Guns & Clays shooting advice • Updated 2 October 2026
Firearms (Amendment) Rules 2026: what shotgun certificate holders need to know
A straightforward guide to the medical notification conditions, household details and second-home declarations in the revised application form for England, Wales and Scotland.
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The Firearms (Amendment) Rules 2026 came into force on 29 September 2026. They introduce revised medical notification conditions and replace the prescribed application and certificate forms. The revised Form 201 also asks applicants about members of their household and any second home where firearms or shotguns will be stored.
For shotgun certificate holders, these changes concern both the information supplied when applying or renewing and the medical information that may need to be reported during the life of a certificate. Do not leave a relevant medical development until your next renewal: contact your issuing police firearms licensing department promptly for advice.
In brief: The revised certificate conditions require notification to the police force that granted your certificate without undue delay if you are diagnosed with or treated for a relevant medical condition, or symptoms of a relevant condition you previously disclosed have worsened. A separate condition covers consultations about a relevant condition with a medical practitioner outside your usual GP practice.
What do the Firearms (Amendment) Rules 2026 require?
New diagnosis or treatment
Notify your issuing police force if you are diagnosed with or treated for a relevant medical condition.
Previously disclosed symptoms worsen
Tell the force if symptoms of a relevant condition you previously disclosed have worsened since your certificate was granted.
Care outside your GP practice
If you consult a medical practitioner other than your GP or another GP at the same practice about a relevant condition, tell the force and give the practitioner’s contact details and details of treatment received.
The wording is “without undue delay”; these conditions do not set a fixed number of days. Notification does not automatically cancel your certificate. Your police force assesses individual circumstances.
Everyday examples
You disclosed anxiety on your application and it has since worsened. Tell the force that granted your certificate rather than waiting for your next renewal.
You see a private medical practitioner about depression. Tell the issuing force about that relevant consultation and provide the practitioner and treatment details required by the revised condition.
You see a different GP at your usual practice. That visit does not itself fall under the outside-practice condition. A diagnosis, treatment or worsening of previously disclosed symptoms may still trigger notification.
Which medical conditions are relevant?
The application form’s medical information section includes acute stress reaction or PTSD; suicidal thoughts, self-harm or harm to others; depression or anxiety; dementia; mania, bipolar disorder or psychotic illness; personality disorder; neurological conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or Huntington’s; alcohol or drug abuse; and other mental or physical conditions, or combinations, thought relevant.
This is not an exhaustive list. If you are uncertain about a particular condition or change, speak to your doctor or the police firearms licensing department. The rules do not mean that every routine medical appointment must be reported.
Household members: what does the revised Form 201 ask for?
The Firearms (Amendment) Rules 2026 introduce a revised Form 201 requiring details of members of the applicant’s household. This is part of the application paperwork for a grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate.
Complete the household section using the instructions on the current form. If you are unsure whether someone should be included, ask your police firearms licensing department before submitting the application.
The Home Office confirms the new household question in its official circular explaining the 2026 changes .
Second homes where firearms or shotguns will be stored
The revised application also requires details of a second home where firearms or shotguns will be stored. If this applies to you, include the information requested on Form 201 rather than providing only your main address.
Explain your proposed storage arrangements to the licensing department and follow its security requirements. Declaring a second home does not itself mean that the storage arrangements have been approved.
Applying or renewing? Download the current official Form 201 and application documents . Check the household, second-home and medical sections before submitting your paperwork.
What about the revised application and medical forms?
The 2026 rules replace the prescribed form for a grant or renewal of a firearm and/or shotgun certificate, along with the certificate forms. The application asks about household members, second homes used for storage, medical history, GP details and consultations outside the GP practice. It includes a doctor’s letter and a medical information proforma for a doctor to complete.
The medical proforma is not a wholly new requirement. Medical proformas were already used in firearms licensing. The important distinction is between the revised application paperwork and the medical notification conditions applying during the life of a certificate .
Use the revised application form now. A one-month transition was announced for older application forms around 29 October 2026. Published summaries differ over whether the old form is accepted on that date. If you intend to use an older form, confirm the final receipt date with your issuing police force first. Using the current Form 201 avoids this uncertainty.
What should a certificate holder do now?
- Consider whether a diagnosis, treatment, worsening symptoms or outside-practice consultation concerns a relevant medical condition.
- Notify the police force that granted your certificate without undue delay where your certificate conditions require it. If you are unsure, contact the licensing department promptly.
- If the consultation was outside your GP practice, include the practitioner’s contact details and treatment details.
- Keep a dated copy of your notification and any reply.
- For a grant or renewal, use the current Form 201 and complete the household and second-home sections where applicable.
For help understanding the application process, visit our independent shooting advice page . You can also follow our UK shotgun certificate delays tracker for our separate investigation into licensing waiting times.
Frequently asked questions
Do the revised forms ask about other people in my household?
Yes. The revised Form 201 requires details of household members. Follow the instructions on the current form and ask your licensing department if you are unsure whom to include.
Do I need to declare a second home?
The revised application requires details of a second home where firearms or shotguns will be stored. Complete the relevant section and discuss the storage arrangements with your licensing department.
Does every GP appointment have to be reported?
No. The outside-practice condition concerns consulting a practitioner outside your own GP practice about a relevant condition. The diagnosis, treatment and worsening-symptoms condition may apply separately.
Is there a seven-day deadline?
No fixed seven-day period is stated in these medical notification conditions. The requirement is to notify the granting force “without undue delay”.
Will reporting a diagnosis automatically cost me my certificate?
The conditions require notification; they do not say a diagnosis automatically revokes a certificate. The issuing force considers the circumstances.
Have firearm and shotgun certificates been merged?
No. These rules change certificate conditions and prescribed forms. They do not merge the two types of certificate.
Which application form should I use?
Use the current Form 201 from the official GOV.UK application forms page or your police force’s firearms licensing department. Check that you are using the revised version rather than a previously downloaded copy.
Sources and further reading
- Home Office Circular 013/2026 — official explanation of the household, second-home and medical changes.
- Official firearms application forms — download the current Form 201.
- Firearms (Amendment) Rules 2026, SI 2026/1050 — the legislation governing the changes.
- Official PDF of the rules and prescribed forms — includes the application and certificate forms.
- Home Office firearms licensing guidance — general licensing guidance and official resources.
- BASC’s summary of the new licensing safeguards — published 30 September 2026.
Updated: 2 October 2026. The household and second-home additions have been checked against the Home Office circular. The precise old-form transition deadline remains to be verified against the operative legislation. This page explains the changes in general terms. Contact your issuing police force about your own certificate and check for later official guidance.
