FOI release

Shotgun Certificate Processing Times

Case reference FOI2026/01811

Received 8 September 2026

Published 5 October 2026

Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 concerning the processing of shotgun certificate applications and renewals by your force. Please provide the following information: 1. The current average processing time, in days, for a new shotgun certificate application. 2. The current average processing time, in days, for a shotgun certificate renewal. 3. The number of new shotgun certificate applications currently awaiting determination. 4. The number of shotgun certificate renewal applications currently awaiting determination. 5. The oldest outstanding shotgun certificate application or renewal, expressed as the number of days it has been awaiting determination. If your force does not record an exact average processing time, please provide the closest equivalent information that you routinely record. For the avoidance of doubt, this request relates only to shotgun certificates. I am not requesting information concerning firearm certificates or other firearms licensing matters. The information supplied will be used as part of the Guns & Clays UK Shotgun Certificate Delays – Police Force Tracker, which compares publicly reported processing times across UK police forces: https://gunsandclays.co.uk/shotgun-certificate-delays/

Response

1. The City of London Police Firearms and Explosives Licensing Unit only receive a small number of Shotgun Certificate Initial Grant Applications, with the average processing time for 2025 being 76 days.

2. The City of London Police Firearms and Explosives Licensing Unit manage a small number of Shotgun Certificate Holders. Using figures from 2025, the average number of days for a Shotgun Certificate Renewal Application to be processed was 50 days.

3. The City of London Police Firearms and Explosives Licensing Unit currently have one Shotgun Certificate Initial Grant Application open. This application was received on 04/09/2026 and is currently being processed. Intelligence checks are ongoing and a home visit has been arranged.

4. The City of London Police Firearms and Explosives Licensing Unit are currently processing two Shotgun Certificate Renewal Applications.

5. The oldest open Shotgun Certificate Application is a renewal, currently open for 21 days as of 10/09/2026. (Please note that this is a coterminous renewal application)

Note:

The figures listed within this reply are estimated averages based on held data, as the City of London Police Firearms and Explosives Licensing Unit do not record average figures.

The City of London Police Firearms and Explosives Licensing Unit have undergone significant changes in relation to working practices and policies throughout 2025/2026, with continuous improvements being made.

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

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