Lifetime permits and stamps
Nebraska Lifetime Permits and Stamps are the bargain of a lifetime for the outdoor enthusiast and a boon for Nebraska’s wildlife and fisheries resources.
For the dedicated hunter or angler, the permits and stamps offer virtually unlimited recreational opportunities. Depending on the lifetime permit purchased, they eliminate the need for the annual small game hunt, resident fur harvest, fishing or combination hunt/fish permit. At the same time, money from their sale goes into a special escrow account, and only the interest can be used each year. Lifetime permits help fund fish and wildlife conservation efforts for years to come.
Lifetime Permits and Stamps are available to residents and, except for fur harvest permits, nonresidents, as well. Once these permits are issued, they are valid for the holder’s lifetime, regardless of his or her place of residence at a later date. There is no age limit for Lifetime Permits, meaning parents, grandparents or others can purchase permits for children of any age provided they have a Social Security Number for the child.
What do I get?
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission believes a Lifetime Permit should live up to its name and last a lifetime. Therefore, in addition to the regular paper license, each permit or stamp comes with an enameled brass plate, with the person’s name, permit number and date of birth, and a carrying case.
Since either the paper license or brass plate are accepted when afield, some people have chosen to have the brass plate mounted for display in their dens or offices. As an added convenience, the annual stamps can be purchased online and can be printed on the paper copy of your lifetime permit.
How can I obtain Lifetime Permits and Stamps?
Lifetime Permits and Stamps are available on our website, by mailing in an application to the Lincoln office or by purchasing them at Game and Parks offices that sell electronic permits.
Paper applications are available from permit agents and Game and Parks offices across the state. Permits and stamps are processed as quickly as possible upon receipt, usually the same day. However, processing can take up to three weeks. Ordinarily, permits are mailed within a week via First Class U.S. Mail.
Please allow extra time during the holiday season, since processing and mail delivery all take more time during this period.
Pricing
Resident Lifetime Permits:
Lifetime Fish* (0-15 years old): $616
Lifetime Fish* (16-45 years old): $710
Lifetime Fish* (46+ years old): $616
Lifetime Hunt (0-15 years old): $260
Lifetime Hunt (16-45 years old): $355
Lifetime Hunt (46+ years old): $260
Lifetime Hunt/Fish* (0-15 years old): $859
Lifetime Hunt/Fish* (16-45 years old): $1,008
Lifetime Hunt/Fish* (46+ years old): $859
Lifetime Fur Harvest (0-15 years old): $221
Lifetime Fur Harvest (16-45 years old): $302
Lifetime Fur Harvest (46+ years old): $221
Resident Lifetime Stamps:
Lifetime Habitat Stamp: $500
Lifetime Migratory Waterfowl Stamp: $200
*A $300 fee for the Lifetime Aquatic Habitat Stamp is included in the price of all Fish and Hunt/Fish Lifetime Permits
A $3 agent issuing fee is included in the price of all permits, except the Lifetime Habitat and Migratory Waterfowl Stamps.
Nonresident Lifetime Permits:
Lifetime Fish* (0-16 years old): $929
Lifetime Fish* (17+ years old): $1,306
Lifetime Hunt (0-16 years old): $873
Lifetime Hunt (17+ years old): $1,395
Lifetime Hunt/Fish* (0-16 years old): $1,660
Lifetime Hunt/Fish* (17+ years old): $2,391
Nonresident Lifetime Stamps:
Lifetime Habitat Stamp: $500
Lifetime Migratory Waterfowl Stamp: $200
*A $300 fee for the Lifetime Aquatic Habitat Stamp is included in the price of all Fish and Hunt/Fish Lifetime Permits
A $3 agent issuing fee is included in the price of all permits, except the Lifetime Habitat and Migratory Waterfowl Stamps.
What about gifts?
Anyone may purchase a Lifetime Permit as a gift for another person. However, they must provide all the vital statistics requested on the application form, including the last four digits of the Social Security Number. It is not necessary, though, to obtain the applicant’s signature. In this case, the donor may sign instead.
Please indicate on the application if the permit is for a gift and where it is to be mailed if not to the person issued. Also, gift cards and envelopes are provided with permits/stamps purchased as gifts.
What if a permit is lost?
A lost Lifetime Permit or Stamp can be replaced by contacting the Permits Section, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, PO Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370 or by phone at 402-471-0641.
Permits may be reprinted from the customer profile for no charge. Replacement cost for the plate is $15 plus sales tax to cover replacing the plate and case, processing and mailing. Replacement plates cannot be ordered online.
Why is an aquatic habitat stamp required?
A $300 fee for a Lifetime Aquatic Habitat Stamp is included in the cost of Lifetime Fish and Lifetime Hunt/Fish Permits. The money raised by the sale of Aquatic Habitat Stamps is leveraged with grants and federal funding to create and rehabilitate habitats for sport fish. An average of $2.9 million per year is spent in renovating lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams throughout the state to improve recreational fishing.
Big game not included
Lifetime permits do not authorize:
- The hunting of big game (deer, antelope, elk, bighorn sheep or wild turkey)
- Commercial fishing
- The taking of any species of fish or game for which the open season is limited to a restricted number of permits.
- The taking of any species of fish or game for which the open season is limited to special permits for a restricted area or management unit.
Youth Lifetime Half-Price Permit Program
In an effort to reverse the declining sales of hunting and fishing permits, the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation established its Youth Lifetime Half Price Permit Program. This program allows youth age 15 or under to be entered to win a half-price lifetime hunting or fishing permit. The Foundation, with support from Cabela’s the Dorothy B. Davis Foundation and the Hawkins Family, pays the other half of the permit costs.
Hard card permits
Don’t want to carry your brass plate in the field? Lifetime permits can be displayed on our “hard cards,” a wallet-sized card that displays your current permits and hunter ID. This card can stand up to water and repeated trips in and out of pockets and tackle boxes. Add a “Hard Card” to your cart for $6 at GoOutdoorsNE.com.
