The French hunting licence exam is taken in one day from the age of 15 in France. It is made up of four hands-on workshops worth 21 points, then ten questions worth 10 points. You need 25 points out of 31 and no disqualifying fault1. Signing up costs €46 for an adult and €31 for a minor, on top of training fees2.
Your neighbour chairs the village hunting society. He is offering you a place on a driven hunt next season. You are still short of the licence. In 2024, 72% of candidates passed in France, according to the figure published by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB)3. So more than one candidate in four left without their certificate.
The exam rewards serious preparation and gestures repeated until they become reflexes. This guide to the French hunting licence exam follows the path in order: terms and sign-up, real cost of training, how the test runs, disqualifying faults, then a revision method with the official quiz and the mock exam.
This article covers French regulations. Training fees and the session calendar vary from one departmental federation to the next: we say so each time.
Who can sit the French hunting licence exam and how to sign up?
Anyone who has turned 15 on the day of the test can sit the exam, with no nationality or residence requirement4. Preparatory training is open from 14 and a half. A minor needs the agreement of their legal guardian4. If they pass before 16, they only get the licence on their sixteenth birthday2.
Some situations shut the door. An adult under guardianship with no judge’s approval, a person denied the right to carry a weapon, listed on the national register banning the purchase and holding of firearms (FINIADA) or unable to produce a medical certificate cannot hunt2.
Sign-up happens in two steps, online then on paper. Since 9 January 2023, the application goes through the OFB portal only4.
- Create your application online on permischasser.ofb.fr, with an email address and a mobile phone number. The notice comes through those channels4.
- Pay the exam fees online to the OFB: €46 for an adult (€30 royalty and €16 sign-up fee), €31 for a minor (€15 and €16)2.
- Pay the training fees to the departmental federation of hunters (FDC), by cheque or online4.
- Download the pre-filled CERFA 13945*06 form and have the medical certificate filled in by a doctor. No more than two months between the date of the CERFA and the date of the certificate4.
- Attach a copy of both sides of your ID, a photo less than six months old and, between 16 and 25, the national-service document2 (census certificate or Defence and Citizenship Day certificate)10.
- Post the file to your FDC. Entering the application and paying online does not finalise anything4.
A false declaration voids the sign-up and risks two years in prison and a €30,000 fine, under article 441-6 of the French criminal code4. The notice is then sent by email, according to the OFB “within 10 days before the date of the exam”1.
Hunting accompanied while waiting for the exam
Accompanied hunting opens the field from the age of 15, even before the exam. It is free10, lasts one year, is not renewable and is only granted once5. It needs basic practical training from a FDC. The sponsor has held the licence for more than five years, has completed sponsor training valid for ten years and carries the only firearm in the pair5. There is no upper age limit. For an adult who is unsure, it is the best way to check that hunting suits them before paying for the exam.
How much does French hunting licence training cost in your department?
The exam fees are national, the training is not. Each federation sets its rate, and the gap goes from zero to €140. The national official factsheets say nothing about it. Here is what four federations publish.
| Cost item | Amount | Where |
|---|---|---|
| OFB exam fees, adult | €46 | All of France |
| OFB exam fees, minor | €31 | All of France |
| Training for a resident | €0 | Loire-Atlantique |
| Training for a resident, book included | €30 | Savoie |
| Training for a candidate from another department, book included | €140 | Savoie |
| Sign-up fees refunded after the first validation | €0 in the end | Gironde, under conditions |
| Paper manual | €10 on site, €18 by post | Loire-Atlantique |
| No-show at the training without 15 days’ notice or a reason | €50 penalty | Loire-Atlantique |
Sources for the table: service-public.fr2, FDC Loire-Atlantique6, FDC Savoie7, FDC Gironde8.
In Loire-Atlantique, the training fits in one day, from around 8:15 to 17:30, and the federation does not ask for any deposit cheque. It does ask for €50 from a candidate who does not show up and has not given more than 15 days’ notice, unless an official document is sent within the following 10 days6. In Gironde, the “Hunting licence for €0” operation refunds the sign-up fees within two months. You have to sign up between 15 October and 15 November 2026, live in Gironde and validate your licence there in the current or next season. The fees have to be paid upfront8.
The number of places matters as much as the price. In Marne, every training session in 2026 was full on 14 October 2026, and the federation is already taking sign-ups for 20279. Same picture in Savoie, where candidates will get the 2027 calendar in December7. In Loire-Atlantique, the federation says there are two to three months between the complete file and the training notice6.
If you have a specific season in mind, file your application in the autumn. Call your FDC before you pay to know its dates and any offers. Once you have passed, the yearly validation remains, with a reduced rate the first year. The price and the process are set out in our guide to validating your French hunting licence.
How does the French hunting licence exam work on the day?
The test fits in one session, in front of an OFB hunting licence inspector: the four hands-on workshops first, the ten questions next1. This format is set out by decree no. 2013-475 of 5 June 2013, in force since 1 January 20141. Bring your notice and a photo ID, which the inspector checks before starting4. Firearms and ammunition are provided10.
| Part | Content | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Workshop 1 | Simulated hunting course with blank fire | 7, of which 1 for behaviour |
| Workshop 2 | Stowing a firearm in a vehicle | 1 |
| Workshop 3 | Live shotgun firing at six clay pigeons | 7, of which 1 for behaviour |
| Workshop 4 | Rifle handling and shooting at a running wild boar | 6, of which 1 for behaviour |
| Questions | Ten multiple-choice questions on four themes | 10 |
| Total | Pass mark set at 25 | 31 |
Exam marking published by the OFB1.
Do the maths before the day. With 25 points required out of 31, you have a six-point margin over the whole exam, no more. Three questions missed and one behaviour point lost, and only two spare points remain. That margin does not protect you from a disqualifying fault: one alone cancels the exam, even with 30 points.
At the first workshop, you move with the firearm in your hands on a simulated course and cross a fence or a ditch. Clays are released at random, some on a safe path, others towards a hedge, a house, a vehicle or a dummy. You fire, or you hold off4. At the second workshop, you stow a firearm in the right case for a mock trip in a car4.
The third workshop takes place on the shooting range, with a break-action or semi-automatic shotgun, your choice. Six clays are released. At least one goes towards a swinging human silhouette, at least one is red and stands for a protected or non-huntable species4. At the fourth, you are a stander on a driven hunt. You load and unload the rifle, then fire twice at a moving target that stands for a wild boar leaving the drive. The inspector checks the 30° angle and makes sure your shot is a downward shot, directed at the ground1.
The FDC in Seine-et-Marne warns its candidates: “You will not be assessed on whether you hit the targets, but on your behaviour around firearm handling, safety and respect for protected species”10. A missed clay costs little. A barrel that sweeps the line costs the exam.
The ten questions only come if no disqualifying fault has been committed during the workshops4. They are multiple-choice, one point per question, spread over four themes1:
- wildlife and habitats (species identification, biology);
- hunting (hunting modes, dogs, vocabulary);
- laws and regulations on hunting policing and nature protection;
- firearms and ammunition, with safety and prudence rules.
If you pass, the inspector hands you a temporary certificate on site that stands for a hunting licence for two months. The final document arrives at home before that deadline1. You can get the temporary certificate validated straight away by a FDC2.
What are the disqualifying faults in the French hunting licence exam?
A disqualifying fault ends the exam, whatever the score. The OFB and the FNC list four of them14:
- Any dangerous behaviour during one of the four workshops, which ends the test on the spot.
- At the third workshop, firing at a red clay or at a clay sent towards the human silhouette.
- At the fourth workshop, breaking a safety rule.
- A wrong answer to the disqualifying question, which always covers safety.
These faults all come from a lack of safety. The gestures that avoid them are the ones the OFB expects from every hunter, at the exam as in the field11:
- firearm open and unloaded at every fence or ditch crossing, and when getting close to someone;
- loaded firearm held with two hands, barrels up;
- firearm never pointed at a dangerous area, even unloaded;
- finger on the trigger only when firing, shouldered and aiming;
- shot only at properly identified game, never through a hedge;
- 30° angles marked relative to the neighbouring stands.
These are the same reflexes as those in driven hunt safety, season after season.
If you fail, you have to sign up again and sit the whole test again, both practical and theory2. Only missing or expired documents are requested again, with a new payment4. An absence with no reason also forces a new sign-up. A justified force majeure (school exam, illness, work duty, job interview) gives the right to a new notice without paying the fees again4.
How to revise with a hunting licence quiz and a mock exam?
The best revision tool is free. Chassexam, the app from the French national federation of hunters (FNC), gathers the 400 official questions of the hunting licence exam, series by theme and a mock exam mode. That mode draws questions at random, in a limited time, then goes through your mistakes12. The official manual from the FNC and the OFB also contains every question and its answer, with the disqualifying questions flagged4. To compare the other hunting apps, see our comparison.
According to the FDC of Haute-Corse, around 30% of candidates fail their first exam, and a lack of preparation for the theory questions is very often the cause13. The Loire-Atlantique federation also puts failures down to a lack of preparation6.
Here is a simple method, to line up with your training date:
- Before the training, read the theory programme in full. The FDC of Loire-Atlantique advises coming in having already studied it6.
- Then revise by theme in the hunting licence quiz on Chassexam, starting with firearms and safety, the theme of the disqualifying question.
- Switch to the mock exam as soon as the theme series are coming out with no mistake. The FNC reckons the candidate is ready when they regularly get the gold medal12.
- In the week of the exam, go through the gestures again. Loire-Atlantique runs a free practical revision day the previous week6. Seine-et-Marne offers a one-hour private lesson at €3010.
The mock exam is not required. Only the theory and practical training from the federation are2. It is still the best way to spot a weak theme before it costs you a point on the day.
The results show that preparation pays. In 2024, the FDC of Pyrénées-Atlantiques had 440 candidates signed up, 406 showed up and 349 passed, that is 86% success, fourteen points above the national average3. It had run ten sessions in the year, with training delivered by volunteers and five federation technicians3. Another figure worth noting, 34 candidates signed up did not show up, and barring force majeure each of them will have to pay again to try their luck.
Conclusion
Passing the French hunting licence exam comes down to three choices made early. Sign up in the autumn with your federation, as 2026 sessions are already full in several departments. Revise the theory before the training, with Chassexam and the official manual. Repeat safety gestures until you no longer think about them, because one disqualifying fault alone wipes out every point earned.
This week, one action is enough. Call your departmental federation to find out its rates, dates and offers, like the refund in Gironde. The federation directory is on the FNC website.
Once you have the licence and the validation, your hunting society may send you a link to join its hunting ground on Mes Chasses. The account is free. You will scan your licence and your validation from the Licence tab, and reply to driven hunt invitations. Chairmen who welcome new hunters will find the details in our page on the hunting ground management. The first driven hunt is being prepared right now, on the shooting range of the training.
References
- 1. French Office for Biodiversity. “The hunting licence exam.” OFB, consulted on 20 October 2026. https://www.ofb.gouv.fr/examen-du-permis-de-chasser
- 2. Direction of legal and administrative information. “Hunting licence exam.” Service-public.fr, checked on 17 July 2026. https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2088
- 3. Paul Nicolaï. “Hunting licence: Pyrénées-Atlantiques best department in France with 84% success at the exam.” ICI (Radio France), 3 February 2025. https://www.ici.fr/vie-quotidienne/peche-chasse/taux-de-reussite-au-permis-de-chasser-historique-dans-les-pyrenees-atlantiques-en-2024-1726106
- 4. French national federation of hunters. “The hunting licence exam.” Chasseurs de France, consulted on 20 October 2026. https://www.chasseurdefrance.com/pratiquer/permis-de-chasser/
- 5. French national federation of hunters. “Accompanied hunting.” Chasseurs de France, consulted on 20 October 2026. https://www.chasseurdefrance.com/pratiquer/chasse-accompagnee/
- 6. Departmental federation of hunters of Loire-Atlantique. “Hunting licence.” Chasse 44, updated on 9 October 2026. https://www.chasse44.fr/formations/permis-de-chasser
- 7. Departmental federation of hunters of Savoie. “Hunting licence.” FDC 73, consulted on 20 October 2026. https://www.fdc73.chasseauvergnerhonealpes.com/formation/permis-de-chasser/
- 8. Departmental federation of hunters of Gironde. “Take your hunting licence for €0!” Chasseurs 33, 8 October 2026. https://chasseurs33.com/13996-2/
- 9. Departmental federation of hunters of Marne. “Hunting licence: 2026 is full, on to 2027!” FDC 51, 14 October 2026. https://www.fdc51.com/actualite/permis-de-chasser-2026-affiche-complet-cap-sur-2027/
- 10. Departmental federation of hunters of Seine-et-Marne. “Hunting licence.” FDC 77, consulted on 20 October 2026. https://www.fdc77.fr/permis-de-chasser/
- 11. French Office for Biodiversity. “Safety at the hunt.” OFB, consulted on 20 October 2026. https://ofb.gouv.fr/la-securite-la-chasse
- 12. French national federation of hunters. “Practise for the hunting licence: tests, exams and revision with the official app.” Chasseurs de France, consulted on 20 October 2026. https://www.chasseurdefrance.com/app-mobile-permis-chasse/
- 13. Departmental federation of hunters of Haute-Corse. “Passing your hunting licence exam.” FDC 2B, consulted on 20 October 2026. https://www.fdc2b.com/permis-de-chasser/examen-du-permis/r%C3%A9ussir-son-examen/
