License to Own and Possess Firearms

posted on May 5, 2014 by Dino | Comments Of on License to Own and Possess Firearms

With the passing of Republic Act 10591 last May 2013 and the signing of its implementing rules and
regulations last December of the same year, the process of acquiring a firearm has completely been
changed to reflect the new firearms law. We hope to help you understand the changes in this article
and hopefully answer any questions you may have.
If you wish to acquire a firearm for your personal protection, under RA10591 the process will now
involve two major steps. The first step would be for the applicant/buyer to acquire a License to Own
and Possess Firearms (LTOAPF). This will be the buyers permit which shows that he/she is allowed to
own and possess a firearm and this permit will be issued by the PNP Firearms & Explosives Office
(FEO). Please note that at the moment getting an LTOP will require you to personally appear at the
PNP-FEO at Camp Crame in Quezon City to submit your original requirements and have your picture
taken. At the time of writing, there are currently no regional or provincial offices outside of Camp
Crame that can accept and process your LTOAPF application but according to the PNP in one of their TV
appearance they intend to devolve this function to the regional level later on.
Upon the approval of the LTOAPF by the Chief, FEO-PNP, the buyer may now present his new LTOAPF to
the gun store of his choice and apply for his/her firearm registration for the firearm he has chosen to
purchase. Please refer to the graphics below for the complete list of requirements to apply for a
license to own and possess a firearm.

(cl
ick for a larger version)

After getting a suggestion from the officers of the FEO to try the system out, I decided to apply for all
my requirements and apply for an LTOAPF that I might be able to give first hand experience to clients
who wish to get their own LTOAPF.

1. Accomplished Application Form: Unlike before, the current LTOAPF application form is no longer
issued by the FEO. The new forms can now be downloaded from the FEO web site. Just print and fill the
form up. For your convenince, a copy can be downloaded here as the FEO site is sometimes down and
cannot be accessed.

My LTOAPF application form

Fill up 3 copies, handwritten or type written shouldnt matter, and attach (with glue and not a staple) a
22 picture white background on each copy.
2. The Regional Trial Court and Municipal Trial Court clearance (RTC/MTC) is issued by the MTC
and RTC at your area of residence. If you live in a major city, most likely your court can be found inside
the city hall premises. For those living in the province or municiplities, your MTC can usually be found
in the town hall while the RTC is most likely in the province capital. I highly suggest you ask your
barangay official first to point you in the right direction as not to waste your time looking for your
MTC/RTC. Procedures differ depending on each Local Government Unit (LGU) and what I have written
down here is applicable in Paraaque but may not be applicable where you are.
Before you can get your MTC/RTC clearance, you must first obtain a local police clearance. The issuing
office for this clearance is normally found in the city hall but again, better to ask first as your police
clearance might be issued elsewhere. Bring a copy of your cedula, a copy of your previous police
clearance (only if you already have a previous clearance) and a Barangay Clearance. Do not forget to
specify the purpose of your police clearance asfor firearms requirement
After submitting my requirements, I was told by the officer in charge to return the next day to claim
said clearance as the chief of their section has to sign it personally. I returned the following day to pick
up my signed Police Clearance and immediately proceeded to the MTC section and submitted copies of
my ID, cedula and Police Clearance in order to get my MTC clearance (do not forget to specify the
purpose). Releasing of the MTC clearance takes just 15 minutes more or less.
After which, I proceeded to the Prosecutors office to get my Prosecutors clearance which was a
requirement for my RTC clearance. Bring a copy of your Police Clearance, cedula and ID for your
Prosecutor (Fiscal) Clearance. Finally, you will need to submit copies of your ID, Police Clearance and
Prosecutors clearance to the RTC office for your RTC clearance. Releasing of the RTC clearance would
take about 20 minutes more or less.

Take note of the validity period of your RTC/MTC clearance. For Paraaque, the RTC clearance is valid
for three months while the MTC clearance is valid for six. In Quezon City, both the RTC and MTC
clearances are valid for one month only. The same goes for Las Pias as reported to us by some
friends. Because of this, I highly suggest you acquire your drug test and neuro psychiatric clearance
first since both are valid for six months.
3. Neuro Psychiatric clearance at the moment may only be taken at the Camp Crame Health
Services building or through the regional health services located inside the PNP regional camps. The
applicant must first get his Order of Payment, pay at the Landbank where he will be given the Special
Bank Receipt (SBR). Take note that you can get an Order of Payment for both your Neuro Psychiatric
Test and Drug Test at the same time. This will save you the effort of going back and forth to Land Bank.
The said SBR must be returned to the Health Service before you can take the test. Results usually
come out 2 to 7 days after the test.
4. Drug Test clearance can only be conducted by the PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame or their
respective office in the regional PNP Crime Labs for those in the province. The applicant must
personally proceed to Camp Crame to get his his Order of Payment, pay at the Landbank where he will
be given the Special Bank Receipt (SBR), submit the SBR to the Crime Lab and finally take the test.
Results usually come out 2 to 7 days after the test.
(I myself took the tests during the Defense and Sporting Arms Show last November which saved me a lot of time
and efort. I highly suggest that you get your requirements there should the organizers of the Defense and Sporting
Arms Show decide to partner with the PNP again to hold the One Stop Shop.)

5. Gun Safety Seminar: According to the EEMB, FEO-PNP (as of March 2014) at the moment there
are only 4 gun clubs accredited to issue the Gun Safety and Responsible Gun Ownership Seminar
(GSS). They are: P.B. Dionisio, Jethro Intl., Tough Guys and Tactical Edge. I got my GSS certificate from
Jethro Intl. after going through the written exam and actual firing test.

Westpoint Gun Club (Jethro Intl.) Gun Safety Exam Sheet

6. National Police Clearance: Since the national police clearance is not yet up and running, the FEO
accepts the Directorate for Intelligence Clearance issued at Camp Crame. Just bring your cedula to get
your DI Clearance.
7. NSO Birth Certificate: NSO Citizen Services offers online birth certificate processing and delivery.
Just go to their website and fill up the necessary forms. Click submit when you have entered all your
information and you may choose to pay with your credit card, Bancnet ATM, over the counter through
Metro Bank branches or at your nearest Bayad Center. Upon payment, just wait for your Birth
Certificate to be delivered.

NSO Online: Order

Online, Pay Online, Wait for Delivery. Government service without the hassle.

8. Proof of Billing: The proof of billing can be the applicants utility bills, credit card bill, bank
statements, etc. The important thing about your proof of billing is that it should show the clients name
and the address where the firearm is to be registered.
9. Proof of Identification: Company ID, Postal ID, etc. Only photocopies are required.
10. Government Issued Identification: Any government issued ID which includes but is not limited
to the buyers drivers license, passport, SSS, GSIS, etc. Photocopies only.
11. Proof of Qualification: For businessmen, this is usually your SEC or DTI Registration or your
Business Permit or the Income Tax Return (BIR form 1702) of your business. As for private employees,
please bring an original Certificate of Employment or your Income Tax Return. Photocopies will be
accepted except for the Certificate of Employment.
Upon completion of all the requirements listed, bring the original (unless indicated otherwise)
documents to the FEO in Camp Crame and submit for briefing and encoding. If the briefer finds that
you have submitted the complete documents, your papers will be scanned into their database for
processing. Within 20 minutes, you will be issued your temporary LTOAPF and you will now be able to
go to your preferred gun store to purchase your firearm.