South Australia

How to apply for a South Australian firearms licence

South Australia Police assesses whether you are suitable to hold a firearms licence and possess firearms. Official pages require you to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident usually resident in South Australia. You lodge form PD303 with 100 points of original identification and a non-refundable application fee at a local police station. A licence must not be granted until 28 days after the application (Firearms Act 2015 s 15(8), as cited by SAPOL). Safety training is required for issue and, on the apply page, follows assessment rather than preceding lodgement.

SAPOL — Apply for a firearms licence →

Process

  1. 01

    Complete PD303 and 100-point original ID

    Download Application for a Firearms Licence (PD303). You need 100 points of original identification plus photocopies for certification, proof of Australian citizenship or permanent residency, and proof of usual South Australian residency (eligibility page).

  2. 02

    Pay the application fee at lodgement

    SAPOL states the fee is the equivalent of a one-year licence period and is converted to the first year’s payment after approval and a photo-point attendance. It is not refunded if the application is unsuccessful. Confirm the current amount with SAPOL / the Firearms Act fee provisions they cite — this guide does not guess a dollar figure.

  3. 03

    Lodge at your local police station

    Take the completed form, original ID, photocopies and the fee to a local station (station finder is linked from the apply page).

  4. 04

    28-day statutory wait and probity assessment

    A firearms licence will only be granted after 28 days from the date of the application. Applicants are assessed for suitability (SAPOL links a probity-assessment PDF). Processing can run longer than the minimum; SAPOL’s pages do not promise a same-week card.

  5. 05

    Approval letter, prescribed training, then photo point

    Official apply-page steps include attending the required training after the application has progressed, then presenting at a photo point so the first-year fee conversion and card issue can occur. Confirm the letter’s instructions — do not skip training because another state sequences it first.

Eligibility

  • Australian citizen or permanent resident usually resident in South Australia (SAPOL apply page).
  • Fit and proper / suitable after probity assessment. SAPOL scrutinises applicants and existing holders.
  • Adult applicants are generally 18+. SAPOL’s “Do I need a firearms licence” guide describes shooting-club licences from 12 where needed to compete interstate or overseas, and primary-production licences from 15 for an employee or relative of a primary-production operator. Use those official category pages, not hearsay.
  • Meet 100-point identification and the supporting evidence for the category you seek.

Genuine reason

You must need the licence for the purpose of the category (SAPOL lists shooting club, target shooting, hunting, primary production, security guard, dealer employee and miscellaneous among categories on government service listings that point back to SAPOL). Club licences authorise possession for use as a member of a shooting club. Hunting, primary production and other purposes have their own evidence lists on the eligibility page. Personal protection is not described as a stand-alone SAPOL genuine reason on the pages reviewed — confirm on the official category selector.

Training

SAPOL’s apply process places prescribed training after the application is underway/approved to enrol, unlike NSW or Victoria where the course certificate is lodged with the form. Use only the training SAPOL’s approval letter specifies.

Where to apply

In person at a local SA police station with PD303. Firearms Branch contact published on SAPOL’s “Do I need a licence” page: sapol.firearmsbranch@police.sa.gov.au. Digital display of a valid licence on the mySA GOV app is described for existing holders, not as the application channel.

Waiting, fees and acquiring a firearm

Statutory 28-day minimum before grant. After you hold a licence, acquiring a firearm still needs the separate permit-to-acquire rules in the Firearms Act — check SAPOL rather than assuming the licence is a purchase authority. Fees: see SAPOL / Firearms Act; not printed as a stable dollar amount on the HTML apply page we could quote.

Official sources

Last checked 22 August 2026.

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