Firearms Legislative Changes Commencing 1 July 2026
We would like to advise you of further legislative changes under the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (TOLA) (the Act).
The provisions under the Act are being implemented in stages. Some provisions commenced 24 December 2025, further provisions will be proclaimed commencing 1 July 2026, and additional reforms will be proclaimed at later dates.
Further information will continue to be released in line with the staged proclamation of these reforms.
This email provides an overview of key changes commencing 1 July 2026 relevant to firearm dealers.
Firearm Licence Terms
From 1 July 2026, firearm licences, including firearm dealer licences, can only be issued for a maximum period of 2 years.
Importantly:
- Any firearm dealer licence applications, including renewals, that are not finalised before 1 July 2026 will be issued with a 2-year licence term
- Existing firearm dealer licences that have already been issued remain valid for their current approved term and the change will apply at the point of renewal
- There is no change to the firearm dealer licence application fee
Permit to Acquire (PTA)
Safe storage requirements
From 1 July 2026, a PTA must not be issued unless the Commissioner is satisfied that the applicant will meet the applicable safe storage requirements.
To meet this requirement:
- The Gun Safe PTA application will provide you with instructions if a safe storage inspection is required by police.
- The inspection must relate to the applicant’s nominated storage address
- The inspection must have a satisfactory (passed) outcome
- The inspection must meet or exceed the safe storage level required for the firearm being acquired
The Gun Safe PTA application will systematically check for a valid safe storage inspection.
Where a valid inspection cannot be identified, applicants will be required to:
- provide a safe storage inspection event number; or
- arrange a safe storage inspection through their local police station
To request a safe storage inspection by police, you will need to contact your local Police Area Command or Police District by email.
Click here for a list of email addresses for all Police Area Commands and Police Districts.
If you are unsure of the Police Area Command or Police District relevant to your safe storage address, you can use the ‘Police Station Search’ function on the NSW Police Force website. Enter your suburb or postcode to identify the relevant Police Area Command or Police District.
If firearm dealers receive enquiries from customers in relation to these requirements, customers should be directed to the Firearms Registry TOLA webpage for further information.
Terrorism-related checks
Additional eligibility requirements will apply to PTA applications from 1 July 2026.
These checks are conducted internally by the NSW Police Force and do not require any additional information from applicants.
Other changes
Further amendments will also commence on 1 July 2026 as part of broader reforms under the Act, including changes relating to:
- identity verification requirements
- delegation of certain decision-making functions
Additional reforms will be introduced at later dates.
Gun Safe System Updates and Service Availability
To support the above changes, updates to the Gun Safe system are required. As a result, some online services will be temporarily unavailable during scheduled periods while these updates are implemented. Further information regarding outage periods is available on the Firearms Registry TOLA webpage.
Further information
Firearm dealers are encouraged to review the Firearms Registry TOLA webpage for detailed information on all the changes.
We appreciate your ongoing support as we prepare for these changes.
Should you have any questions, please contact the Firearms Registry via the Gun Safe Firearms Dealer Portal.
Kind regards,
NSW Police Force
Firearms Registry