Firearms Licensing in the Australian Capital Territory: Gun Licence Categories, Fees and Renewal (2026)

The Australian Capital Territory licenses firearms under the Firearms Act 1996, with 9 named adult licence categories and a genuine reason test at section 62 that excludes personal protection in wording near identical to New South Wales. A permit to acquire a firearm follows a three stage timeline, licence renewal is treated as a fresh application, and adult firearms licence fees rose to $487 from 1 July 2026 as part of funding a new digital ACT Firearms Registry.

Information last verified 28 September 2026 against the Firearms Act 1996 (ACT), Republication No 64, effective 16 November 2025, and ACT Policing published fee and policy pages.

This page is part of the Australia weapons law section and addresses firearms and gun licensing under the law of the Australian Capital Territory only, administered by ACT Policing's Firearms Registry. For the genuine reason framework compared across all eight Australian jurisdictions, see firearms licensing in Australia. For firearm storage requirements compared across states, see firearm storage laws in Australia, and for non firearm self defence items, see capsicum spray and taser laws in Australia.

Nine Licence Categories and a Genuine Reason Test That Excludes Self Defence

Firearms Act 1996 (ACT) s 59 names 9 adult licence categories: A, B, C, D, H, collectors, heirlooms, firearms dealer and paintball marker, a richer taxonomy than the 5 category systems used elsewhere. Before any of these can be issued, s 62 requires a genuine reason, and its exclusion of personal protection is worded in near identical terms to New South Wales's Firearms Act 1996 s 12(2).

An ACT firearms licence, whatever category, confers no authority to possess or use a firearm for personal protection. Non firearm self defence items, such as capsicum spray or a taser type device, sit outside the Firearms Act entirely and are addressed on capsicum spray and taser laws in Australia, which compares the position across all eight Australian jurisdictions.

Minors Firearms Licences: Age 12, and Only for Certain Categories

Section 85(1)(a) itself delegates the minimum age for a minors firearms licence to regulation rather than stating a number. ACT Policing's own Firearms Licences page states the actual figure directly: an applicant must be between 12 and 18 years of age, matching the 12 year floor used in South Australia and Tasmania (the Northern Territory's equivalent junior licence is available from age 10).

A minors licence is available only for Category A, B or H, not Category C or D (s 89). Beyond the age requirement, an applicant must have completed an approved training course and hold membership of an approved shooting club (s 85(1)). The Act requires the written consent of a person with parental responsibility (s 85(4)); ACT Policing's guidance states that this parent or guardian must be a firearms licensee endorsed for target shooting, or, for a Category A or B licence for primary production instruction, a parent or guardian licensed for primary production. The fee for a minors licence is a flat $54, without the term based tiering used for the general adult licence fee table.

Training

Section 55 requires the registrar, on receiving an application, to tell the applicant which approved training course or courses are required, and the licence cannot be issued until that training is completed, under s 58(2)(c) (for Category D, accreditation by a registrar-approved entity replaces the course, s 58(2)(d)). ACT Policing's plain language guidance confirms that a first time applicant must complete a firearms training and safety course that meets the Firearms Registrar's standards, delivered through various clubs and authorised firearms instructors rather than a single government run course.

The 28 Day Wait and the Permit to Acquire's Three Stage Timeline

An adult firearms licence cannot be issued earlier than 28 days after the Firearms Registry receives the application, under s 60. Holding a licence does not itself authorise acquiring a firearm: a firearms permit to acquire is required, and it follows a three stage timeline. The permit cannot issue earlier than 28 days after the application (s 147); it remains in force for 30 days after issue or until the firearm is acquired, whichever is earlier (s 148(1)), and the registrar may extend it to no more than 60 days for delays beyond the holder's control (s 148(2)); ACT Policing also requires the dealer signed permit to be returned to the Registry within 7 calendar days of the purchase.

Licence Term and Renewal

An adult firearms licence runs for 5 years unless a regulation prescribes a shorter period, and a Category D licence for a registrar-set period of no more than 12 months (s 78). Section 51 treats a renewal application as an application for a new licence; ACT Policing applies this in every respect except the Safe Handling Assessment. A holder is expected to re-apply in a window of 30 to 60 days before the current licence expires, and reminder notices are sent around 2 months out. If a licence is allowed to lapse, the consequence stated by ACT Policing is that the licensee's registered firearms automatically become unregistered, a consumer facing consequence that goes beyond simply needing a new licence.

Interstate Recognition

A corresponding interstate licensee holding a Category A, B, C, H or paintball marker licence may possess or use a firearm in the ACT for an approved shooting or paintball competition, or another regulation prescribed purpose, for the authorised period, defined in s 134 as 3 months beginning on the day the person arrives in the ACT, under s 136. Section 137 sets a narrower, sport or target shooting only carve out specifically for an interstate Category C licensee at a shooting competition, separate from the general s 136 rule.

For a person becoming a new ACT resident, s 138 treats a corresponding Category A, B or paintball marker licence as the local equivalent for 3 months from the day after notifying the registrar, or until the ACT licence application is decided, whichever is sooner. Section 139 gives the same treatment for a corresponding Category C or H licence, but for only 7 days, the same length used in Tasmania and longer than the Northern Territory's 2 day window for its equivalent categories. Sections 140 and 140A separately address international visitor recognition and a Category D exemption tied to vertebrate pest animal control.

Reviewing a Licence Refusal

A refusal can be reviewed by the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT), under the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2008. Part 16 of the Firearms Act (ss 258, 260 and 260A) defines a reviewable decision by cross reference to Schedule 4, which lists each reviewable decision, the provision it arises under, and who must be given a reviewable decision notice; it includes a refusal to issue or renew an adult firearms licence (item 5). Section 260A sets out who may apply to ACAT.

The Firearms Act sets no time limit of its own; under the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2008 s 10, an application must generally be made within 28 days after the decision, or within 28 days after notice of it if that notice came more than 5 days after the decision. Where a decision turns on classified or security sensitive information, ss 18B and 18C give the registrar its own numbered procedure to apply to ACAT or a court for a ruling on how that information is handled during the review, a distinct extra layer not folded into the general review sections.

Safe Storage

The Act's storage provisions sit at ss 180 to 183. Section 180 sets a general safekeeping duty, with imprisonment only and no stated fine: up to 1 year for an ordinary firearm, and up to 2 years for a prohibited firearm. Section 181 covers Category A, B or paintball marker storage, in a locked receptacle of hardwood or steel with approved locks, exempt from fixing to the structure only if it weighs at least 150kg empty, with a maximum penalty of 1 year's imprisonment for a breach. Section 182 covers Category C, D or H storage, in a locked steel safe that must be bolted to the structure regardless of weight, with a maximum penalty of 2 years' imprisonment for a breach. Section 183 requires police to seize any firearm or ammunition reasonably believed not to be kept in compliance with these requirements.

Other firearms offences are expressed in penalty units, worth $160 for an individual and $810 for a corporation under the Legislation Act 2001 s 133. For example, contravening a licence condition with a non prohibited firearm carries up to 500 penalty units ($80,000 for an individual), 5 years' imprisonment or both (s 45(2)).

ACT Policing's detailed storage guidance sets the practical specifications. For up to 10 Category A or B firearms, a metal lockable container with the firing mechanism removed and separately stored, or a hardwood and steel lined security container with a deadlock or 2 padlocked sliding bolts, bolted down unless it weighs at least 150kg empty, will meet the standard. For more than 10 Category A or B firearms, or any Category C, D or H firearm, a full safe is required: metal at least 3mm structural mild steel to AS/NZS 3678:1996 grade 250, or reinforced concrete, double brick or reinforced besser block at least 140mm thick, figures that closely match the storage standard South Australia uses for its own strongroom category. A Category D firearm additionally requires an installed intruder alarm, mains powered with battery backup, motion detection and an external noisemaker. Collectors' Category A or B firearms must be made temporarily inoperable, and Category C or D collector firearms permanently inoperable, per Registry guidelines, and ammunition must be stored separately in a registrar approved locked container. Full detail on how storage compares across jurisdictions this site has verified is at firearm storage laws in Australia.

Current Fees, FY2026-27

ACT Policing's fee page states that, from 1 July 2026, several fees increased, including the adult firearms licence from $179 to $487, and the permit to acquire, firearm registration and registered user fees from $20 each to $30 each. The fees are set by the Firearms (Fees) Determination 2026 (DI2026-93), in force from 1 July 2026; ACT Policing's fee table still carries an older 'from 1 July 2025' caption.

Registration is charged per firearm, so a permit covering 3 firearms costs 3 times the $30 registration fee. ACT Policing's page explicitly connects the fee increase to funding the delivery of a new digital ACT Firearms Registry, ahead of the National Firearms Register rollout described below.

How to Apply

In outline, an applicant lodges a firearms licence application with the ACT Firearms Registry, which tells the applicant which approved training course is required, under s 55. That training must be completed, typically through a club or an authorised firearms instructor, before the licence is issued, and the licence cannot issue earlier than 28 days after the Registry receives the application, under s 60. Once licensed, acquiring a specific firearm requires a separate firearms permit to acquire, which cannot issue earlier than 28 days after the application (s 147), allows 30 days to complete the purchase, extendable to 60 days for delays beyond the holder's control (s 148), and, under ACT Policing's guidance, requires the dealer signed permit to be returned to the Registry within 7 calendar days; the firearm is registered as part of that same process, for a $30 per firearm fee.

Reforms: The Digital Firearms Registry and the National Firearms Register

National Cabinet agreed to a National Firearms Register in December 2023, and the ACT's own guidance describes it as expected to be operational by mid-2028, consistent with the Northern Territory and Tasmania. Ahead of that, the ACT Government has been running its own legislative review, described as identifying and progressing amendments to support the digital uplift of the ACT Firearms Registry and to enable the National Firearms Register rollout.

Two bills were before the Legislative Assembly, and not yet law, when this page was last verified: the Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026, introduced 4 February 2026, which would cap most licensees at 5 firearms (up to 10 with certain genuine reasons), recategorise some firearm types, prohibit belt-fed firearms and create a digital blueprint offence; and the Firearms (Firearm Prohibition Orders) Amendment Bill 2026, introduced 24 February 2026, which would create a firearm prohibition order scheme.

The Standing Committee on Legal Affairs reported on both bills in May 2026 with 11 recommendations, and a Government Response is to follow. As proposed, the Public Safety bill would commence on a day set by the Minister to align with the National Buyback Scheme, or on 1 January 2028 if no day is set, and the prohibition order scheme 12 months after that bill passes.

The ACT Firearms Registry is described as transitioning from a paper based system to a fully digital platform as part of the same reform push, which appears to be the direct cause of the fee increase described above. The ACT also continues to participate in the ongoing permanent national firearms amnesty, allowing surrender of unregistered, unwanted or illicit firearms without penalty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get an ACT firearms licence for personal protection?

No. Firearms Act 1996 (ACT) s 62 excludes personal protection as a genuine reason for any licence category, in wording near identical to the equivalent New South Wales provision.

What age can a minor get a firearms licence in the ACT?

Between 12 and 18, per ACT Policing's guidance, and only for Category A, B or H (s 89). The Act requires written consent from a person with parental responsibility (s 85(4)); ACT Policing states that parent or guardian must be a firearms licensee endorsed for target shooting, or licensed for primary production for a Category A or B licence for primary production instruction.

How long does it take to buy a firearm after getting an ACT firearms licence?

A firearms permit to acquire cannot issue earlier than 28 days after the application (s 147), the purchase must then be completed within 30 days of the permit issuing, extendable to 60 days for delays beyond the holder's control (s 148), and, under ACT Policing's guidance, the dealer signed permit must be returned to the Firearms Registry within 7 calendar days of the purchase.

Do I need to renew my ACT firearms licence?

Yes. An adult licence generally runs for 5 years (s 78), and s 51 treats a renewal application as an application for a new licence; ACT Policing applies this in every respect except the Safe Handling Assessment. Letting a licence lapse causes the licensee's registered firearms to automatically become unregistered.

How much does an ACT firearms licence cost?

A Category A, B, C or H adult firearms licence costs $487, effective from 1 July 2026, under the Firearms (Fees) Determination 2026 (DI2026-93).

Can I appeal a refused ACT firearms licence application?

Yes. A refusal to issue or renew an adult firearms licence is a reviewable decision under Part 16 of the Firearms Act and Schedule 4, and can be taken to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Under the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2008 s 10, the application must generally be made within 28 days after the decision, or after notice of it if that notice came more than 5 days late.

What are the storage requirements for firearms in the ACT?

Category A or B firearms, up to 10, need a locked container meeting the standard set in s 181 and ACT Policing's guidance. More than 10 Category A or B firearms, or any Category C, D or H firearm, need a full safe of at least 3mm structural mild steel or an equivalent masonry standard, under s 182 for Category C, D or H, and under the Firearms Regulation 2008 for more than 10 Category A or B firearms, with Category D additionally requiring an installed intruder alarm.