An Garda Síochána
Firearm certificate application (FCA1): the medical section
A firearm certificate applicant names their GP and any other treating doctor on Form FCA1 and consents to Garda enquiries; the practice may then get a request for a medical opinion.
The form itself is An Garda Síochána’s: the official form, on An Garda Síochána’s site (link checked 24 October 2026). Below is what each person fills in, where it goes, and the document we provide beside it.
What it asks for
Section 2.2, completed by the applicantThe patient completes
- Details of general medical practitioner
- Details of other medical professionals, if any
- Any medical condition, physical or mental, that may affect safe possession or use
If An Garda Síochána writes to the practiceThe consultant completes
- Confirmation the applicant is a patient
- Reply to the specific enquiry, from the record
- Consultant signature, IMC number and date
Where it goes
- The applicant provides details of their GP and any other medical professionals, and states any condition that may affect their ability to possess, carry or use firearms safely.
- By signing, the applicant consents to An Garda Síochána making further enquiries into their medical history where it deems necessary.
Using it well
- Check the enquiry names the patient and cites the signed consent before anything leaves the practice.
- Answer the question asked and nothing wider; the record stays the record.
Open it in the sample practice
The sample practice is the real Ask Brigid on invented patients, open without a sign-up. This document joins its Library with the next sample-practice update; the Library already holds the practice’s templates.
Sources
- An Garda Síochána, form FCA1 firearm certificate application, read 24 October 2026
Checked against the sources above on 24 October 2026. Issuers change their forms; check the official page before you rely on a detail here.
Questions
Does the doctor complete part of the FCA1?
No. Section 2.2 is completed by the applicant, who names their GP and other medical professionals; the doctor is contacted only if An Garda Síochána makes further enquiries.
What consent covers a Garda enquiry to the practice?
The form states that by completing and signing it the applicant consents to An Garda Síochána making further enquiries as to their medical history if it deems necessary.
What does the practice send back?
A reply to the specific enquiry, from the record, signed by the doctor. The companion letter is a template for that reply; what it says is the doctor's clinical judgement.
In Ask Brigid this paperwork sits beside the diary and the record: Letters in your house style.