Canada · all 13 provinces and territories

Licensing guides

Every written guide on the site, grouped by what it answers. They're sourced to provincial or federal primary material. Where a government doesn't publish a figure, the guide says so instead of passing along an unsourced number.

Hunting licence guides by province and territory

• How to Get a Hunting Licence in CanadaTwo governments, two licences. The province handles hunting, and the RCMP handles the PAL.
• Hunting Licence Cost by ProvinceMost provinces charge about $10 to $35 for a resident base licence. PEI's is $5, the NWT's $0.
• Hunting Tag Fees by Province and SpeciesTag and seal prices by species and residency. Every number links back to the government that set it.
• How Long It Takes to Get a Hunting LicenceDays or weeks? Mostly it comes down to classroom seats, mailed cards and draws.
• How to Get a PAL in Canada$70.38 for non-restricted, good for five years, and the CFSC comes first.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in British ColumbiaFWID first (it's free), then CORE, then a $32 licence through WILD.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in AlbertaEverything in Alberta runs through AlbertaRELM: the WiN, a $35 wildlife certificate, then species licences and draws.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in OntarioOutdoors Card first. Ontario's own course covers the bow, and a gun adds the federal CFSC.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in ManitobaCourse at $65 online or $60 in class, and a licence year that runs April 1 to March 31.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in SaskatchewanSaskatchewan ties every licence you ever buy to one permanent HAL number. Pass mark: 80 percent.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in Nova ScotiaCFSC, then the Atlantic hunter education course, then a $7.78 Wildlife Resources Card (plus HST).
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in New BrunswickJanuary 1, 1981 is the cut-off. Gun hunters born on or after it, plus every first-timer, take two courses.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in QuebecQuebec dropped the CFSC as a provincial condition for the hunter's certificate on April 1, 2026.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in NewfoundlandNewfoundland and Labrador lists two courses, $158 together in class. Resident moose is $52.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in YukonHEED is free. The licence has a published 10 day processing window.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in the NWTNo charge for the course. The cost sits on the tag instead: $24 for resident big game.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in Prince Edward IslandAn online part, then a field day in person.
• How to Get a Hunting Licence in NunavutVoluntary, free and online, as the territory describes its course.

Working out which course you need

• CORE vs CFSC in British ColumbiaOne is provincial and one is federal, and most firearm hunters need both.
• PAL vs POLThe POL closed to new applicants, then picked up acquisition powers in 2015.
• What Happens If You Fail the CORE ExamRewrites are normal. The BCWF's only timing rule: not on the same day you failed.
• Hunter Education Transfer Between ProvincesThirteen official sources checked, one per province and territory. Where one is silent, we say so.

PAL applications, renewals and photos

• How to Renew Your PALOnline through Individual Web Services, or on paper form RCMP 5614. The notice arrives three months out.
• How Long a PAL Takes and How to Check Its StatusAt least 28 days for a first PAL, and the RCMP publishes no end-to-end figure.
• PAL Photo Requirements45 mm by 57 mm on paper. Online, a JPG of 200 KB to 6 MB.
• The CFSC Student ManualThe 5th edition, dated 2014, is free from the Government of Canada Publications catalogue.

Licensed and reading the rules? Start with how to read a hunting regulations synopsis. The Quebec guide is also in French: comment obtenir un permis de chasse au Québec.

Where are the study guides?

The study guides are a separate set of pages, because these licensing guides deal with paperwork. The exam tests other things (firearm actions, species identification, hypothermia, shot placement), and that material lives in the study guides.

Looking for the practice exams instead?

The practice exams are separate from these guides. Guides cover how to get licensed. Whether you're ready to sit the real exam is what the practice ones are for.