If you’re applying for or reapplying for a firearms licence endorsement from 24 June 2023, you must register all items in your possession within 30 days of submission, including those you have a permit for.
This does not apply if you submitted your application before 24 June 2023.
You must apply for an endorsement if you want to add any of the following items to your collection:
For definitions of these items, visit:
If you want to collect prohibited ammunition, visit possessing prohibited ammunition
A bona fide collector has a genuine interest in a particular field, for example World War II.
Their collection could include items that are not firearms or arms items, such as uniforms, books or other related items. They are likely to have collections that are not firearms-related at all.
A bona fide collector will usually belong to a club or society that relates to their area of interest.
They will usually be able to demonstrate their genuine interest by describing their collection focus and area of interest, which may include:
Additions to the collection must develop and enhance the collection’s themes and be consistent with the direction described in the endorsement application.
Having many guns or an interest in guns does not make someone a collector.
A group of unrelated firearms is not a collection.
If the endorsement is for prohibited firearms or prohibited magazines, you must:
If the endorsement is for pistols or restricted weapons, you must:
An endorsement lasts until:
When you apply for an endorsement, you need to provide the following information.
You need to say which of the item-type you wish to include in your collection – pistols, restricted weapons, prohibited firearms or prohibited magazines.
If you are granted the endorsement, it will specify which types you can collect.
Collecting activities may include:
Before you change or expand your collecting activities or collection theme, you must have written authorisation from Te Tari Pūreke.
You need to describe:
For information about your obligations, visit Bona fide collector endorsement: Conditions
You must:
Your security arrangements will be inspected.
If you do not have secure storage yet, you must arrange for it to be installed. Your application will not be approved until Te Tari Pūreke are satisfied with your secure storage arrangements.
Relevant legislation:
Your endorsement referee must:
Your referee does not have to have a firearms licence.
Your endorsement referee must not be:
You may be asked to provide another referee as well.
If you are in a collecting club, use a club member as a referee – as long as they know you well.
If you use someone who is not a club member, your club committee must provide:
If you are only applying for an endorsement, and not a licence, you must provide a photo.
You must supply a recent, good quality digital photograph that is a good likeness of yourself. A scanned copy of a photograph will not be accepted.
The photograph must meet the minimum requirements as set out in Regulation 30 of the Arms Regulations 1992. Passport photos from commercial outlets will typically meet these requirements.
This means the photograph must:
We will not accept photographs that do not meet these standards.
You may have to answer the same questions in your firearms licence application and your endorsement application – even if you are applying for them at the same time.
When you reapply for your firearms licence, you must also reapply for your endorsement.
It costs $204 to apply for an endorsement.
If you apply for other endorsements at the same time, you only pay $204 in total.
This endorsement fee is in addition to a licence application fee.
Fees include GST.
The easiest way to apply and pay is online through MyFirearms (there is a 1.9% card payment fee).
Fees cover the cost of processing your application and are not refundable regardless of the outcome of your application.
Once you have the required endorsement, you are eligible to apply for a permit to possess or import pistols, pistol carbine conversion kits (PCCKs), restricted weapons or prohibited arms items or their parts.
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