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Identifying, altering and registering your firearm

Identifying your firearm

It is important to know the specifications of any firearm you possess or wish to acquire. These specifications determine the type of licence required.

The firearm category chart can help you understand what licence you will need to possess that firearm and for what activities you can use it.

Altering your firearm or a firearm's calibre

You cannot alter your firearm or it’s magazine capacity so that it becomes a different category of firearm unless you have received authorisation from Licensing and Regulation Division.

You must complete and submit an Application to Alter a Firearm to the Licensing and Regulation Division. If your application is successful, you may then take your firearm to a licensed firearm dealer to alter your firearm for you.

If you want to change the calibre of your firearm, you may take the firearm directly to a licensed firearm dealer. However, you must provide Licensing and Regulation Division with a completed Notification of Modification to Calibre form within seven days of changing the firearm's calibre.

Registering your firearm

With very few exceptions, all firearms permanently stored in Victoria must be registered with the Licensing and Regulation Division. The What is a Firearm? document below explains which groups of firearms and firearm-related items do not need to be registered.

If you believe you have a firearm that does not need to be registered, you can take it to Licensed Firearm Dealer for assessment. If they agree with you, and you want to have this firearm declared exempt and removed from your licence and the registration database, the authorised firearm identifier can submit an application to the Licensing and Regulation Division requesting this.

Apart from exemptions of this kind, it is illegal to have any unregistered firearms in your possession.

Found firearms

If you have found a firearm you must contact your local police station and arrange a time to drop it off and have the station check its registration status. Alternatively you can contact a licensed firearm dealer to make arrangements to drop off the firearm. Do not attempt to destroy the firearm yourself

Owning a firearm that has not previously been registered

If you come into possession of an unregistered firearm and you want to keep it, you must:

  • ask a police station or licensed firearm dealer to store it for you in the interim
  • ensure your licence allows you to own that category of firearm
  • apply to Licensing and Regulation Division for a Permit to Acquire and then pay the associated fee
  • take the Permit to Acquire and firearm to a dealership so the dealer can transfer ownership of the firearm and arrange for the firearm to be registered as yours

Possessing a firearm that is registered to someone else

This is a common situation and occurs when you either:

  • purchase a firearm from a dealership
  • purchase or receive a firearm from another licence holder and a dealer facilitates this transaction

In these cases, where you are already appropriately licensed for that firearm category, you must:

  • ensure your licence allows you to own that category of firearm
  • apply to Licensing and Regulation Division for a permit to acquire and then pay the associated fee
  • take the permit to acquire (signed by the firearm's current owner), your current firearm licence and the firearm to a licensed dealer where the ownership of firearm is transferred

The dealer will then notify the Licensing and Regulation Division that the firearm has been transferred, and Licensing and Regulation Division will post you a firearm registration certificate. There is no fee for this certificate but your dealer will charge you a small fee for transferring ownership of the firearm.

Please note: As licensed firearm dealers have 28 days to report any transactions to the Licensing and Regulation Division they have facilitated, it can take several weeks before any new firearm appears on our computer system as registered to you.

Contact us

Get in touch about firearms licensing through our online enquiry form.

Reviewed 15 September 2023

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