The FFTir medical certificate: validity, statements and price
Published on · Updated on · 9 min read · Anthony Baillon
The FFTir medical certificate must be less than a year old every time a license is created or renewed, at any age: in shooting, no health questionnaire replaces it. Any doctor may sign it, for about €30 a year, not reimbursed. The federal template also has the doctor attest that the shooter is fit to hold firearms.
At a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Validity | 1 year from its date |
| Who signs it | Any doctor of medicine |
| Cost | About €30 a year, not reimbursed |
| Minors | Same rule, plus a spine examination |
- At renewal, a certificate less than a year old is required; if it expires afterwards, the license stays valid until 31 August.
- For the prefecture, the license together with the certificate waives the one-month holding certificate.
FFTir medical certificate: under a year old, every season
For the disciplines with particular constraints, the code du sport makes « la délivrance ou le renouvellement de la licence ainsi que la participation à des compétitions » [issuing or renewing the license, and taking part in competitions] conditional on a certificate less than a year old1. Shooting is one of them, as a discipline « comportant l'utilisation d'armes à feu ou à air comprimé » [involving firearms or air guns]2.
The federation applies it to everyone: the certificate is compulsory for all license holders, young and adult, for a new license as for a renewal, and the club confirms it exists in ITAC before issuing the license6. Without a valid medical certificate, the license cannot be issued13.
The certificate is valid for one year from its date, not for a season712. The license holder uploads it to their EDEN account; an e-mail alert goes out two months before it expires12.
Sport shooting: a certificate at any age, no questionnaire
For most sports the certificate has been replaced: a health questionnaire for minors, and rules set by each federation for adults2114. These relaxations set aside the disciplines with particular constraints2114, a list that has had five families since the decree of 31 August 202334:
| No. | Discipline with particular constraints |
|---|---|
| 1° | Scuba diving, including cave diving |
| 2° | Disciplines where a knockout is allowed in competition |
| 3° | Disciplines involving firearms or air guns |
| 4° | Land motor sports in competition, except karting and models |
| 5° | Powerboating disciplines |
Shooting falls under 3°2: a certificate less than a year old is still due every season, at any age, for air guns as for firearms.
Shooting certificate: five statements, firearms included
The federal template for the 2026-2027 season has the doctor attest five things7:
- Sport shooting, by name: the absence of contraindication covers « la pratique du Tir sportif » [the practice of sport shooting].
- Competition: « en et hors compétition » [in and out of competition].
- Holding firearms: the shooter's physical and mental health « n'est pas incompatible avec la détention des armes et munitions » [is not incompatible with holding firearms and ammunition].
- Coaching, for instructors and coaches.
- Date, stamp and signature: the date of issue starts the year running.
The sentence on holding firearms has been in the template since the 2022-2023 season8. It repeats the wording of the code de la sécurité intérieure, which requires, to hold a firearm, a certificate stating that the person's health is not incompatible with holding such equipment, firearms or ammunition11.
FFTir template or free-form certificate: pros and cons
The template is not compulsory: « tout document émanant d'un praticien de santé demeure parfaitement valable » [any document from a health practitioner remains perfectly valid]6.
The federation's template
Pros
Cons
- A statement on holding firearms, which commits the doctor beyond sport and which they may refuse to sign15.
A free-form certificate
Pros
What each form offers
For a complete file from the start, competition and prefecture paperwork included, the template gathers every statement. In return, it has the doctor sign a sentence on holding firearms.
For a doctor who prefers their own words, the free-form certificate is accepted, provided it names sport shooting and, where relevant, competition.
Medical examination of the shooter: nerves, mind, spine
The certificate follows an examination whose content is set by article A.231-1 of the code du sport. For firearms and air guns, particular attention is paid to three points5:
- the neurological and mental health examination;
- hearing and the dominant upper limb, for biathlon;
- the spine in minors who shoot standing.
The order draws up no list of contraindications: it names the areas of the examination and leaves the decision to the doctor5.
Doctor and price: any practitioner, about €30 a year
Any doctor of medicine may sign: a GP, a locum, a sports physician or a sports medicine center. No federal approval is required6.
The certificate is not a treatment act: the health insurance system does not reimburse it17, and its fee is free, but the doctor must display it and state it before the consultation18. The benchmark is a sector 1 GP consultation, €30 since 1 January 202616.
| Item | First year | Following years |
|---|---|---|
| Medical certificate | about €30 | about €30 a year |
| License and club fee | €165 to €320 | €165 to €270 |
The full first-year budget is broken down in the cost of sport shooting in the first year.
Certificate refused: the doctor certifies what they observe
The medical code of ethics prohibits certificates of convenience: a doctor certifies only what they have observed themselves, and remains free as to the content of their certificate15. A refusal can therefore be well founded, in particular on the neurological and mental health examination5. Some situations are temporary, such as a treatment that affects alertness: the question of timing is then one for the doctor.
For a person who is or has been under psychiatric care, the code de la sécurité intérieure also requires, to hold a firearm, a psychiatrist's certificate, valid for one month1110. It does not replace the license certificate.
Prefecture: the license waives the one-month certificate
To acquire or hold a firearm, the code de la sécurité intérieure requires a health certificate11, valid for one month only10. A licensed shooter is exempt when two conditions are met9:
- The license was issued or renewed on a certificate less than a year old stating no contraindication to shooting.
- The license is stamped by a doctor, or accompanied by that certificate.
Adding the license certificate to the file is therefore enough to meet the second condition. The file itself is covered in the Category B authorization.
Certificate date: 273 to 357 days of the season covered
The license follows the season, from 1 September to 31 August; the certificate follows its own date12. It therefore almost always straddles two seasons.
Days of the 2026-2027 season covered, by certificate date
Season from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027, i.e. 365 days; certificate valid one year from its date
A renewed license stays valid until 31 August even if the certificate expires earlier12; coverage matters for competitions, which require a certificate in force6. 24 August is the date renewals opened for the 2026-2027 season13.
View the data
| Certificate date | Valid until | Season days covered | Share of the season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 June 2026 | 31 May 2027 | 273 | 75% |
| 24 August 2026 | 23 August 2027 | 357 | 98% |
A certificate issued in early June covers three quarters of the following season; issued in late August, it covers nearly all of it. For a shooter who does not compete, the difference changes nothing: the license stays valid until 31 August12. For one who competes, it decides whether the last competition of the season is open to them6. The campaign calendar is in renewing your FFTir license.
A minor's certificate: annual, with a spine examination
The minors' health questionnaire does not apply to shooting: the annual certificate is still due, for a new license as for a renewal146. The examination includes one point specific to young shooters: « l'examen du rachis chez les mineurs pour les tireurs debout dans la discipline du tir » [examination of the spine in minors who shoot standing]5.
The annual certificate includes no blood lead test. In two clubs in the Doubs, 60% and 40% of the shooters who volunteered for screening were above 70 µg/L, the overexposure threshold for an adult19, and 18 of the 29 children screened in France between 2015 and 2018 because they spent time at ranges had a blood lead level of at least 50 µg/L20. Nothing prevents raising the subject during the consultation.
Three certificate regimes: FFTir, ball-trap, archery
| Federation | Certificate | Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| FFTir | Under a year old, at any age6 | Season from 1 September to 31 August |
| FFBT (ball-trap) | Under a year old at the license and at each competition22 | Calendar year |
| Archery | Outside the disciplines with particular constraints2 | Its federation's rules |
A bow is neither a firearm nor an air gun: archery does not fall under 3° of the list2.
Four misconceptions about the shooting medical certificate
- "The certificate lasts three years, with a questionnaire in between." Not in shooting: as a discipline with particular constraints, it needs a certificate less than a year old for every license12.
- "Children fill in a health questionnaire." Not in shooting: the minors' exemption sets these disciplines aside14.
- "It takes a sports physician." Any doctor of medicine may sign6.
- "The prefecture requires a certificate less than a month old." Not from a license holder whose license comes with its certificate less than a year old9.
Sources 22 references
Legal texts reread on Légifrance in their version in force; federal template read from the 2026-2027 season PDF. All documents are in French. Click a note marker in the text to highlight the matching source.
- Légifrance — article L231-2-3 du code du sport, version in force since 4 March 2022, consulted on 24 September 2026: « Pour les disciplines, énumérées par décret, qui présentent des contraintes particulières, la délivrance ou le renouvellement de la licence ainsi que la participation à des compétitions sont soumis à la production d'un certificat médical datant de moins d'un an établissant l'absence de contre-indication à la pratique de la discipline concernée. » [For disciplines with particular constraints listed by decree, issuing or renewing the licence and taking part in competitions require a medical certificate less than a year old.]
- Légifrance — article D231-1-5 du code du sport, version in force since 3 September 2023, consulted on 24 September 2026: five families of disciplines with particular constraints, including 3° « Les disciplines sportives comportant l'utilisation d'armes à feu ou à air comprimé » [sports disciplines involving firearms or air guns].
- Légifrance — décret n° 2023-853 du 31 août 2023, Journal officiel of 2 September 2023, in force on 3 September 2023: new wording of the list in article D231-1-5.
- Assurance maladie — certificats médicaux, rappel de la réglementation, published on 18 August 2025: the list of disciplines with particular constraints « passée de 9 à 5 » [down from 9 to 5] with the decree of 31 August 2023.
- Légifrance — article A.231-1 du code du sport, version in force since 15 July 2018, § 5: for disciplines using firearms or air guns, particular attention to the neurological and mental health examination, to hearing and the dominant upper limb for biathlon, and to « l'examen du rachis chez les mineurs pour les tireurs debout dans la discipline du tir » [the spine of minors who shoot standing].
- Fédération française de tir — certificat médical, updated on 2 May 2025, consulted on 24 September 2026: « obligatoire pour tous les licenciés » [compulsory for all licence holders], young and adult, new licence or renewal; « validation par le club (dans l'Intranet ITAC) de l'existence d'un certificat médical » [the club confirms in the ITAC intranet that a certificate exists]; « tout document émanant d'un praticien de santé demeure parfaitement valable »; a valid certificate required to take part in competitions, with no physical presentation at championships.
- Fédération française de tir — modèle de certificat médical, saison 2026/2027 (PDF), read on 24 September 2026: « certifie avoir examiné ce jour conformément à l'article A.231-1 §5 du code sport »; no signs « contre-indiquant à l'encadrement et/ou à la pratique du Tir sportif en et hors compétition »; health « n'est pas incompatible avec la détention des armes et munitions »; certificate « valide pour une durée maximale de 1 an à compter de la date où il a été établi » [valid for at most one year from the date of issue].
- Fédération française de tir, archived by AS Tir Creil — modèle de certificat, saison 2022/2023 (PDF): first season to carry the statement « détention des armes et munitions » [holding firearms and ammunition].
- Légifrance — article R312-5 du code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 19 June 2022, consulted on 24 September 2026: « Cette licence dispense de la production du certificat médical prévu à l'article L. 312-6 du présent code lorsque : -sa délivrance ou son renouvellement a nécessité la production d'un certificat médical datant de moins d'un an et mentionnant l'absence de contre-indication à la pratique du tir ; -et qu'elle est tamponnée par un médecin ou accompagnée dudit certificat médical » [the licence waives the L.312-6 certificate when it was issued on a certificate under a year old stating no contraindication to shooting, and is stamped by a doctor or accompanied by that certificate].
- Légifrance — article R312-6 du code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 10 February 2022, consulted on 24 September 2026: « Le certificat attestant que l'état de santé psychique et physique est compatible avec l'acquisition et la détention d'une arme a une durée de validité limitée à un mois à partir de la date de son établissement » [the holding certificate is valid for one month from its date]; list of approved psychiatrists.
- Légifrance — article L312-6 du code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 21 June 2019: certificate stating that physical and mental health « n'est pas incompatible avec la détention de ces matériels, armes ou munitions », and a psychiatrist's certificate for people under psychiatric care (second paragraph).
- Fédération française de tir — EDEN, certificat médical, updated on 3 July 2024: « à la date de délivrance, le certificat médical est valable un an » [valid one year from its date]; upload to the EDEN account; e-mail alert « 2 mois avant l'échéance de péremption » [two months before expiry]; « une fois renouvelée et/ou validée par votre association, la licence fédérale est valide jusqu'au terme de la saison sportive » [once renewed or validated by the club, the licence is valid to the end of the season].
- Fédération française de tir — protocole licences 2026/2027, consulted on 24 September 2026: renewals in ITAC from 24 August 2026; certificate « moins d'un an au moment du renouvellement ou de la création de la licence »; « Sans certificat médical valide, la licence ne peut être délivrée » [without a valid certificate, the licence cannot be issued].
- Ministère des Sports — certificat médical remplacé par un questionnaire pour les mineurs: decree no. 2021-564 of 7 May 2021, health questionnaire for minors, certificate kept for the disciplines with particular constraints. ⚠️ The page still shows the former list of nine disciplines, which predates the decree of 31 August 2023 (reference 3).
- Conseil national de l'Ordre des médecins — article 28, certificat de complaisance (article R.4127-28 of the code de la santé publique): certificates of convenience prohibited; the doctor certifies only what they have observed and remains free as to the content of the certificate.
- Assurance maladie — tarifs conventionnels des médecins généralistes, page updated on 17 March 2026, consulted on 24 September 2026: G consultation in mainland France, €30.00, since 1 January 2026.
- Sénat — question écrite n° 02063, answer published in the JO Sénat of 5 December 2024: the certificate of no contraindication « est un acte de prévention qui ne fait pas partie du panier de soins établi par l'assurance maladie et de ce fait ne doit pas être pris en charge par la sécurité sociale » [is a preventive act outside the basket of care, and so is not covered by social security].
- OMNIPrat — actes non remboursables: sports certificate outside the fee schedule, free fees, display and prior information of the patient (decree no. 2024-1596 of 18 December 2024).
- Santé publique France — exposition au plomb dans deux clubs de tir du Doubs, survey completed in February 2020: 60% of the 41 shooters screened in the first club and 40% of the 92 in the second above 70 µg/L. ⚠️ Voluntary screening: these rates describe the shooters screened, not all members.
- Santé publique France — dépistage du saturnisme chez l'enfant en lien avec la fréquentation des stands de tir, 2015-2018: 18 of the 29 minors screened for the first time with a blood lead level of 50 µg/L or more. ⚠️ Tests prescribed because of an identified risk factor: the sample is not representative.
- Légifrance — article L231-2 du code du sport, version in force since 4 March 2022, consulted on 24 September 2026: for adults, issuing or renewing a licence « peut être subordonné à la présentation d'un certificat médical » [may be made conditional on a medical certificate] under each federation's rules, without prejudice to article L231-2-3.
- Fédération française de ball-trap — certificat médical 2026, consulted on 29 July 2026: certificate less than a year old when applying for the licence, and less than a year old on the date of each competition.
The regulations in force prevail. The texts and the template are those of 24 September 2026; the federal template changes every season.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the FFTir medical certificate valid?
One year from the date it was issued. Shooting is one of the disciplines with particular constraints under the code du sport: the license is issued and renewed only on a certificate less than a year old, every season, for minors and adults alike.
Can a health questionnaire replace the certificate in shooting?
No. The health questionnaire applies to minors in most sports, and federations may settle for it for adults, but those rules set aside the disciplines with particular constraints. In shooting, with firearms or air guns, a certificate less than a year old is still required for every license.
Does the doctor have to be approved by the FFTir?
No. Any doctor of medicine may issue it: a GP, a locum or a sports physician. The federation writes that any document from a health practitioner remains perfectly valid: its template is not compulsory.
My certificate expires mid-season: is my license cancelled?
No. If the certificate was valid at renewal, the license runs until 31 August. A certificate in force is, however, still required to take part in competitions.
Does the prefecture require a certificate less than a month old?
Not from a licensed shooter, under the conditions of article R312-5: the license waives the firearm-holding certificate when it was issued on a certificate less than a year old stating no contraindication to shooting, and it is stamped by a doctor or accompanied by that certificate. Without a license, the holding certificate is valid for one month only.
Is the shooting medical certificate reimbursed?
No. It is not a treatment act: the health insurance system does not cover it and its fee is free. The benchmark is a GP consultation, €30 in sector 1 since 1 January 2026.