Those who still have their medical certificate from last year do not have to go to the doctor again for the coming hunting season, the Flemish government says.
Since 2020, in addition to an extract from the criminal record, every hunter must also submit a doctor’s certificate, which assesses his medical and psychological fitness to handle weapons safely. Europe imposed this measure, but left the implementation to the various member states.
For a long time, however, it was unclear what the validity period of that certificate would be, in other words: whether a hunter had to request a new one from his GP every year. Hubertus Vereniging Vlaanderen raised the issue with the competent services, also prompted by the corona pandemic and the need not to put an extra burden on medical staff.
In an official letter, the Flemish government now announces that ‘the hunter does not have to go to the doctor every year’. Good news.
In concrete terms: last year’s certificate also applies this year to the application for Hunting Leave 2021-2022. What’s more, the certificate can even be used ‘for several hunting seasons’ – whereby the certificate may be a maximum of four years old at the start of the Flemish hunting season on 1 July.
However, if the district commissioner doubts whether the hunter’s condition still corresponds to what the certificate states, “the district commissioner may ask for a new certificate to be completed by a doctor,” according to the Flemish Government.
However, there is one condition attached to be able to benefit from this grant: the hunter must of course be in possession of his certificate (the original or a copy). If the hunter applied for hunting permission online last year, he can download the medical certificate again from the ‘Application 2020-2021’ file in the Fauna and Flora E-portal of the Agency for Nature and Forests. Those who have neither the original nor a digital copy must have a new certificate signed by the doctor.
Source: Hubertus association Flanders
