Victoria

How to apply for a Victorian firearm licence

Victoria’s Licensing and Regulation Division (LRD) does not take the licence fee up front for a new application. You prove eligibility and a genuine reason, finish a relevant firearm safety course, complete an eServices or hard-copy form, then post certified identity and supporting documents to LRD. If approved, a payment notice is mailed. After you pay, many new applicants still need a photo at a VicRoads photo point before the card is posted. Adult licences are issued for 3 or 5 years; provisional handgun licences are 6 or 12 months.

Victoria Police — apply for a new firearm licence →

Process

  1. 01

    Confirm eligibility, genuine reason and fingerprints if required

    Before you start, Victoria Police says to check eligibility, gather genuine-reason evidence for the category, complete the relevant safety course, and book fingerprints if the category requires a full set (including Category D or E longarm, general category handgun, Category E handgun, Category 1 collectors, dealer licences, and most corporate licences). A National Police Certificate is not submitted with the licence application.

  2. 02

    Complete the right form — eServices or paper

    eServices covers longarm A–E, general and E handgun, junior, provisional general category handgun, and heirloom. You must print the completed online application; LRD emails instructions. Collectors (category 1 and 2, antique handgun, ammunition) and body corporate and paintball marker licences use hard-copy PDFs posted to LRD.

  3. 03

    Certified 100-point ID, referee, medical notice if needed

    Supply 100 points of certified ID (at least one primary document and one secondary showing current address). The same acceptable referee who has known you at least 12 months and is not related by birth or marriage certifies copies and completes the identification reference. If you answered yes to a medical question, a treating health professional must complete a Health Professional Reporting Notice to LRD.

  4. 04

    Post the pack to LRD

    Mail the form, certified ID and genuine-reason evidence to Licensing and Regulation Division, GPO Box 2807, Melbourne VIC 3001. Missing course certificates, genuine-reason evidence or an incomplete referee block delays or can stop a decision.

  5. 05

    Pay the notice, then photo if LRD asks

    After processing, a payment notice is sent to your mailing address. Pay by the due date by BPAY or cash/cheque at a Westpac Bank. Concession and Seniors Card discounts do not apply. New LRD applicants, photos older than 10 years, and junior-to-adult transitions need a new photo at VicRoads; some notices are payment-only or photo-only. Primary producers may be issued without a new photo if neither is required. LRD then posts the licence.

Eligibility

  • Resident of Victoria, or work with firearms in Victoria.
  • 18+ for an adult licence; 12–18 for a junior licence.
  • Fit and proper person under the Firearms Act 1996 (Vic).
  • Demonstrate and maintain a genuine reason; complete the relevant firearm safety course.
  • Not a prohibited person (unless a court has deemed you non-prohibited). Prohibited status can arise from listed offences or being the respondent on a final intervention order.
  • If you lived in another country for more than 12 months in the previous 15 years after turning 16, provide certified international police checks from sources Victoria Police lists (embassy/consulate, overseas police, or the check given to Home Affairs at visa lodgement).

Genuine reason

Each licence category has its own genuine-reason evidence list on Victoria Police’s eligibility pages. Recreational and employment purposes are both recognised in principle; you must attach the evidence that matches the category you tick. Do not invent a reason that is not on the official category table.

Training

Complete a Victorian firearm safety course for the licence type before you submit. Victoria Police sets minimum content; the knowledge test must be sat in person even if theory was online. Longarm courses are found via local providers; handgun courses via an approved handgun target shooting club (theory test plus practical); paintball via a paintball operator. Attach the completion certificate. Course fees are set by providers, not Victoria Police.

Where to apply

eServices (print and post) for most individual longarm and handgun types; posted PDFs for collectors, body corporate and paintball. Enquiries go through Victoria Police’s online LRD form. Do not resubmit an eServices form if the confirmation email is missing the PDF — quote the reference to LRD instead.

Waiting, fees and acquiring a firearm

Victoria Police publishes a status page for applications being processed rather than a single guaranteed calendar. Complex or incomplete files take longer. Licence fees are on the Service fees and penalties page — check that page for current amounts. After you hold a licence, acquiring a particular firearm is a separate LRD process; confirm permit-to-acquire rules on Victoria Police, not this guide.

Official sources

Last checked 22 August 2026.

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