Shooting without a club: what an FFTir license really requires
Published on · Updated on · 7 min read · Anthony Baillon
No club, no FFTir license: the club issues it and enters it in the federal intranet. Without a license, two introductory sessions per twelve-month period remain, with the club's firearms, for €10 to €30 a session. Air guns fall outside that cap, and an adult may buy a Category D firearm.
At a glance
| Situation | What is allowed |
|---|---|
| Without a club | No license possible |
| No license, firearm | 2 introductory sessions per 12 months |
| No license, air gun | Sessions not capped |
| Buying without a license | Category D only, if an adult |
- A taster session costs €10 to €30 depending on the clubs surveyed.
- A club license costs €165 to €320 in the first year, then €165 to €270, plus about €30 for the medical certificate.
FFTir license without a club: impossible, the club issues it
The license is issued by one of the 1,650 clubs affiliated to the FFTir1. It is created and renewed « par les associations dans l'intranet ITAC » [by associations in the ITAC intranet]2: no route lets an individual take it out alone. A shooter who leaves their club without joining another therefore has no one to renew it; see renewing your FFTir license.
The license runs from 1 September to 31 August1. Its real price, club subscription included, is set out in the cost of sport shooting in the first year.
Shooting without a license: two introductory sessions a year
People who are not members of a club may take part in introductory shooting sessions, up to two per twelve-month period3. The period is rolling, not a calendar year. Open days count within that cap4.
These sessions are shot with the association's firearms: Category B handguns or rimfire firearms, or Category C firearms3. Personal firearms are excluded4. Only the clubs and federations concerned may organize them3.
Club introductory session: invitation and FINIADA check
Before shooting, the participant and the club meet several conditions34:
- Show a valid identity document and an invitation issued under the club president's responsibility.
- Be checked against FINIADA, the national file of persons barred from firearms, by the club, from the federal intranet ITAC.
- Shoot under the direct supervision of a qualified supervisor appointed by the president.
- Be entered in the register of participants, with the date of the session and the types of firearms used.
For an open day, the club also makes a prior declaration to the federation4. Some clubs also ask for proof of address13.
Air guns: sessions with no license and no cap
The two-session cap does not cover introductory sessions « au moyen d'armes à air comprimé » [using air guns]34. A 10-meter pistol or rifle taster can therefore be repeated, on the terms each club sets.
An adult may also buy an air gun of 2 to 20 joules, in Category D, with no license and no declaration719. They then need somewhere to shoot: a club remains the ordinary setting.
Taster session at the club: €10 to €30 depending on the club
| Club | Price | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Tir Sportif Vercellois (Doubs) | €10 per half-day | Guests and tasters12 |
| La Détente Gisorsienne (Eure) | €10 | Session after the documents are checked13 |
| Garnison Rennes Tir Sportif | €15, deductible from membership | Firearms supplied, supervision14 |
| Association Vicinoise de Tir (Yvelines) | €30 for 2 hours | Required before joining15 |
Depending on the club, ammunition and targets are included or charged separately1314. The taster may be deducted from membership14, or be a compulsory step before joining15.
Shooting as a guest: a license held at another club
Guest status, or outside license holder, does not exempt you from a license: it presupposes one held at another club. The Association Vicinoise de Tir thus hosts an outside license holder for €15 a session, with priority kept for members15; the Tir Sportif Vercellois charges €10 per half-day12. This status depends on each club's rules.
Without a license, only Category D can be bought
The license is also a permit to buy. Without it, and without a hunting license, the field narrows to Category D7:
| Category | Regime | Permit required |
|---|---|---|
| A | Prohibited | — |
| B | Prefect's authorization | FFTir license and the federation's favorable opinion |
| C | Declaration | Shooting, ball-trap or biathlon license, hunting license or collector's card |
| D | Free for an adult | None |
Sources for the table: categories7, Category C permits89. Holding a firearm without the required permit carries heavy penalties:
What holding a firearm without the right permit can cost
Maximum fine incurred, in euros, for acquiring or holding a firearm without the required declaration or authorization; each fine comes with a prison sentence
Category C without a declaration: two years and €30,000, article L317-4-1 of the code de la sécurité intérieure10. Category A or B without authorization: five years and €75,000, article 222-52 of the code pénal; carrying or transporting an A or B firearm: seven years and €100,000, article 222-5411.
View the data
| Situation | Prison | Fine | Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category C firearm without a declaration | 2 years | €30,000 | L317-4-1 CSI |
| Category A or B firearm without authorization | 5 years | €75,000 | 222-52 code pénal |
| Carrying or transporting an A or B firearm | 7 years | €100,000 | 222-54 code pénal |
The classification of each firearm is in French firearm categories A, B, C and D.
Introductory sessions or a license: pros and cons
Sticking to introductory sessions
Pros
Taking out a license at a club
Pros
What each route offers
To discover shooting, the two introductory sessions, plus as many air gun sessions as the club offers, are enough at minimal cost. In return, they lead nowhere beyond discovery.
To shoot regularly, the license is the only route, for €165 to €320 in the first year.
To buy a firearm, the license is the starting point: Category C is declared with it, and Category B also requires three controlled sessions and the prefect's authorization.
Taking out a license: €195 to €350 in the first year
| Item | First year | Following years |
|---|---|---|
| License and club subscription | €165 to €3201617 | €165 to €2701617 |
| Medical certificate | about €3018 | about €3018 |
| Total | €195 to €350 | €195 to €300 |
The federal share of the license is €69 for an adult, €49 for a young shooter1; the rest goes to the league, the departmental committee and the club. The statements the certificate should carry are set out in the FFTir medical certificate.
Three misconceptions about shooting without a club
- "The license can be taken out directly from the federation." No: it is issued by an affiliated club, which creates it in ITAC12.
- "Taster sessions move a Category B file forward." No: the authorization requires three controlled sessions by a licensed shooter, at least two months apart5, entered in the club register6. See the three controlled sessions rule.
- "Without a license, no firearm can be bought." An adult can freely buy a Category D firearm, such as an air gun of 2 to 20 joules719.
Sources 19 references
Texts reread on Légifrance in their version in force, federal rules reread on fftir.org, club prices dated and flagged ⚠️. All documents are in French. Click a note marker in the text to highlight the matching source.
- Fédération française de tir — « S'inscrire à la FFTir », consulted on 24 September 2026: licence « valable du 1er septembre au 31 août de l'année suivante » [valid from 1 September to 31 August of the following year], issued by one of the 1,650 affiliated clubs; federal share for 2025/2026 and 2026/2027: €69 adult, €49 young shooter.
- Fédération française de tir — protocole licences 2026/2027, consulted on 24 September 2026: licences « renouvelées ou créées par les associations dans l'intranet ITAC » [renewed or created by associations in the ITAC intranet] from 24 August 2026; medical certificate less than a year old for a new licence and at renewal.
- Légifrance — article R312-43-1 du code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 10 February 2022 (decree no. 2022-144 of 8 February 2022; article created by decree no. 2018-542 of 29 June 2018), consulted on 24 September 2026: non-members « ne peuvent participer à plus de deux séances de tir d'initiation par période de douze mois » [may not take part in more than two introductory sessions per twelve-month period]; identity document and the president's invitation; organization reserved to the associations and federations concerned; FINIADA check; direct supervision by a qualified person; list of participants; the association's firearms (Category B handguns or rimfire firearms, Category C firearms for the shooting federation); section III excludes ball-trap in temporary installations and sessions using air guns.
- Fédération française de tir — « Tirs d'initiation », updated on 28 June 2022, consulted on 24 September 2026: two sessions at most over twelve months, open days included and subject to prior declaration to the federation; identity document and the president's invitation; FINIADA check from ITAC; direct supervision by a qualified supervisor appointed by the president; register of participants (identity, date, types of firearms); personal firearms prohibited; air gun sessions outside the scheme.
- Légifrance — arrêté du 28 avril 2020 relatif aux avis favorables délivrés par les fédérations (article R312-5 of the code de la sécurité intérieure): licence issued for sport shooting (art. 1); « participation du tireur, au cours des douze mois précédant sa demande, à trois séances contrôlées de pratique du tir, espacées d'au moins deux mois » [three controlled sessions at least two months apart in the twelve months before the application] (art. 3).
- Fédération française de tir — 2020, nouveau régime de la délivrance des avis préalables, article of 7 May 2020: three shooting sessions at least two months apart during the twelve months before the application; the paper shooting logbook replaced by the association's register.
- Service-public.gouv.fr — armes : à quoi correspondent les différentes catégories ?, factsheet F31877, checked on 18 September 2025: Category A prohibited, B on authorization, C on declaration, D free to acquire and hold; air guns of 2 to 20 joules in Category D, from 20 joules in Category C.
- Service-public.gouv.fr — armes de catégorie C (soumises à déclaration), factsheet F2246, checked on 20 March 2025: « avoir un permis de chasser ou une licence sportive ou une carte de collectionneur » [a hunting licence, a sports licence or a collector's card] in force, the licence coming from a delegated federation for shooting, ball-trap or biathlon.
- Légifrance — article R312-53 du code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 10 February 2022: an adult acquires a Category C firearm on presentation of a validated hunting licence, a collector's card or a current licence from a delegated federation for shooting, ball-trap or biathlon.
- Légifrance — article L317-4-1 du code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 21 June 2019: acquiring, transferring or holding Category C firearms without the required declaration, « deux ans d'emprisonnement et de 30 000 € d'amende » [two years' imprisonment and a €30,000 fine].
- Légifrance — code pénal, section « Du trafic d'armes »: holding a Category A or B firearm without authorization, « cinq ans d'emprisonnement et de 75 000 € d'amende » [five years and €75,000] (art. 222-52); carrying or transporting an A or B firearm, seven years' imprisonment and a €100,000 fine (art. 222-54).
- Tir Sportif Vercellois (Doubs) — tarifs, cotisations et licences FFTir, read on 30 July 2026: « 10 € la séance (1/2 journée) » [€10 per session, half a day] for guests, tasters and outside clubs. ⚠️ Commercial data.
- La Détente Gisorsienne (Eure) — tarifs, 2026/2027 season, read on 24 September 2026: taster session at €10, on an identity document and proof of address less than 3 months old, session set after checking; adult membership €220, FFTir licence and loan of firearms included, ammunition extra. ⚠️ Commercial data.
- Garnison Rennes Tir Sportif — rejoindre le club, read on 30 July 2026: taster session « 15 euros mais déductible d'une éventuelle adhésion » [€15 but deductible from any membership] from October, firearms supplied, supervision provided. ⚠️ Commercial data.
- Association Vicinoise de Tir (Voisins-le-Bretonneux) — les tarifs, 2026/2027 season, read on 24 September 2026: introduction compulsory for non-licence holders, €30, 2 hours, identity document required, before joining; occasional outside licence holder €15 a session, « la priorité d'accès reste aux membres du club » [club members keep priority]; adult membership €255 in the first year, €205 on renewal. ⚠️ Commercial data.
- USO Tir, FFTir-affiliated club — tarifs, saison 2026-2027, read on 24 September 2026: adults €165, covering « le coût de la licence fédérale, l'assurance et la cotisation à l'USO Tir » [the federal licence, insurance and club subscription]; use of the club's firearms. ⚠️ Commercial data.
- Tir Club Alpin — inscription et tarifs, 2026-2027 season, read on 24 September 2026: new shooter €318, entry fee and training included; renewal €268. ⚠️ Commercial data.
- Assurance maladie — tarifs conventionnels des médecins généralistes, consulted on 24 September 2026: G consultation in mainland France, €30.00 since 1 January 2026. Benchmark: the fee for the certificate is free.
- Légifrance — article R311-2 du code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 7 September 2025: Category D h, air guns with a muzzle energy of 2 to 20 joules; Category C 4°, from 20 joules.
The regulations in force prevail. Texts and prices reread on 24 September 2026; the conditions for hosting non-license holders vary from one club to another.
Frequently asked questions
Can you obtain an FFTir license without a club?
No. The license is issued by one of the 1,650 clubs affiliated to the federation, which creates it in the federal intranet ITAC. No individual can take out a license on their own.
Can you shoot without a shooting license?
Yes, within a precise frame: two introductory sessions at most per twelve-month period, on the invitation of a club president, with an identity document, the club's firearms and a qualified supervisor. Air gun sessions fall outside that cap.
Do open days count within the two sessions?
Yes. The federation counts them within the cap of two introductory sessions per twelve-month period, and the club must declare them to the federation beforehand.
How much does a taster session cost?
€10 to €30 depending on the clubs surveyed: €10 in clubs in the Doubs and the Eure, €15 in Rennes, deductible from membership, €30 for two hours in the Yvelines. Ammunition is sometimes charged separately.
Can you buy a firearm without a shooting license?
An adult can freely buy a Category D firearm, such as an air gun of 2 to 20 joules. Category C requires a shooting, ball-trap or biathlon license, a hunting license or a collector's card; Category B, an authorization from the prefect.
Do taster sessions count towards a Category B authorization?
No. A Category B authorization requires three controlled sessions at least two months apart, shot by a licensed shooter at their club. A non-license holder's introductory session is not one of them.