Brand and identify livestock

Discuss your branding needs with the livestock biosecurity officer in your region before you apply for a brand.

Get the list of available three-letter brands PDF (905.9 KB).

You will need to choose three alternatives when you make your application.

Before you apply to register a brand, check to make sure you meet all of the following conditions:

• you're at least 18 years old
• you have the legal description details for the property the brand will be used on
• you're the registered owner of the property or have the property owner's permission.

If you're not the registered owner of the land, you must fill in the owner's permission to use run form PDF (181.4 KB).

All registered owners of the land must sign the form.

Submit the form to the livestock identification systems administrator at Livestock Biosecurity.

You will need further documentation if you're applying to use a brand on land owned by an Aboriginal Land Trust. Find out what you need to do to register a brand for use on Aboriginal land.

To apply, follow these steps:

Step 1. Fill in the application for a three-letter brand for horses, cattle and buffalo.

Application for a three-letter brand for horses, cattle and buffalo PDF (156.0 KB)
Application for a three-letter brand for horses, cattle and buffalo DOCX (84.1 KB)

Step 2. Include the 3 choices for your brand in order of preference.

Step 3. Specify what type of animals will be branded and where on the animal the brand will be applied.

Step 4. Pay the fee - attach a cheque made out to the Receiver of Territory Monies or fill in the credit card charge details in the application.

Step 5. Submit the application by post or email:

Brands Registrar
Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade
GPO Box 3000
Darwin NT 0801 
ntpic.brands@nt.gov.au

The branding iron must meet all the following specifications:

• all 3 letters must be constructed as a single unit on one handle
• each letter must be 4cm to 8cm high and 4cm to 8cm wide
• the imprint/contact surface of the iron is to be between 3mm and 4mm wide
• the letters must be a clean-joined typeface and not a fancy or broken typeface.

To make sure the brand is clear, keep any adjacent lines at least 20mm apart to avoid blotching.

For more information, get the branding iron requirement fact sheet.

Branding iron requirement fact sheet PDF (750.2 KB)
Branding iron requirement fact sheet DOCX (50.8 KB)