Thread: Firearms licence times and card waits

Hi guys. Hunted with a bow for years. Thought I would make the jump and get a FAL. Thought some people may find current wait times useful.Applied end of April and sat safety course mid May. Interviews took place start of July and letter confirming licence received about a week later 2 for a total of 79 days from application.
Does anyone have any idea the average time from letter to receiving card?

Mine took about 2 weeks after receiving the letter.
It's interesting seeing the different wait times between safety course and interviews in different areas.
My interview was only about a week after the safety course.

Unreal. How long was your wait all up from start to getting card?

Originally Posted by Braeden2491

Hi guys. Hunted with a bow for years. Thought I would make the jump and get a FAL. Thought some people may find current wait times useful.Applied end of April and sat safety course mid May. Interviews took place start of July and letter confirming licence received about a week later 2 for a total of 79 days from application.
Does anyone have any idea the average time from letter to receiving card?

Hey mate, I recently got my licence about 8 months ago. Took about 3 weeks from approval to receiving it in the mail - Very similar to what TararuaWest has indicated above.

From application to licence in the mail was 4-5 months, quite impressed to be fair.

Originally Posted by Braeden2491

Unreal. How long was your wait all up from start to getting card?

About 6 weeks. I was lucky there was a safety course a couple of days after I got the invitation to enrol in one.

Started the process for mine mid April, took 3 1/2 months all up, 28 days from approval to receiving card. I did the safety course 4 days after getting the booking code, but had delays with my unrelated referee as she was sick then on holiday so could have been quicker.

Originally Posted by Jaro

Started the process for mine mid April, took 3 1/2 months all up, 28 days from approval to receiving card. I did the safety course 4 days after getting the booking code, but had delays with my unrelated referee as she was sick then on holiday so could have been quicker.

Was that this year or last year?

Originally Posted by Braeden2491

Was that this year or last year?

This year, got the card 1st of this month

Glad they worked on it and got the back log sorted, I applied for mine in early 2021, took 18 months just to get to the safety course, then another year for the interview...FAL arrived 4 months later. More fool me for letting my licence lapse in 2003. Will never let that happen again.

just applied/paid for mine 23/7/24. any ideas how long it takes for the unique id to come through so i can sit the course? northland base if that helps.

Originally Posted by steeve

just applied/paid for mine 23/7/24. any ideas how long it takes for the unique id to come through so i can sit the course? northland base if that helps.

Mine took 8 days to get the number.

Got mine in March and also only took 2 weeks to get photo card

Thought I would update. Been waiting over 4 weeks now for card. Followed up and have been told to allow another 4 weeks. Card has been printed but apparently a large back log. Unsure why the long wait to get it in the mail but definitely looking like the card wait is going to be the longest part of the process

This year I have been referee for three people getting their firearms licence for the first time. Two were about three months from application to receiving the piece of plastic, the other just over 2 months. All central-ish Auckland based, one in the Waitemata district, the others in Auckland central. The only potential delay was availability of the firearms safety course - it involved one of them having to book in Karaka and another in Pukekohe to avoid a 2 month wait.

Mine just arrived in the post. Exactly five weeks from receiving confirmation email. This seems to be the longest part of the process. All up 3 1/2 months from lodging application to getting the card.