In South Africa, the Firearms Control Act stipulates that the competency certificate is valid for a period of 5 years from the date of issue. This means that individuals who have obtained their competency certificate must apply for a firearm license within this 5-year period if they intend to legally own a firearm.
If the application for a firearm license is not made within this timeframe, the competency certificate will expire, and individuals will need to undergo the competency training and assessment again to obtain a new certificate before applying for a firearm license.