License FAQs

Questions

  1. How do I get help with my license purchase?
  2. How do I purchase a license online?
  3. How do I get the free 65+ resident senior license?
  4. Who qualifies as a resident?
  5. I can’t log into my DNR account using my lifetime license number. Why?
  6. What licenses do I need?
  7. How do I get a Waterfowl and Migratory Bird Stamp, Deer or Turkey Harvest Record or SIP permit?
  8. How do I reprint my hunter education card/sign up for a class?
  9. What is the "new" license and boat registration system?
  10. Can a Georgia license agent charge more than a $3.00 transaction fee?
  11. My name changed. How do I update my current license?
  12. How do I reprint (replace) a lost/ruined license?
  13. How do I update my mailing address or email?
  14. I’m not a U.S. resident. How do I purchase a Georgia hunting or fishing license?
  15. I’m just going along on the hunting or fishing trip. Do I need a license?
  16. Why does DNR require your Social Security Number for licenses?
  • Online recreational license transaction fee - $3.00, online boat registration transaction fee - $10.00, optional hard card price - $6.00, and state transactional discount for renewing certain licenses before expiration - $3.00.

How do I get help with my license purchase?

The Call Center can be reached at 1-800-366-2661. The Call Center is open Monday–Friday from 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., and Saturday–Sunday from 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. The Service Desk is closed Christmas Day, and may operate under reduced hours on major holidays. 

How do I purchase a license online?

To purchase your annual or short-term hunting and/or fishing license, follow the instructions below:

Step One

Visit our website at https://www.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com/.

Step Two

Select, “Licenses & Permits”, and login or create an account.

  • You will be asked to provide information to locate, update, or create your customer account.

Step Three

Select the license you want to buy, add it to your shopping cart, and checkout.

  • You may use Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card to pay for your license. A transaction fee will be added to your total.

Step Four

You can print your license or download and use the “Go Outdoors Georgia” app (available from your device’s app store) to display your license by syncing your purchased license to the app.

  • To print a physical copy of your license, you must have a printer attached to your computer that is capable of printing graphics (either black and white or in color). You will be instructed to print your license document, and you must carry it with you while participating in that activity. The license you print is the only physical license you will receive; however, you may purchase a durable license card at https://www.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com/.
  • Be sure that any pop-up blockers or similar settings are turned off in your web browser. The license will appear as a pop-up screen when you try to print a physical copy.

How do I get the free 65+ resident senior license?

Georgia residents 65 and older born before July 1, 1952 can obtain a free Senior Lifetime Sportsman’s hunting and fishing license. There are no transaction fees for this free license. This license does not have to be renewed, and is valid for your lifetime. Persons 65 and older born on July 1, 1952 or after may purchase low cost lifetime or annual licenses. There are three ways to obtain the free resident Senior Lifetime Sportsman’s License.

An optional durable plastic lifetime license card is available for $10, and can be obtained using any of the three methods above when obtaining the free license, or by using the Lifetime License Application. If you use the Lifetime License Application, select the “(S) Senior Lifetime Commemorative Card (65+ Senior Lifetime Holders) ------- $10.00” and return it to the address on the form.

Detailed procedures for logging into your online account for obtaining or replacing any license. 

Who qualifies as a resident?

For all recreational hunting and fishing licenses except lifetime licenses, resident means any person who has been domiciled within the State of Georgia for a period of at least three months.

Full-time military personnel on active duty, and the dependents of such military personnel and out-of-state college students living in Georgia may purchase resident annual or short term licenses. Students may use a current Georgia student ID as documentation.

Domiciled means a person's fixed, permanent, and principal home for legal purposes. A person may own land or dwellings and may stay for a time in several states, but may only have one domicile, and therefore may not be a resident of two states at the same time.

For purposes of purchasing a lifetime license, "Resident" is defined as any person with a continuous domicile within Georgia for a minimum of 3 consecutive months immediately prior to procuring the license. Proof of such residency is a valid Georgia driver’s license or Georgia ID card dated three months previous.

Nonresident landowners owning land in Georgia must obtain a nonresident license to hunt or fish. Nonresident family members of a resident landowner must obtain a nonresident license to hunt or fish, except that nonresidents under age 16 may fish or hunt small game without a Georgia license. When hunting big game, nonresidents less than 16 must possess a valid nonresident hunting license, but are exempt from the big game license requirement.

Any person who is a resident of Georgia for 30 days must obtain a Georgia driver's license before operating a motor vehicle in Georgia. Except for certain noncitizens with foreign licenses, residents must surrender all valid licenses from other states—no person can have more than one valid driver's license at any time. (O.C.G.A. §40-5-20)

I can’t log into my DNR account. Why?

If you get any error message when logging into your customer account, even if the error message appears unrelated to the criteria used, try using one of the other log in choices (driver’s license number, last four of SSN number, or DNR customer number). If you continue to have problems logging in, contact the Call Center at 1-800-366-2661 during the Call Center business hours listed at the top of this page.

What licenses do I need?

A full description of hunting and fishing licenses and requirements appears in the hunting regulations guide and the fishing regulations guide, available online and in booklet form at most license agents and at WRD offices.

When purchasing licenses online, a description of each license appears when the mouse pointer hovers over the ”i” symbol.

How do I get a Waterfowl and Migratory Bird Stamp, Deer or Turkey Harvest Record or SIP permit?

Adults can obtain the Resident or Nonresident Deer or Turkey Harvest Record, Waterfowl and Migratory Bird Permit online or SIP permit for free.

  1. Choose the link license link "Online."
  2. You will use your driver's license number or DNR customer number or last four of SSN, your last name,  and your date of birth to access your DNR license account.
  3. You may update any personal information in your account on the appropriate screen, including current address, etc. Be sure to add your email address to your account so that you will receive email notification before your license expires.
  4. Select Purchase A License. Select Harvest Record (Deer & Turkey), Waterfowl and Migratory Bird Stamp, or SIP Permit to add them to your cart, if you require them.
  5. Once you've added the necessary items, click to complete the transaction and/or continue to checkout. From there just follow the prompts to complete the entire transaction. At the end of the transaction, you'll be able to click the button to "Print License". That will generate a pdf image of your license which can be printed. There will be no transaction fee or other charge for these free permits.

The Harvest Record (Deer & Turkey), Waterfowl and Migratory Bird Stamp, or SIP Permit (fishing) are a requirement for residents or non-residents hunting deer, turkey, migratory birds or fishing.

If you don't see the free Harvest Record (Deer & Turkey), Waterfowl and Migratory Bird Stamp, or SIP Permit available in the list of licenses, you may already have obtained the privileges and these privileges are already on your account. In that case print a free copy of your license following the instructions. The free Harvest Record (Deer & Turkey), Waterfowl and Migratory Bird Stamp, or SIP Permit should appear on your license.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is necessary to view and print your license. The newest versions of Reader for all platforms can be downloaded for free at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

Also, be sure that pop-up blocker or similar settings are turned off in your web browser. The license/receipt will appear as a pop up screen. If you’ve given us your email address, you will also receive your license/receipt by email.

Alternatively, you may obtain a license at any Georgia license agent location. You can ask the agent to update any personal information in your account.

What is the "new" license and boat registration system?

In December 2007, DNR first entered into a contract with an outside vendor to design and manage an automated hunting and fishing license and boat registration system. This system was required to replace a failing automated licensing system that was not going to be licensed and available to DNR after December 2008. Absent a significant funding source to develop and manage a new system “in-house”, DNR explored contractual options for obtaining a “no cost to state” contract like those adopted in many other states. Funding for this type of system would be recovered by the addition of a service charge paid by the buyer at the time of the purchase. The hunting and fishing license and boat registration system was put out for competitive bid, and a bid was awarded that lasted from 2009 until 2014.

A new contract award effective July 1, 2014 to another outside vendor brings builds on previous improvements and adds additional customer service options. A Service Desk located in Georgia brought new jobs to our state, and new license purchase and vessel registration options were added.

The system provides online, mobile and telephone sales, as well as walk-in license sales at approximately 800 Georgia retail license agents. Boat registration is available online, by telephone and by mail. Service fees apply to all hunting and fishing license transactions, boat registrations and boat registration renewals.

Customers providing their email address receive reminders about their hunting and fishing license expiration, and at purchase receive an immediate email copy of their license/receipt. Licenses renewed early "stack" at the end of the expiring license so the renewed license is good for the full 365 day period, and sportsman can build multiple year licenses of any duration by combining annual licenses.

Boaters receive a renewal notification by mail about 60 days before their registration expires. Mailing of registration decals and boat registration cards occurs quickly for boat owners that have completed the registration process.

The Georgia Service Desk operated by the vendor will field about 200,000 calls per year to answer questions about Georgia boat registration and recreational hunting and fishing licenses at no charge to the caller, and to process license sales and boat registrations.

Can a Georgia license agent charge more than a $3.00 transaction fee?

Georgia Hunting and Fishing License Retail Agents (Sub-Agents) may not charge more than the state cost of each individual license plus a $3.00 Sub-Agent issuance fee. For example, a Georgia resident fishing license will cost a customer a total of $12.00 ($9.00 for the state cost of the license and a $3.00 Sub-Agent issuance fee). The $3.00 fee is charged one time for each license transaction, and a customer may purchase multiple licenses in a single transaction.

Extra fees are not allowed under the Georgia License Sub-Agent Agreement. Sub-Agents will only issue licenses over the counter, and only by using the secure, authorized Sub-Agent site provided by our outside contractor. Sub-Agents may charge fees for additional services such as license lamination, but these extra services must be optional.

Some locations sell hunting and fishing licenses using the same generally available online connection to the DNR license sales system that a customer would use from their own home computer. These locations are not Georgia Hunting and Fishing License Dealers (Sub-Agents), and can charge any transaction fee they choose. These locations have no agreement with DNR, have not received training on the license system, do not have Agent phone support, and cannot reverse customer payment transactions if the wrong license is issued.

Does Georgia have a disability hunting and fishing license?

Georgia offers discounted Disability Hunting and Fishing Licenses for permanently and totally disabled Georgia residents. There are full privilege Sportsman’s licenses and hunting or fishing only options, and there are 3-year and annual options. The 3-year option saves persons $6 over the life of the license compared to annual licenses, and does not require recertification of disability status each year.

The Disability Hunting and Fishing License cannot be obtained or renewed online - you will need to complete the Disability License Application form and mail it and supporting documents to the address on the form. Additional information and instruction for completing the form are on the back of the application. Strict document requirements document requirements are on the back of the form, and should be carefully reviewed and followed. Disability Hunting and Fishing License Application.

You will need to send the following with your completed application:

1. Either:

  • If veteran's affairs certified your disability—a copy of the Veterans Affair’s letter stating that you are 100% disabled, or one of the other documents listed in the application. The letter or document needs to be dated within the last year, and rather than being date stamped have a date included in the letter. If you are using the Veterans Affairs letter, the application describes a procedure near the bottom of the front page after “Veterans Office:” that we have worked out with the Veterans Office to request an acceptable Hunting and Fishing License Authorization Letter with an included date—please show them this section of the application if they are unfamiliar with the procedure.

OR

  • If the Social Security Administration certified your disability, you may send us a copy of the BPQY form (SSA-2459) AND the BPQY cover letter (SSAL634) dated within the past year. You may obtain these from the Social Security Office by calling 1-800-772-1213, and ask for a BPQY (SSA-2459) form and cover letter (SSA-L634).

2. AND

  • Proof of Georgia residency which may be a copy of a state issued identification card or driver’s license.

More information about document requirements is available on the Disability Hunting and Fishing License Application.

My name changed. How do I update my current license?

Regular Paper License and Updating Your Customer Account

It is important that the name on your license match photo identification (such as a driver's license). First, change your driver’s license to your new name. The,n coordinate the name change through our Service Desk at 1-800-366-2661. They will ask that you mail, fax or email a copy of your new driver's license or other legal documentation of name change. Or you may mail three pieces of information (1. old and new name plus birth date, 2. driver’s license, and 3. legal document) to the address below with a request to change your name. There is no charge for this service.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 934943
Atlanta, GA 31193-4943

Once your customer account is updated, you can replace (reprint) your current Georgia hunting and fishing license with your new name online for free through the online web site, by telephone or at a Georgia license agent.

How do I reprint (replace) a lost/ruined license?

Regular paper licenses can be replaced using the procedures below.

You can only replace your hunting or fishing license if it has not expired.

  1. You can replace (reprint) all current Georgia hunting and fishing licenses online for FREE at www.GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com.
  2. You will use your driver's license number or DNR customer number or SSN and your date of birth to access your DNR license account.
  3. You will update personal information, address, and residency if changes are needed, and confirm by checking the appropriate box. Be sure to add your email address to your account so that you will receive email notification before your license expires.
  4. After you confirm your information is correct. Select the “Replace all Current Licenses” button.
  5. You may then print your license at no charge.

Be sure that pop-up blocker or similar settings are turned off in your web browser. The license will appear as a pop-up screen.

Alternatively, any Georgia license agent can print a free replacement. You can ask the dealer to update any personal information in your account.

How do I replace a durable plastic lifetime license card?

A replacement durable plastic lifetime license card can be ordered online, ordered at retail license agents, ordered using the Lifetime Sportsman's License application form by mailing it to the address on the form, or by calling 1-800-366-2661. Customers may hand-deliver the completed application to selected Wildlife Resources Division office. Credit card transactions may not be available at every WRD office if hand delivered—please call the local office to verify. Replacement cards cost $10 plus the appropriate transaction fee ($3.00 online, $3.00 at WRD offices and retail agents, and $5.00 by telephone).

Resident Senior Lifetime License holders with this free license that have never obtained an optional plastic lifetime license card can order the card Online for a fee of $10 plus a $3.00 service fee, or they may use the options above to order a card.

Online Procedures:

  1. Choose the link to "Purchase/Reprint Hunting & Fishing Licenses and Recreational Passes."
  2. You will use your driver's license number or DNR customer number or SSN and date of birth to access your DNR license account.
  3. You will update personal information, address, and residency, and confirm by checking the appropriate box, After you confirm your information is correct, select the “Purchase Licenses” button. Choose Lifetime Replacement to replace your lifetime license card. The cost for a replacement plastic card is $10 plus a $3.00 service fee if done online.

You may use your receipt as a temporary hunting and fishing license until your new plastic card arrives. It will take approximately 14 days to receive the replacement card.

Alternatively, you may order a replacement card at any Georgia license agent location. You can ask the agent to update any personal information in your account.

How do I update my mailing address or email?

Information in your WRD hunting/fishing/ boating customer online account such as mailing address or email can be edited by logging into your account. Use your driver's license number or DNR customer number or last four of SSN, last name, and date of birth to log into your account. Your customer information comes up and is editable.

If you wish to print a copy of your license with the new information, log into your account, check and certify your information is correct, and select "Reprint All Current Licenses." Your license document will appear as a popup that can be saved or printed.

Alternatively, you can call 1-800-366-2661 and request that your information be changed. You will need your driver's license number or DNR customer number and date of birth to verify your identity.

Also, you can stop in at any Georgia license dealer and they will go online, edit your information, and print a free replacement. List of agents by county.

I’m not a U.S. resident. How do I purchase a Georgia hunting or fishing license?

Non-residents may purchase a Georgia hunting and/or fishing license or GORP through any of the three available outlets. If you choose to purchase a license online, once you are on the purchase site, choose "Non-Resident", and check that are not a U.S. citizen. You will be able to identify a wide variety of documents to use for identification, and be able to enter the identification number on the document you decide to use. You'll need to carry this identification document with you in addition to your printed license while engaging in the activity requiring the license. Non-residents including non-resident children are covered under the same rules basic for residents. For example, non-resident children under 16 are not required to have a fishing license. 

I am just going along on the hunting or fishing trip. Do I need a license?

Any person who is hunting or fishing, or providing any type of assistance to a hunter or angler must be licensed. Spotting game, carrying hunting gear, dragging out the deer, assisting in field dressing the deer, bringing over the ATV, handing up the gun to a person on a stand, netting a fish, baiting a hook, and similar activities would be a few examples of providing assistance to a hunter or angler. There are many other examples. You do not need a license if you provide no assistance to the hunter or angler. Simply taking pictures of the activity or taking pictures of the harvest would not require a license.

Why does DNR require your Social Security Number for licenses?

The 2002 session of the Georgia General Assembly amended Title 19, which deals with domestic relations and child support, to require that all persons buying any license or permit under Title 27 (Game and Fish Code) must furnish their Social Security number prior to the purchase of any such license or permit. This was done so as to bring Georgia into compliance with federal law (Title 42), which compels all states to adopt procedures for collecting Social Security numbers from persons procuring commercial, professional or recreational licenses and permits. The purpose of both laws is to enhance and improve the enforcement of child support laws. No dissemination of the Social Security number to any entity other than the Department of Human Resources is permitted, unless by court order.