How to get your firearm licence in Victoria (VIC)
To obtain a firearm licence in Victoria you will need to visit the Victoria Police Firearm Licensing and Regulation Division website. But sometimes you just want the information in plan English right? Below we’ve outlined the main things you need to order to get a gun licence in Victoria. This article’s information and firearms and regulation and licence requirements include long arm (centrefire, rimfire and shotgun) as well as handgun application requirements.
To skip to a specific firearm type click on the links below.
Step 1: Get your 'genuine reason' sorted!
To get a firearm licence you’ll need to a have what’s called a ‘genuine reason for owning a firearm‘. This is a legal requirement which you will need to state on your firearm application and it’s best to sort it out before you do anything else.
If your intention is to use the firearm for hunting or target shooting you’ll be looking for a Category A & B firearm licence and you need to either have written permission to hunt on a very very large parcel of private land or be a member of a hunting club.
Step 2: Book in your firearm safety course
Right, now you have your genuine reason sorted it’s time to move on to the next step, that is booking in your firearm safety course.
To do this you will need to contact your local Divisional Firearms Officers (DFO). These are the guys who facilitate the firearm safety training course.
Click on the interactive map below to access the correct contact information for each of the DFO areas. Once you’ve found the DFO closest to where you live simply give them a call and book in for the next firearm safety course.
Once you’ve completed your firearm safety course you will then be issued a certificate which you will need for the next step, applying for your licence online.
North West Metro Region DFO
| Divisional Firearms Offices | Phone | Station | |
| ND1 | City of Melbourne, Yarra | 7004 6424 7004 6425 | Melbourne West |
| ND2 | Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay, Wyndham | 9742 9444 | Werribee |
| ND3 | Brimbank, Melton | 9361 4711 | Caroline Springs |
| ND4 | Hume, Moreland, Moonee Valley | 9744 8111 | Sunbury |
| ND5 | Whittlesea, Darebin, Nillumbik, Banyule | 9438 8347 | Diamond Creek |
Southern Metro Region DFOS
| Divisional Firearms Offices | Phone | Station | |
| SD1 | Stonnington, Port Phillip | 9520 5290 | Prahran |
| SD2 | Glen Eira, Bayside, Kingston | 9556 6534 | Moorabbin |
| SD3 | Dandenong, Casey, Cardinia | 8533 0857 | Narre Warren |
| SD4 | Frankston, Mornington Peninsula, Point Nepean Ward | 5978 1346 | Somerville |
Eastern Region DFOS
| Divisional Firearms Offices | Phone | Station | |
| ED1 | Whitehorse, Monash, Boroondara, Manningham | 8847 3660 | Forest Hill |
| ED2 | Knox, Maroondah, Yarra Ranges | 9881 7037 | Knox |
| ED3 | Mitchell, Murrindindi, Mansfield | 5735 0294 | Seymour |
| ED3 | Shepparton, Strathbogie, Benalla | 5820 5827 | Shepparton |
| ED4 | Wangaratta, Wodonga, Indigo, Alpine, Towong, Moria | 5723 0888 | Wangaratta |
| ED5 | Latrobe, Baw Baw, Bass Coast, South Gippsland | 5131 5072 | Morwell |
| ED6 | East Gippsland, Wellington | 5150 2630 | Bairnsdale |
Western Region DFOS
| Divisional Firearms Offices | Phone | Station | |
| WD1 | Greater Geelong, Surf Coast, Queenscliff, Colac, Otway | 0408 998 416 | Ocean Grove |
| WD2 | Corangamite, Moyne, Glenelg, Southern Grampians | 5560 1118 | Warrnambool |
| WD3 | Ballarat, Golden Plains, Moorabool, Hepburn, Pyrenees | 5336 6040 | Ballarat |
| WD4 | Horsham, Hindmarsh, West Wimmera, Yarriambiack, Northern Grampians, Ararat | 5387 1280 5358 8222 | Natimuk Stawell |
| WD5 | Bendigo, Campaspe, Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander, Loddon, Central Goldfields | 5448 1307 | Bendigo |
| WD6 | Mildura, Robinvale | 5018 5321 | Mildura |
| WD6 | Buloke, Gannawarra, Swan Hill | 5036 1607 | Swan Hill |
Step 3: Apply for your Victorian firearm licence online
Once you’ve completed your firearm safety course you can then apply for your Victorian firearm licence via Victoria Police Licensing eServices Portal.
If you already have an eServices Portal account you can log in here.
If you don’t have an account you will first need to create one which you can do here. Simply select ‘Individual Firearm Licence (to use and possess firearms)’ as the account type then fill in your information.
Once you are logged into your account you can begin the process of applying for your licence.
Note in order to successfully complete the application you will need the following.
- Proof of genuine reason to own a firearm (such as your Hunting Trips Australia club membership certificate)
- Your firearms safety course certificate
- A personal reference. This can’t just be anyone. They will need to have known you for at least 12 months, and be a person of good standing, as categorised by The Victorian Police. An example could be a dentist, accountant or a member of Victorian police force above the rank of sergeant. For a full list of acceptable references check this document under ‘Part 7 – List of Acceptable Referees’
- And finally you will need to submit 100 points of identification (passport, birth certificate, drivers licence etc)
Step 4: Deliberation process
Due to a legislative requirement new firearm licence applications cannot be issued until 28 days has passed from the date of completion. Furthermore it can take up 14 days for your application to be assessed. Therefore it can take up to 42 days before you know whether or not your application has been successful.
Note – your application may be denied if you have a criminal history or intervention order against you or if you have a record of physical or mental illness which evidence suggests would exclude from owning or using firearms. It is possible to get a firearm licence even under these conditions, however it might involve you to undergo additional application processes and investigation.
Step 5: Purchasing your first firearm
You’ve completed your completed your firearm licence application you will be notified by the Victorian Police if it was successful.
If you were successful you will be given a temporary licence you can use to purchase your first firearm while you are waiting for your licence card to arrive in the mail.
You can only purchase firearms, ammunition, firearm parts and firearm accessories if you have a current Victorian firearms licence. That licence must allow you to carry and use those items. That is to say you will only be able to purchase a firearm or ammo as it relates the type of license you obtained (category A, category B or both
Finally in order to purchase a firearm you must also have a Permit to Acquire issued by Victoria Police.
If this is the first time you are purchasing a firearm there is a legal legislative requirement that enforces a 28 day waiting period from the date you buy the rifle. This means from the date you walk into a gun store and buy the rifle you will need to wait 28 days before you can pick it up.
Other Useful Gun licence Resources
If you landed here by mistake and you are actually wanting to get your firearm license in a different state check out the links below.
- Queensland Firearm Licence Instructions
- New South Wales Firearm Licence Instructions
- New South Wales R-Licence Instructions
- North Territory Firearm Licence Instructions
- Western Australia Firearm Licence Instructions
- South Australia Firearm Licence Instructions
- Tasmania Firearm Licence Instruction
