Applying for a Permit to Acquire

1. Application - Form 28

An application for a Permit to Acquire (Form 28) is obtainable from the Weapons Licensing Website - Forms or from your local Queensland Police Station.  A permit to acquire application must be made for each weapon you are intending to acquire.  Fees are payable for each permit to acquire application.

All applications for Permit to Acquire must be lodged at a Queensland police station along with payment of the prescribed fee.  It is recommended that contact be made to the police station where you intend to lodge the application.  Once the application fee has been paid and the station notation completed at the police station, the original application can be forwarded to Weapons Licensing by either the applicant or the police station.

It is recommended that the applicant keep a copy of the application for their records.

At the station you will need to provide details of your current Weapons Act licence and show photographic identification (i.e. your Weapons Act licence). 

Note: For categories B, C, D, H or M weapons, you must state in writing the reason the firearm/weapon is needed and supply documentation to support the application. 

NOTE:- NO facsimile copies will be accepted or processed.

2. Waiting period for a Permit to Acquire

The waiting period for a PTA is 28 days from the date of the application. However, if you already hold a firearm under another licence, or if exceptional circumstances exist, the waiting period is the remainder of the day on which the application is lodged.

As per section 42(1) of the Weapons Act 1990, PTA applications will be determined as soon as practicable after any mandatory waiting periods.  The time taken to determine applications for PTA is dependant on a number of factors.  This includes the number of new PTA applications received each week, the complexity of the applications and the completeness of the supporting information.

Applicants who do not provide sufficient information or supporting documentation will experience delays in processing, or possible rejection of the application.

3. How will you be advised

If the application is successful, a PTA (Form 27) will be issued by Weapons Licensing and forwarded to you by mail. If the application is not successful, notification will also be sent to you in the mail.  You must ensure that Weapons Licensing has your current residential and postal addresses.

4. Permit to Acquire Approval/Notice of Disposal – Form 27

Form 27 is an approved and issued PTA, which is in two parts.  The top half of this form is your issued PTA and the bottom half is the Notice of Disposal (NOD), which you will need to present to a Queensland firearms dealer.  Dealers will sign the front only if they are disposing the firearm.  The reverse side of the NOD is where the Queensland firearms dealer (or Police officer – refer to section 9 of this page) must certify the transaction, which means brokering the transaction if the firearm is bought from someone other than a firearms dealer.

If you fail to present the firearm/weapon with the Permit to Acquire to a firearms dealer (or Police officer – refer to section 9 of this page), the transaction is not complete.  The firearm will not be registered to your licence.  The Permit to Acquire will expire and you will become unlawfully in possession of a firearm and at risk of prosecution.

Once you have received your PTA (Form 27), you may purchase or acquire the firearm/weapon from a licensed dealer or private person and broker the firearm/weapon.  The PTA is valid for three months from the date of issue.  The expiry date will be nominated on the Permit to Acquire.   

5. Modifying a Permit to Acquire

If you require modification to a PTA (i.e. you have changed your mind about the weapon/firearm to be acquired) you must return the original the Permit to Acquire to Weapons Licensing for modification.

6. Permit to Acquire expires before acquiring a weapon/firearm

A PTA cannot be used to acquire a weapon/firearm once it has expired. Therefore, if a PTA expires before you have acquired a weapon/firearm, the Permit to Acquire will be unusable and should be returned to Weapons Licensing.  As a Permit to Acquire cannot be renewed, you will need to make a new application for a Permit to Acquire.

7. Disposer to sign the Notice of Disposal

The disposer of the weapon is required to sign the NOD. If for some reason the disposer is unable to sign the document, a Statutory Declaration outlining the reason must be attached to the NOD.

8. Lost/stolen/destroyed Permits to Acquire

If a PTA is lost, stolen or destroyed you must immediately report the matter to a police station and complete Form 3 - Application for Replacement Licence - Permit to Acquire. On receipt of the Form 3, Weapons Licensing will issue a replacement Permit to Acquire.

Form 3 - Application for a Replacement Licence/Form 27 Permit to Acquire ( 291KB) 

9. Transaction to be brokered through a Queensland Firearms Dealer (or a Queensland Police Officer in certain circumstances)

If you are acquiring a firearm or weapon from a person other than a Queensland firearms dealer, you are required to have the transaction brokered by a Queensland firearms dealer. Alternatively, the transaction can be brokered by a Queensland police officer if the nearest licensed firearms dealer is located more than 100 kilometres from your usual place of residence.

The dealer or police officer will check the bottom section of the PTA and where required and complete the Licensed Dealer/Police Certificate on the reverse side of the PTA. The dealer or police officer will then forward the completed NOD to Weapons Licensing. On receipt of the NOD, Weapons Licensing will transfer the registration of the firearm/weapon nominated on the NOD to your licence.

Dealers may charge a brokerage fee + GST for this service.

10. Registration of the Firearm to your licence

Once Weapons Licensing receives your NOD, the weapon will be transferred from the disposer’s licence and registered to your licence.  It will then be reflected on your weapons list which Weapons Licensing will forward to you once the transaction has been finalised on the Commissioner’s ‘Firearms Register’.