Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
VICTORIA – Effective March 31, hunters now have the added convenience of buying their hunting licenses online at: www.gov.bc.ca/hunting
Licenses will still be available at Service BC locations, and participating sporting goods stores.
As of May 15 hunting licenses will also be available at FrontCounter BC locations. Paper versions of resident hunting licenses and other non-species licenses (youth, initiation and special area licenses) will be eliminated.
The species licenses are also being redesigned. All types of species licenses purchased online will be mailed to the applicants; however, they can also be purchased and obtained immediately at Service BC and FrontCounter BC locations.
Hunters must carry photo ID and their species license(s) at all times while hunting, and must cancel the license by notching it as soon as they harvest an animal.
Effective April 10, Conservation officers will be able to check a hunter's registry and licensing information in the field by using a new mobile phone app.
To purchase a hunting license using the new on-line system, hunters will first need a basic BCeID, which allows on-line users access to a wide range of provincial government programs and services. The BCeID provides access to individual Fish and Wildlife profiles on the BC Hunting online service.
Hunters also need a Fish and Wildlife ID (FWID) to buy hunting licenses. The FWID replaces the old BC resident hunter number card and is permanently linked to a hunter's personal Fish and Wildlife online profile, which contains details about hunter credentials, licenses and LEH applications. Hunters must also know or carry their FWID while hunting.
For those who already have a hunter number, the new FWID will be the same number with three extra digits at the front end. FWIDs can be obtained online, or from any Service BC or FrontCounter BC location.