Obtaining a hunter’s certificate

In Québec, you normally need a hunter’s certificate in order to obtain a hunting licence.

The certificate is permanent, unless cancelled by the courts. Depending on the training you took to obtain it, it bears a code that authorizes you to use the hunting weapon of your choice.

To obtain a hunter’s certificate, you must, if you are a resident of Québec:

1. Be at least 12 years of age
2. Have taken the required training for the weapon you intend to use (bow and crossbow or firearm)
3. Have passed the requisite exams.

However, a hunter’s certificate is not required in the following situations:

• You are a non-resident.
• You hold an introductory licence.
• You wish to purchase a licence to snare hares and eastern cottontail rabbits.
• You wish to purchase a licence to hunt frogs (northern leopard frog, green frog, bullfrog).
• You wish to purchase a licence to hunt certain small game species using a bird of prey.

If you are a Canadian citizen and satisfy the definition of “resident of Québec” at the time you apply for a hunter’s certificate to handle a firearm, you may be exempt from some of the requirements for obtaining the certificate, provided you are able to present a certificate or an equivalent document issued by a Canadian province or territory.

The certificate is permanent once issued, and will bear one of the following codes:

A : for bows and crossbows

F : for firearms (and airguns)

P : for trapping

The information shown on the back of the certificate was changed in 2007. Code F no longer allows you to hunt with a crossbow; Code A or Code B is now required. Code B has been removed from the certification process.

Your hunter's or trapper's certificate can be replaced if it has been lost, damaged or stolen. The cost to replace a certificate for 2023 is $19.87.

You may also request a replacement if your certificate expired before March 31, 1994 and you wish to make it permanent in order to purchase a hunting or trapping licence.

In any of the above situations, you should proceed as follows:

If you know your certificate number

Take the number of your hunter’s certificate or trapper’s certificate to a licence sales outlet and pay the certificate replacement fee.

Once the fee has been paid, your new certificate will be mailed to the address in the computer system.

You cannot change your address directly at a licence sales outlet. To record a change of address, please complete the electronic change of address form.

Fill in the form (French only)

If you do not know your certificate number

If you do not know your certificate number, contact our customer service department by writing to services.clientele@mffp.gouv.qc.ca, and provide the following information:

• Surname and first name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Address shown on your previous certificate (if different from your current address)

If a court finds you guilty of poaching, your hunter’s certificate may be suspended or cancelled for a period of two years.

During the cancellation period, you cannot obtain (or attempt to obtain) a hunting licence of any kind, even one that does not require you to have a hunter’s certificate. If you take training during this period, it will not be recognized by the ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs. 

At the end of the cancellation period, you must re-take the courses needed to obtain a hunter’s certificate. The courses in question are the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and the Introduction to Hunting course for the chosen weapon.

If your licence or certificate is suspended or you are prohibited from having one in any province or territory of Canada, you cannot obtain a licence or certificate of an equivalent category in Québec during the period covered by the prohibition.

To cancel the hunter’s and/or trapper’s certificate of a deceased loved one, you need to mail or email the original certificates to the address shown below, attaching the death certificate issued by the Directeur de l’état civil, as well as a letter showing the name of the deceased.

You may be eligible for compensation if death was due to a hunting or trapping accident. See details at Lump-sum compensation for a hunting or trapping accident.

You are not required to carry the certificate with you, unless you are a young person hunting under an adult licence. The hunter’s certificate must match the weapon used.