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French hunting licence exam

To get a hunting licence (permis de chasser) in France, you must pass a single exam run by the French Biodiversity Office (OFB): practical exercises first, then 10 theory questions. This page explains how the exam works, how it is scored, how to register and what it costs, and offers free practice questions for the theory part.

Practise with free questions

Practise for the hunting licence exam

The exam at a glance

  • One sittingFirst 4 practical workshops worth 21 points, then the theory part
  • Theory part10 multiple-choice questions, 10 points in total
  • To passAt least 25 of 31 points, with no dangerous behaviour and the eliminatory question answered correctly
  • Price€46 for an adult, €31 for a minor, paid when you pre-register
  • One question is about safety when hunting and is eliminatory: a wrong answer fails the whole exam
  • You can sit the exam from age 15 and hunt from age 16
  • Compulsory training first, at a departmental hunters' federation
  • Result on the day; if you fail, you register again and retake the whole exam

The practical workshops

  • Workshop I (7 points): a simulated hunting walk with blank firing. You cross an obstacle with the gun and decide whether to shoot depending on where the clays fly.
  • Workshop II (1 point): putting a gun in its case to carry it by car.
  • Workshop III (7 points): shotgun shooting at 6 clays. Some fly towards a human silhouette and some are red (a protected or non-huntable species): you must not shoot them.
  • Workshop IV (6 points): rifle shooting from a post in a drive hunt, with removing the bolt, loading, unloading and 2 shots at a running-boar target.
  • Workshops I, III and IV each include one behaviour point: constant care with safety and gun handling, alertness and respect for the setting.
  • Any dangerous behaviour is eliminatory and ends the exam.

The theory part

The 10 questions cover the four themes of the official syllabus: wildlife and habitats, hunting knowledge, laws and regulations, and firearms and ammunition. The eliminatory question is about safety. The official texts state neither the time allowed for this part nor the number of options per question.

Steps before the exam

  • Complete the compulsory training at the departmental hunters' federation: at least one theory session and one practical session.
  • Pre-register and pay online on the OFB website, then fill in form cerfa no. 13945.
  • Hand your file to the federation: ID, photo, a medical certificate less than 2 months old, proof of payment and, for a minor, parental consent. The federation sends it on at least 3 weeks before the session.
  • Receive your invitation by email, then sit the exam in your département.

The price

The price is a licence charge plus an exam fee of €16: €30 + €16, so €46, for an adult; €15 + €16, so €31, for a minor. It covers neither the training at the federation, whose terms vary by département, nor validating the licence, which you need before you can hunt and which has its own cost.

After the exam

If you pass, the OFB inspector gives you a provisional certificate valid for 2 months. The permanent licence is posted to you within that time. Before you can hunt, it must be validated at a departmental federation. If you fail, you register again and retake the whole exam, practical and theory. About 34000 candidates sit the exam each year.

How to prepare

The OFB does not publish its question bank. The national hunters' federation (FNC) offers its 400 questions in the Chassexam app. FreeExamPath's questions are original: we wrote them from the arrêté of 7 October 2013 and the Environment Code, with an explanation for every answer and a strong focus on safety. They are not the exam questions, and FreeExamPath is not affiliated with the OFB or the FNC. The practical part is learnt at the federation, with a gun in hand.

Official information

Questions about the French hunting licence exam

How does the hunting licence exam work?

In one sitting: 4 practical workshops worth 21 points, then 10 theory questions worth 10 points, including one eliminatory safety question.

How many points do you need to pass?

You need at least 25 of 31 points, with no dangerous behaviour in the workshops and a correct answer to the eliminatory question.

How much does the hunting licence cost?

The exam costs €46 for an adult and €31 for a minor. This covers neither the federation training nor validating the licence, which you need before you can hunt.

Are these the official questions?

No. The OFB does not publish its question bank. Ours are original, written from the arrêté of 7 October 2013 and the Environment Code, and every answer is explained. The questions distributed by the FNC are in its Chassexam app.

Official sources (6) · last checked 18 October 2026