Federal Police IN 311: what changed in the CAC rules up to 2026
IN 311: Federal Police rules for CACs in Brazil and the 2026 changes from INs 322 and 330. Validity, frequency, levels, transit permit and deadlines.
IN DG/PF No. 311/2025 is the Federal Police (Polícia Federal, PF) normative instruction that has governed collectors, sport shooters and exceptional hunters (CACs) since July 1, 2025. In 2026 it was amended twice: IN 322 kept the original validity of older Registration Certificates (CRs), and IN 330 created the renewal schedule for older Firearm Registration Certificates (CRAFs). Apart from that, up to October 19, 2026 the Official Gazette (Diário Oficial da União, DOU) showed no other change to the text.
Note: this text summarizes the rules and does not replace reading the official text, legal advice or guidance from the Federal Police.
What is the Federal Police IN 311?
Normative Instruction DG/PF No. 311 (Instrução Normativa DG/PF nº 311) "regulates the activities of collecting, sport shooting and hunting". It took effect on July 1, 2025 (Art. 86) and organizes the powers that Decree 11.615/2023 (Decreto 11.615/2023) transferred to the PF.
The rule first appeared in the DOU of June 30, 2025 dated "July 27, 2025" and was published again in the DOU of July 21, 2025, with the date corrected to "June 27, 2025".
Its chapters cover:
- general concepts;
- granting, revalidation, annotation and cancellation of the CR (Registration Certificate);
- collection security and inspection;
- purchase, registration and transfer of firearms, and purchase of ammunition and accessories;
- CRAF validity and renewal;
- sport shooter levels.
What are the main rules of IN 311?
Topic | Rule | Article |
|---|---|---|
Where to apply | CR, annotation, purchase and transit permit (guia de tráfego) applications through Sinarm-CAC | Arts. 15, 22, 28, 37 |
CR validity | 3 years from issue or from the last revalidation | Art. 17 |
CR revalidation | Apply up to 30 days before expiry, with valid CRAFs for every firearm in the collection | Art. 22 |
CRAF validity | 3 years | Art. 68 |
CRAF renewal | Start up to 30 days before expiry | Art. 69 |
Transit permit | Up to 6 months for shooter and hunter training; up to 1 month for competitions and collectors | Art. 42 |
Theft, robbery or loss | Report immediately in Sinarm-CAC and send the police report to the PF within 10 business days | Art. 81 |
See how to request the permit in Sinarm CAC and the transit permit.
What frequency does IN 311 require?
To revalidate the CR, a sport shooter must prove at least 8 training sessions or competitions at a shooting club, at separate events, every 12 months, with a representative firearm of each firearm type (Art. 22, § 3, II).
Anyone who cannot prove this does not get the CR revalidated, except in cases of force majeure, and may only apply for a new CR after 12 months (Art. 75). An exceptional hunter must prove authorization from Ibama (the federal environmental agency) for hunting for 18 months within the registration period.
What are the sport shooter levels?
Under Art. 71 of IN 311, every 12 months:
Level | Requirement |
|---|---|
1 | 8 training sessions or competitions |
2 | 12 training sessions and 4 competitions, 2 of them state, regional or national |
3 | 20 training sessions and 6 competitions, 2 of them national or international |
High performance | Minimum national ranking or selection for the Olympics, Paralympics or an ISSF or IPSC world championship |
A new shooter stays at level 1 for 12 months, and moving up requires 12 months at each level. The lowest level proven across firearm types is the one that counts (Art. 74).
What changed with IN 322?
IN DG/PF No. 322, published in the DOU of January 5, 2026, changed the sole paragraph of Art. 17. The text now reads: "Registrations granted or revalidated while Decree No. 9.846 of June 25, 2019 was in force remain valid for the period originally granted".
In practice, anyone whose CR was granted or revalidated under the 2019 decree keeps the validity shown on the document.
What changed with IN 330?
IN DG/PF No. 330, with a heading dated March 9, 2026 and published in the DOU of April 9, 2026, created Art. 81-A. It staggers, by the owner's birth month, the renewal of CAC CRAFs issued before July 21, 2023 and valid on July 20, 2026.
Owners born in October have until November 3, 2026. See the full table in CAC CRAF renewal in 2026.
What about the Supreme Court and Congress?
- Supreme Federal Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal, STF): on September 26, 2026, in Theme 1483 (Tema 1483), the Court upheld the shorter validity periods of Decree 11.615 for older registrations as well, "subject to the transition rules". See what the STF decided.
- PDL 340/2025: this draft legislative decree (projeto de decreto legislativo) seeks to suspend Ordinance No. 260 COLOG/C Ex of June 9, 2025, which changed Brazilian Army rules on controlled products for collecting, shooting and hunting. According to the PDL 340/2025 record in the Chamber of Deputies Open Data, the report was approved by the Foreign Relations and National Defense Committee on April 8, 2026. Since April 15, 2026, the bill has been at the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJC), awaiting a rapporteur, and it still depends on a floor vote. A PDL only takes effect after it is approved by the Chamber and the Senate and promulgated.
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