. |
| SANS 953-1 | The standard for firearm safes; SANS 953-2 is the standard for strongrooms. Regulation 86 requires a firearm not under the holder's direct control to be kept in a safe that conforms to SANS 953-1 or a strongroom that conforms to SANS 953-2, so an heir needs a SANS 953-1 safe before applying for a licence. See the guide for heirs. |
| SAPS 271 | The licence application for a specific firearm, made by the heir in the heir's own name with a written motivation and lodged with the DFO. The Central Firearms Registry decides it. See the guide for heirs. |
| SAPS 350 | The dealer's return forms: SAPS 350(a), stock received, and SAPS 350(b), stock supplied. A dealer exempt from the online link to the central dealers' database files them weekly, and where a firearm is sold to a dealer its SAPS 350(a) return records it. Firearmdesk's custody coordination and surrender fees include SAPS 350 handling; see the fees. |
| SAPS 518 | The application for a temporary authorisation to possess a firearm under section 21 of the Act. Before letters of executorship are issued, the nominated executor or, where there is none, an heir, next of kin or close relative may possess the deceased's firearms under it (Regulation 103(1)). See the documents checklist. |
| SAPS 534 | Transfer of firearm ownership. Used where a firearm is sold to a dealer, to record the transfer from the estate. See the documents checklist. |
| SAPS 539 | Permission to store a firearm in terms of Regulation 86(4). Used with the letter of consent where a licensed heir stores the firearm for the estate. See the documents checklist. |
| Section 21 authorisation | A temporary authorisation to possess a firearm, applied for on form SAPS 518. It is limited to the purpose and period stated on it and is not a substitute for a licence. An attorney administering the estate for the executor may also store the firearms under a section 21 permit (Regulation 103(11)), and the Registrar may issue one to give an heir who inherits a firearm reasonable time to dispose of it (section 148(2)). See the documents checklist. |
| Surrender | Handing a firearm to the police for destruction. It is one of the lawful routes for a firearm that no heir licenses and that is not sold; the executor arranges it and keeps the record for the estate file. See the questions executors and heirs ask. |
Where each term falls in an estate
- Before appointment, anyone who must hold the firearms needs a section 21 authorisation on form SAPS 518 (Regulation 103(1)). See the documents checklist.
- On appointment, the letter of executorship starts the 14 days for the Regulation 103 notice to the Registrar, and the firearms go into storage that meets Regulation 86: a licensed dealer's safe custody register, or a licensed heir under a letter of consent and form SAPS 539.
- When a firearm must move, a permitted transporter carries it with the holder's written consent, unless the person holding authority for it delivers it.
- An heir who wants to keep a firearm applies for a competency certificate and a licence on form SAPS 271, and needs a SANS 953-1 safe. See the guide for heirs.
- A firearm that no heir keeps is sold through a licensed dealer (SAPS 534 and the dealer's SAPS 350(a) return), deactivated or surrendered.
- The estate is finalised only after the Registrar's notification that every firearm has been transferred, with each charge vouched for the L&D account. See costs and timeline.
How Firearmdesk helps
Firearmdesk prepares these documents for the executor: the section 21 authorisation application, the Regulation 103 inventory and notices and the executor mandate, and arranges custody with a licensed dealer. Dealer custody under the order of 15 September 2026 opens once a check of the court file confirms that no late application for leave to appeal was lodged. That check is under way. Refer an estate and the work starts with authority and documents.
Questions
What is the difference between SAPS 518 and SAPS 271?
SAPS 518 is the application for a temporary authorisation to possess the deceased's firearms under section 21, used before letters of executorship are issued. SAPS 271 is the heir's own licence application for a specific firearm, with a written motivation, lodged with the Designated Firearms Officer. An authorisation is not a substitute for a licence.
Is a letter of consent the same as a section 21 authorisation?
No. A letter of consent is the executor's letter allowing a licensed heir to keep the estate's firearms in safe custody, with a copy filed with the heir's Designated Firearms Officer (Regulation 103(2)). A section 21 authorisation is a temporary authorisation to possess a firearm, applied for on form SAPS 518.
Who is the DFO, and who is the Registrar?
The Designated Firearms Officer is the police official at a police station who receives applications and with whom a letter of consent is filed. The Registrar of the Central Firearms Registry receives the executor's notice, acknowledges it within 30 days and decides licence applications. The executor and the police station do not decide them.
Which regulation sets the 14 days, and are the sub-regulation numbers right?
Regulation 103(3)(b): the notice to the Registrar is due within 14 days of receiving the letter of appointment. The sub-regulation numbers used here, 103(1), (2), (3), (6), (7), (9) and (11), are those printed in the Government Gazette and on SAFLII. Some commercial sites renumber from (5) onward, so check which numbering a source uses.
Does a dealer need a SANS 953-1 safe to store an estate firearm?
A dealer must store firearms in a safe or strongroom that conforms to the prescribed standard, SANS 953-1 for safes and SANS 953-2 for strongrooms, at the place of business on its licence (Regulation 86(2)). An heir who wants to hold a licensed firearm at home needs a safe that meets SANS 953-1.
Does Firearmdesk complete these forms?
Firearmdesk prepares the section 21 authorisation application, the Regulation 103 inventory and notices and the executor mandate for the executor. It does not decide licence applications, provide competency training or give legal advice. See how the service works.
Sources
- Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 (SAFLII): sections 3, 9, 21, 31, 86, 147 and 148
- Firearms Control Regulations, 2004 (SAFLII): regulations 37, 67, 68, 70, 86 and 103
- SAPS: questions on firearms in deceased estates
- Firearms Control Regulations, Government Gazette 26156, GN R345 of 26 March 2004: regulation 103: sub-regulation numbering as published