Information about renewing your weapons licence

As a licence holder in Queensland, it is your responsibility to know when your licence is due to expire.

For most individuals - except 'security licence (guard)' - your licence will expire on your birth date.  You will need to take appropriate steps to ensure the licence is renewed on time.  As a courtesy, we will send a renewal pack to your preferred method of contact three months before your licence expires. However, if you do not receive this pack, you still need to take steps to renew your licence. 

Please note, if you provided an email address as your preferred method of contact, you should regularly check your spam/junk folders.

It is up to you, the licence holder, to be aware of the expiry date of your licence and lodge your renewal application at least one day before your licence expires.

You will be unable to lodge a renewal application on the day your licence expires either online or at a police station. You will be required to apply for a new licence. 

More about managing your licence

When will my renewal application be processed?

QPS processes weapons licence renewal applications based on the expiry date, so the most urgent applications are processed first.

Will my licence remain valid while the renewal is being processed?

As long as your licence renewal application is lodged the day before the licence expires, your licence remains in force for up to 42 days after the expiry date, or until an authorised officer renews the licence or rejects the application (whichever occurs first). This allows you to keep any weapons in your possession during this period. If you want to attend shooting clubs and ranges in this time to shoot, you can produce your licence card and a copy of the lodgement receipt from your renewal. The range operator will decide whether to allow you to shoot based on their policies and procedures.

Some tips to ensure your licence renewal is processed efficiently

Keep us up to date

All weapons licence holders should let Weapons Licensing know of any change of name, address or contact details. This will avoid your renewal pack being returned undelivered. You can either update us online or print and complete the form to post back to us.

• Online change of circumstance form
• Printable change of circumstances form

Your genuine reason

You are required to maintain a genuine reason to hold a licence. If your genuine reason has changed over time, you will be required to provide information supporting your new genuine reason.

Concealable firearms licence renewals

If you are a pistol club member, you must provide a completed QP518A (approved club declaration) and details of your participation shoots, if you have firearms registered to your licence, with your renewal application.

Check and update your weapons list

You will find a weapons list in your renewal package. Please check the details and make any corrections if necessary. Make sure you sign the declaration at the bottom of each page and return it with your renewal application.

If you possess weapons not included on this list, please provide full details of each weapon as well as details of the person you acquired the weapon from (date, name, address and licence number).

If you no longer possess any of the weapons listed please provide the date, name, address and licence number of the person who now possesses the weapon(s).

When you receive your new licence card, your first eight weapons will be listed. Please check all the details and let Weapons Licensing know of any required changes. If you told us during the renewal process, you don't need to tell us again.  

If you would like a copy of the full list held by Weapons Licensing showing all the firearms in your possession, please contact us. If you request changes to your weapons list, we may request that you attend a dealer/armourer or police station to the present the weapons and have their details verified.