Australian Capital Territory

How to apply for an ACT firearms licence

The ACT Firearms Registry (ACT Policing / AFP) issues licences and permits under ACT firearms law. A new adult applicant must show at least one genuine reason, be 18 or over, be viewed as suitable by the registrar, prove identity with 100 points, meet home storage and safety requirements, and prove ACT residency. First-time applicants complete a training and safety course that meets the registrar’s standards. You complete the relevant form and attend an appointment — walk-in new licences are not the published path. A permit to acquire is a separate lodgement and does not need an appointment, though licence appointments are served first.

ACT Policing — licence information →

Process

  1. 01

    Meet adult requirements and finish an approved safety course

    Genuine reason, age 18+, suitability, 100-point ID, storage, ACT residency. First-time applicants undertake a firearms training and safety course compliant with the registrar’s standards, through clubs or authorised instructors.

  2. 02

    Complete the application form in full

    Forms are on the ACT Policing firearms forms page. Incomplete packs can be turned away at the counter. If your genuine reason is landowner permission, bring the completed landowner permission form.

  3. 03

    Book the Firearms Registry

    An appointment is required for a new licence or a renewal. Official firearms hub copy: phone (02) 5126 9076 or email ACTFirearmsRegistry@afp.gov.au. Renewals are treated as new licences and need current genuine-reason evidence again.

  4. 04

    Lodge in person with supporting evidence

    Submit the form and evidence at the Registry appointment. Category H (pistols) needs a genuine reason the registrar accepts for that category (including sport/target, business/employment or collection as listed on ACT Policing type pages) plus special-need conditions. Sport/target pistol pathways described by ACT Policing include a six-month probationary period with an approved shooting club.

  5. 05

    Permit to acquire is separate

    To acquire a firearm you need both a licence and a permit for each firearm. ACT Policing states the registrar cannot issue a permit to acquire until 29 days after the permit application, and purchasers then have a further 30 days to complete the purchase through a dealer or (club-member transfers) a club armourer. No appointment is required to submit a PTA, but licence appointments have priority in the queue.

Eligibility

  • Adult: 18+, genuine reason, suitable in the registrar’s view, 100-point ID, secure home storage, proof of ACT residency.
  • Juniors 12–18 may apply for a minor’s licence after an approved training course and approved club membership, with written parent/guardian agreement; ACT Policing states the parent or guardian must hold a firearms licence endorsed for target shooting.
  • First-time adult applicants: registrar-standard training and safety course.

Genuine reason

Provide and prove at least one genuine reason; state all that apply. ACT Policing licence-information copy covers recreational hunting (permission form), primary production (occupation as owner, lessee or manager, use solely in connection with that land, or contract shooter proof), business or employment where possession is necessary, and collectors who belong to a registrar-approved collectors club for the types sought. Sport or target shooting is recognised on the types-of-licences material, including extra club and probation rules for category H.

Training

Before or as a condition of a first licence: a course that meets the firearms registrar’s standards, via clubs or authorised instructors. Juniors complete an approved course for the minor’s licence.

Where to apply

In person at the ACT Firearms Registry by appointment. Phone (02) 5126 9076 or ACTFirearmsRegistry@afp.gov.au. Forms: ACT Policing firearms forms page linked from the firearms hub.

Waiting, fees and acquiring a firearm

No single “licence ready in X days” figure was published on the licence-information HTML we could quote — ask the Registry when you book. PTA: 29 days before the registrar can issue, then 30 days to purchase, per ACT Policing types-of-licences material. Confirm current fees with the Registry; they are not restated here.

Official sources

Last checked 22 August 2026.

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