Weapons Licences and Permits to Acquire online

Individuals and businesses can now apply online for a Weapons Licence and Permit to Acquire​.

Read the hints and tips and watch the video overview before you start your online application.

Extension of Firearms Licence/s

Effective from 1 July 2013, for those applications lodged on or after this date, legislation has been amended to:

  • Extend the term of Category A and B licences from five years to a term of not more than ten years
  • Extend the term of a Permit to Acquire from three to six months.

Be prepared 

Supporting Documents

To make sure that your application is assessed as quickly as possible it is important that the information you supply to us is correct and complete, and that your supporting documentation is uploaded to your application or forwarded to Weapons Licensing immediately after submitting the online application. If your application does not meet our requirements it could be refused or there could be substantial delays while we seek further information from you.

  • Gather the documents you need to supply with your application.
  • Scan them and save them to your computer or a memory stick.
  • When applying online your supporting documents should be saved as PDF,  TIFF, JPEG or GIF files and be no larger than 2MB per file.
  • If you can't get your documents scanned you can still apply online. Send  photocopies of all the required documents to Weapons Licensing as soon as possible after you have submitted your application online. Make sure you  quote your application reference number in your cover letter.

Contact local clubs and dealers for assistance

Applicants, you are strongly encouraged to contact your local club or dealer about assisting you to complete your licence application, and ensure the required documentation is submitted. Before you attend your local club or dealer, please refer to the Weapons Licensing website and be aware of the required documentation for your genuine reason.

The club or dealer will;

  • Ensure you have the required documentation; and
  • Encourage you to and assist you to complete the Weapons Applications Online (WAO) application form

Passport quality photograph

  • The photograph you supply with your new licence application should be:
    • no more than six (6) months old
    • be a close up image of your head and top of your shoulders and show you looking straight at the camera
    • clearly show your face and eyes - no hats or sunglasses
    • be clear and in sharp focus; and
    • have a plain light coloured background
  • Your licence photo can be saved as any valid image format and should also be no larger than 2MB.

Refer to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for general passport quality photograph guidelines

Payment

  • You can pay for your online application using either a credit or debit Visa or Mastercard.
  • The system will automatically calculate the fee you need to pay.

Systems requirements

To apply online you will need:

  • an ADSL or Broadband internet connection; and
  • the latest version of any major internet browser eg. Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari etc.

Change your Details

Have you changed your home or postal address or weapons storage address?

Complete the new online Change in Circumstances form.​