Guidance for referees: the requirements

You have been asked to be a referee for someone who is applying for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate.

The checklist below summarises the requirements for referees for firearm and shotgun certificates. You must ensure you meet all of these requirements:

• You must be resident in Great Britain
• You cannot be a family member of the applicant as a spouse or partner, parent, sister or brother, aunt or uncle, grandparent, or in-laws or step-relatives as above
• You cannot be a registered firearms dealer, a serving police officer or a police employee, a Police and Crime Commissioner or a member of their staff, or a member of the Scottish Police Authority, or a member of its staff
• You must be of good character and open to the police carrying out background checks as necessary, for example, to establish whether you have any criminal convictions
• You must have known the applicant personally for at least two years, including the most recent two years
• You must have had a reasonable amount of contact with the applicant over the most recent two years
• You must be willing to provide a reliable and honest opinion about the applicant’s character and suitability to hold a firearm or shotgun certificate
• You must act as a referee freely and without receiving any fee
• You must be willing to contact the police if, following the grant of a certificate, you become concerned about the certificate holder’s ongoing suitability to possess a firearm or shotgun during the five-year validity of the licence

Next: The role of a referee