PAL renewal timelines and hiccups.....
 

I'm sure there is a specific sub section somewhere on this but....just wanted to know how long a renewal generally takes, I made the mistake of RENEWING online when I should have down graded my license from the get go due to new laws making it impossible to purchase anything that I fancy in the formerly restricted category. Anyway from online application to license in hand took no more than two weeks. Meanwhile a friend who being honest indicated marriage issues has been WITHOUT a valid PAL for over a year- has phoned in and has been handed BS about his renewal is in the cue and hasn't been looked at. My question is directed in his circumstance, is there any hope of him getting his PAL, he has been forced into an illegal situation being in possession without a license. Is there any recourse for him?

He probably called the CFC in N.B. which is a total waste of time. He needs to call 1-800-731-4000 ext 9026, and speak to the Alberta CFO. The Alberta CFO office can pull up his application, and see what is causing the delay.

I would not give up my restricted status licence. With the hope that The Conservatives will cancel these laws when they get into power after the next election.

Hope springs eternal!

I'm convinced they just let your application sit until you call. My wife and I called last week and all of a sudden it was "oh they'll be in the mail shortly" like what was the hold up? "just wanted to confirm your range membership" and "why do you have restricted firearms, is it for target shooting?"

He probably called the CFC in N.B. which is a total waste of time. He needs to call 1-800-731-4000 ext 9026, and speak to the Alberta CFO. The Alberta CFO office can pull up his application, and see what is causing the delay.




Apparently this is who he is calling but cannot get the CFO to answer phone or emails.

I was afraid that the renewal takes 4-6 months like some people reported here. Mine came back in 4 weeks. And that includes the delay- I had to send them my photo because the one I submitted thru the online didn’t work out for them….

The wife renewed hers by mail in November, took under 3 weeks.

Pal
 

I had this same issue.
I sent my application in for renewal at the end of July.
Payment was on my Mastercard on September 2.
It slipped my mind over hunting season to call them.
Called them on December 15 to ask WTF?
The representative said to me on the phone, that I will approve it now and you should get your card in about 2 weeks. Never asked any questions about range membership or owning any restricted weapons.
New card arrived on January 3.
It would appear that they would sit on a renewal for ever if you never called.

Mine expires in Sept and I plan to get moving on it by the end of this month as I have done in years past, starting early is better than starting late.

I just did my renewal online and while going through the process I read that your photo must be in Jpg/jpeg format and there is a size min and max as well also very specific examples of what is acceptable and what isn’t .

Keep this in mind if you are taking your own photo with an IPhone . The iPhone uses a different format by default and you have to go into settings to change that.
There is instructions online about how to do this.

I don’t know what format other phones use but something to keep in mind when doing your application.

4 months for mine, to the day.

I called the Alberta line, completely disregarding the main national office. Three questions, and sent to the printer, right before Christmas. Had it in hand earlier this week.

Helped the wife do hers, we did it online, she had her pal back in her hands roughly 10 days later, did it on my days off, worked my 9 day shift and she got it in the mail my following days off.

Mine is do in February, did it October 27 and checked online. It's been processed but I doubt they will mail the card out this early.

Need to send in my new range membership for 2024, wife doesn't have any restricted firearms so that may have sped the process. All I know was, I was shocked her having her new pal under 2 weeks.

Online renewal is the way to go. It tells you if anything is left out. If you send in by mail and do not complete or incomplete incorrectly you are going to wait......................a long time.

But you can apply online as two AO members posted, only to find out months later, that their pictures were refused. Unfortunately, the system is so disorganized and inefficient, that you apply however you choose, and hope that you get lucky, so that you don't have to call the Alberta CFO, to get your renewal processed.

Sent mine in online today. We shall see how long this takes. Five years ago I did it online too and it was back in 2 or 3 weeks.

Good luck in the PAL lottery.

It is beyond absurd.
If they want people to take gun licensing seriously, the government has to take it seriously.

They are seriously trying to make it as difficult as possible for firearms owners to comply, so some people turn in their firearms, and they can take the firearms from those that get tired of the nonsense, and don't comply. The end goal of the entire program is to disarm Canadians, and the liberals/ndp and the RCMP are working together to accomplish this.

I sent my online application in on Jan 4 and my new Pal arrived in the mail today. It was posted to me on the 17th so that makes a 13 day turn around.
I took my own picture ,a selfie with my IPhone but made sure it complied with all their demand such as lighting and picture format.

They charged my credit card on Oct. 18, and I haven't seen it yet.
I should assume it was stolen, maybe I should file a police report...

Sent in online Jan 26th, checked status today, says Don't know what day it was actually processed but since it is only Feb 7th today, 5 business days seems like pretty good turnaround time to me.

You obviously won the PAL lottery, but for everyone that gets it done that quickly ,there are people that wait several months. There seems to be no consistency at all in the system.

Agree completely. This is as poorly run as anything else the Feds touch, I just got lucky the last two renewals. While I am happy, I feel for those that wait needlessly. You can tell I have little faith in the system, I sent the renewal in right at the 6 month early renewal limit, which I did the previous time too.

I have had mine in two weeks, and I have waited 5-1/2 months. I mail in my renewal application the day after my birthday, 364 days in advance, as is allowed for mail in applications. This last time, I called the CFO after 4 months, and it was approved in minutes, who knows how long it would have taken, had I not called?

I applied online and had the new one back in 2 weeks. Which is good because I sure didn’t like not being able to buy anything in those 2 weeks since I waited to long and the old one had expired.

Thought i'd throw this out there. Anyone on here have a registered letter sent to their spouse prior to getting their new license, basically asking them if they have any concerns about their hubby acquiring the renewed license? Cause mine did & i've never had that happen with previous renewals. Must be a new protocol, been married dam near 20yrs. & no criminal record . That's a first for me, they call it a background check. Signed by the Alberta CFO. I mean i'm all for public safety, & i understand some relationships can go sour. where there could be violence,, so i guess they're giving the option to a spouse / partner to come forward if they don't feel safe having a partner get a firearms license ,,, which in my opinion , why are they even in the relationship if that's the case. My spouse would just as soon tell them to stuff their letter, as she trusts me 100% with anything to do with guns, after been hunting & shooting ( including many competitions) for over 50yrs. Must be some new protocol ,, cause that's a first for me.:thinking-006:

Get your wife all trained up and get her a PAL, I’d wager the waste of time letters stop.

Go have a look an Ian Runkle(he’s a criminal defence Lawyer) on YouTube, he recommends your spouse has the same licensing as you………

yup. agreed. but the wife don't hunt or shoot, she's not really into that stuff. i was just wondering if other folks are getting these letters. Kinda harrasment in a way especially when a guy has had firearms licenses for decades. & never any issues. now suddenly the Lib's dream up new protocols for for any excuse to prevent a person from obtaining a license. if someone is having a bad day & wants to throw a wrench into the applicant, for whatever reason ,even if its a fake reason. although this is not the case for me. She thought it was ridiculous. but maybe in some abusive relationships its justified.

The end goal is to PO people to the point they give up their guns….. if that ain’t obvious, you need a good caffeine fix.

Exactly, it is 100% intended to harass firearms owners, to the point where some just give up on owning firearms. They could fix the system, they just don't want to.