Hunting licences
Exemptions
You are not required to hold a NSW game hunting licence if you are:
- hunting rabbits, foxes, feral deer, feral goats, feral pigs, hares, feral cats or wild dogs (other than dingo) on private land.
- hunting on any land you own or occupy. This exemption also applies to members of your household and your employees (this exemption does not apply if you are hunting native game birds).
- hunting on any land that is owned or occupied by your employer or by a corporation that you are an officer with (this exemption does not apply if you are hunting native game birds).
- hunting in accordance with a requirement or functions imposed or conferred on you by an emergency order, control order or biosecurity zone regulation under the Biosecurity Act 2015.
- employed by any public or local authority (including an employee of Local Land Services) and are acting in the execution of your duties as such an employee.
- hunting in accordance with a licence to harm under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
- a veterinary surgeon or other person who is acting for the purposes of killing or treating an animal in distress due to injury or illness.
- hunting that is of an animal pursuant to an obligation imposed under an Act to manage, control or eradicate the animal, but only on land and for the period of the obligation, and on public land or national park estate that is occupied under a lease or other arrangement for private purposes that confers a right to exclusive possession of the land, and carried out by a person who holds a Firearms Licence under the Firearms Act 1996 (section 12) for the purposes of genuine reason vertebrate pest animal control.
Hunting licences
The type of licence you need to legally hunt in NSW depends on:
- the type of animal to be hunted
- the land to be hunted on – public or private
- the reason for hunting the animal.
| Licence type | Non- indigenous game animals - Part 1 | Other non- indigenous animals - Part 2 | Guide others | Sell harvested animal | Insurance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public land | Private land | Public land | Private land | Public land | Private land | Public land | Private land | ||
| Restricted (standard) | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | No | No | No | No | $25 million |
| General (standard) | No | Yes | No | N/A | No | No | No | No | $25 million |
| Restricted Guide | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | Nil |
| General Guide | No | Yes | No | N/A | No | Yes | No | No | Nil |
| Restricted Visitor's | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | No | No | No | No | $25 million |
| General Visitor's | No | Yes | No | N/A | No | No | No | No | $25 million |
Please note: General Commercial and General Professional Game Hunting Licences are no longer required for feral deer on private land.
If you would like to:
- harvest non-indigenous game birds commercially (not native game birds) on private land, or
- harvest commercially on public land,
please contact us to discuss your circumstances.
Which NSW game hunting licence is right for you?
To determine which NSW game hunting licence is right for you, we usually ask you a few questions. Expand each topic by clicking on a question.
If you want to hunt game and feral animals on public land in NSW, you need to apply for a Restricted licence. Restricted licence holders must:
- be over 12 years of age
- pass R-licence accreditation
- be a member of an Approved Hunting organisation.
If you want to hunt game birds on private land, you need to apply for a game hunting licence. This can be either the Restricted licence, which also gives you public land access, or a General licence for private land only. General licence holders must also be over 12 years of age.
You don't need a licence if you are only hunting rabbits, foxes, pigs, goats, deer, hares, feral cats or wild dogs (not dingoes) on private land (listed in Part 2 of Schedule 3 of the Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002) .
If you want to guide other hunters in their pursuit of game and feral animals on public land in NSW, you need to apply for a Restricted Guide licence. Restricted Guide licence holders must:
- be over 18 years of age
- pass R-licence accreditation
- be a member of an Approved Hunting Organisation.
If you want to guide other hunters in their pursuit of game birds on private land in NSW, you need to apply for a General Guide licence. General Guide licence holders must also be over 18 years of age and a member of an Approved Hunting Organisation. To guide others as they hunt native game birds, both the hunter and the guide must meet the requirements of the Native Game Bird Management Program.
If you live outside of Australia and want to hunt in NSW, you need to apply for either a Restricted Visitor's licence (required for public land) or General Visitor's licence (for hunting of game birds on private land). Holders of both types must be over 12 years of age and accompanied by a licensed individual or guide.
Please note, information about importing firearms into NSW is available from the NSW Police Force Firearms Registry.
Granting a licence
Read more about the process of applying or renewing a licence and the supporting information that is required.
Concession rates are available for minors, veterans and pensioners.
Read more about the processing of NSW hunting licences, which are generally processed within 20 working days.
There are restrictions on who can hold a NSW Game Hunting Licence.
Information for Aboriginal people
If you are an Aboriginal person, you are exempt from the NSW game hunting licensing provisions, provided that:
- you are hunting a game animal that is pursuant to a native title right or interest, and that is the subject of an approved determination of native title or of a registered native title claim, and/or
- you are a member, or in the company of a member, of a Local Aboriginal Land Council, and you are undertaking traditional cultural hunting in the Council area.
The Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002 does not affect the operation of the Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993, or of the Native Title (New South Wales) Act 1994, in relation to the recognition of native title rights and interests within the meanings of those Acts, or in any other respect.
Public liability insurance
Every standard Restricted and General licence comes with $25 million public liability insurance.
The policy covers legal liability to third parties for bodily injury and/or property damage up to the value of $25 million.
Holders of standard Restricted and General licences are covered when hunting any species listed in the Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002 on private land Australia wide. Restricted licence holders are also covered when hunting under the terms of their licence on public land in NSW.
Commercial and hunting guide licence holders are only covered while they are hunting privately (recreationally). Hunters holding one of these licences should keep appropriate records to satisfy the insurer that they were hunting privately.
More information on licences
For more information on any of these licences, exemptions or restrictions, please contact us on 1800 748 848, or hunting@dpird.nsw.gov.au.
