Apply for a new firearm licence

If your firearm licence application requires a National Police and Fingerprint Record Check, you will need to:

1. apply for a National Police and Fingerprint Records Check
2. book a fingerprint appointment, and 
3. bring your completed application form to your fingerprinting appointment.

Firearms licence applications requiring a full set of fingerprints 

You must have a full set of fingerprints taken when applying for a:

• Category D Longarm Licence
• Category E Longarm Licence
• Category 1 Collectors Licence
• General Category Handgun Licence
• Category E Handgun Licence
• Licensed Firearm Dealer Licence (all employees and close associates must be fingerprinted. Contact LRD directly at lrd@police.vic.gov.au for this application).
• Corporate Licence of any category other than an Antique Handgun Collectors Licence (all responsible officers of the body corporate must be fingerprinted).

Fingerprint appointment requirements

When making your appointment:

• You must inform the customer service officer that the reason you require a full set of fingerprints is for your firearm licence application.
• Let us know at your appointment if you are applying for a general category handgun licence for armed guard or cash-in-transit purposes, and you want to apply for a private security licence soon or at the same time. We will take two sets of fingerprints at the same time for the one fee.

Certified identification documents and identification referees

You need to supply 100 points of certified identification as part of your application.

This must include:

• at least one primary identification document (such as a passport or birth certificate)
• at least one secondary document showing your current residential address (such as a driver licence or permit).

Copies of your identification documents must be certified by an acceptable referee.

The referee must be someone who:

• has known you for at least 12 months
• is not related to you by either birth or marriage.

Identification reference

You also need to provide an identification reference. This must be from the same acceptable referee who certified your identification documents. 

To do this, you must complete and sign the Identification Reference section of your application in the presence of an acceptable referee.

Acceptable referees

Examples of acceptable identification referees include a:

• registered medical practitioner (such as your general practitioner or dentist)
• registered and employed nurse
• registered primary or secondary school teachers employed full-time
• primary or secondary school principal employed full-time
• minister of religion who is registered as a marriage celebrant
• Justice of the Peace
• bank employee who has the authority to open accounts (such as a bank branch manager)
• accountant who is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants, or the National Institute of Accountants.

Creating a certified document

To create a certified document:

• Create a copy of an original document.
• Have the copy signed and certified as a true copy of the original by an acceptable referee.

The person certifying your document must:

• sight a copy of your original document at the same time they are certifying the copy.
• certify the front of the document copy (not on the back). 

If you answered ‘yes’ to any medical question in your application, your treating health professional must complete a Health Professional Reporting Notice.

Please send the Reporting Notice to the Licensing and Regulation Division by:

• email: lrd@police.vic.gov.au.
• mail: Licensing and Regulation Division, GPO Box 2807, Melbourne VIC 3001.

You or your treating health professional can send your Reporting Notice to the Licensing and Regulation Division with your firearms application.

Resources

Your application will not be finalised if any information is missing.

This may delay our final decision on your application.

Please ensure you:

• provide all relevant supporting information, including:
  • evidence you completed a firearm safety course
  • genuine reason evidence
  • medical history documentation (where required), and
  • your completed Confirmation of Currently Owned Firearms (where required).
• sign and date the form declaration.
• ensure your identification reference:
  • certifies your identification documents correctly
  • completes the application declaration
  • is on the list of acceptable referees.

Complex applications, or those with suitability concerns, may take longer to process.

The Licensing and Regulation Division (LRD) may need more information from you.

We will contact you and let you know what information we need.

If you don’t provide the information by the date requested, LRD may refuse to make a decision on your application.