r/canadaguns • u/TrewAwie • Mar 18 '26
Application / Regulation advice PAL as a citizen expat
I'm in the process of applying for my PAL, I did my CFSC in 2022 and I'm currently not living in canada anymore.
I still have a Canadian passport, BC drivers license, BC services card, and a mailing address (my family home)
The online application requires a letter of good conduct for non resident, but the country I'm living in now doesn't issue these unless it's for immigration or visa related use.
What are my options? I come back to Canada usually at least once a year but I likely won't come back permanently for a few years
Thanks guys
3
u/Sweetchildofmine88 Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
What country is this? You could just get a police clearance certificate. That’s basically the equivalent of a letter of good conduct.
Edit: This is what I used when I lived in the United States. https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis
3
u/TrewAwie Mar 20 '26
I’m living in Hong Kong now, they don’t issue the certificate easily unless it’s for immigration purposes. Thanks for the help!
2
1
1
u/Acceptable_Visit_115 Mar 18 '26
You still have a Canadian passport and BC driver's license, wouldn't that automatically qualify you as a resident and therefore do not require a letter of good conduct? Your DL should have a valid Canadian address, no?
Because on Form 5592 section C it said only new residents and non-residents require it. I'd assume a DL address is sufficient for this purpose.
1
u/TrewAwie Mar 20 '26
I can’t find much information on this and I’m assuming it might be a bit of a grey area. I have all the documents needed to apply as a permanent resident, but I’m no longer a permanent resident in practice
2
u/PetrolPaladin Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
Gonna need some clarification on what Permanent Resident means in this context. Usually that refers to immigration status, not actually where you live. If you're a Canadian Citizen, that probably doesn't apply to you
You could maybe try calling the BC CFO for clarification, but the answer is probably just to apply as a regular Canadian Citizen using whatever address is on your driver's license.
-1
9
u/Cre_AK47 Name Prohibited by OIC Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
I'm not an expert in this, but If you still have Canadian citizenship/PR, you should be using your Canadian (family) address and IDs to apply for it, because you'll still be on CPIC no matter what, since you've had a driver's license issued to you by the BC government, and the CFP can use that info to process your application.
That said if you're not coming back to Canada for a long while, you might as well just wait until you come back because PALs are only valid for 5 years and that's going to be another 100 bucks or so just wasted.