UK Shotgun Certificate Delays – Police Force Tracker
How long is your police force taking?
We’re asking police forces across Great Britain how long they are taking to process shotgun certificate applications and renewals. Follow the results as they arrive and compare your police force with others across Great Britain.
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Police Forces Contacted
0
Responses Received
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Greater Transparency for Shotgun Licensing
Shotgun certificates are essential for lawful shooting, but delays can have a real impact on individuals, clubs and the wider shooting community.
Through Freedom of Information requests, we are asking UK police forces for up-to-date information on shotgun certificate applications and renewals.
This page will publish the results as they arrive, making it easy to compare police forces using maps, figures, charts and plain-English summaries.
UK Police Force Areas
Latest Responses
Police Force | Status | Date
Cambridgeshire — Request planned —
Bedfordshire — Request planned —
Thames Valley — Request planned —
Norfolk — Request planned —
Suffolk — Request planned —
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Results in Multiple Formats
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About Our FOI Requests
See exactly what we have asked each police force, why we are collecting the information and how the FOI process works
How the UK Shotgun Certificate Delay Tracker Works
FOI Requests Sent
We send the same core shotgun certificate questions to UK police forces.
Responses Recorded
Each response is checked and the figures supplied by the police force are recorded.
Results Compared
Processing times, outstanding applications and renewal delays are compared between forces.
Tracker Updated
New information is added as responses arrive, allowing visitors to follow the results as they develop.
UK Shotgun Certificate Delays & Processing Times by Police Force
🟡 Request Planned · 🟠 Request Sent · 🔵 Acknowledged · 🟢 Response Received
Last updated: 8 September 2026
UK shotgun certificate delays vary considerably between police forces. Results from our Freedom of Information requests will be published below as they are received.This will allow shotgun certificate holders and applicants to compare processing times, renewal delays and outstanding applications between UK police forces.
Where a police force has not yet responded, its status will be shown so visitors can follow the investigation as it develops.
About the data: All figures published in this tracker are taken from responses supplied by the relevant police force under the Freedom of Information Act. We will reproduce the figures as supplied and identify the responding force and response date. Where a force uses a different method of calculating processing times, this will be clearly noted so that comparisons are not misleading.
Corrections: If a police force believes information attributed to it has been recorded incorrectly, we welcome corrections. Any verified correction will be reflected in the tracker and, where appropriate, the amendment will be noted.
Be notified as new police force responses are added to the tracker.
| Police Force | Status | Request Date | Response Date | Avg. Renewal | Avg. New Application | Renewals Waiting | New Applications Waiting | Oldest Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avon & Somerset | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bedfordshire | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cambridgeshire | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cheshire | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of London | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cleveland | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cumbria | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Derbyshire | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Devon & Cornwall | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dorset | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Durham | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dyfed-Powys | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Essex | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Gloucestershire | Received | 8 Sep 2026 | — | Up to 2 months* | Up to 21 months* | Not supplied | Not supplied | Not supplied |
| Greater Manchester | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Gwent | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hampshire & Isle of Wight | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hertfordshire | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Humberside | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kent | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lancashire | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Leicestershire | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lincolnshire | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Merseyside | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Metropolitan Police | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Norfolk | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Wales | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Yorkshire | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Northamptonshire | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Northumbria | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Nottinghamshire | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Police Scotland | Received | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Wales | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| South Yorkshire | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Staffordshire | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Suffolk | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Surrey | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sussex | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Thames Valley | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Warwickshire | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Mercia | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Midlands | Request sent | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Yorkshire | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wiltshire | Acknowledged | 8 Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
* Gloucestershire Constabulary did not provide the requested average processing times. It stated that new shotgun certificate applications can take up to 21 months and renewals can take up to 2 months. The remaining requested backlog figures were not supplied.
What We Asked UK Police Forces
To make the comparison fair, we are sending substantially the same Freedom of Information request to each police force responsible for shotgun certificate licensing.
The request focuses specifically on shotgun certificates, rather than firearms certificates, so the results remain clear, manageable and directly comparable.
We are asking for information covering new shotgun certificate applications, renewals, current processing times and outstanding applications. As responses arrive, the information will be published on this page.
Information Requested
We asked each police force to provide the following information:
- The current average processing time, in days, for a new shotgun certificate application.
- The current average processing time, in days, for a shotgun certificate renewal.
- The number of new shotgun certificate applications currently awaiting determination.
- The number of shotgun certificate renewal applications currently awaiting determination.
- The oldest outstanding shotgun certificate application or renewal, expressed as the number of days it has been awaiting determination.
Where an exact average processing time is not recorded, we asked the force to provide the closest equivalent information that it routinely records.
For clarity, the request relates only to shotgun certificates and does not request information concerning firearm certificates or other firearms licensing matters.
FOI requests sent: 8 September 2026.
For Police Scotland, the request was made under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Data format: Where possible, we have asked forces to provide the information electronically in Excel or CSV format. Where information cannot be supplied exactly as requested, we have asked for the nearest equivalent information available, particularly where this may help keep the request within the appropriate cost limit.
