NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
Every national park and reserve in New South Wales, including the beaches and headlands inside them.
Written permission is needed once you are being paid for the photos.
- Permit name
- Filming and photography application
- Cost
- Set by a published fee schedule rather than a flat rate. The application fee is non-refundable and payable before anyone reviews your application, except on small-scale projects, where no application fee applies at all.
- Lead time
- At least 7 business days for a low-impact shoot, at least 10 for medium and high impact.
- Public liability
- $10 million public liability
If it is just you Small-scale is a published project type and it carries no application fee. It means one camera operator and one assistant, no talent, at most one vehicle and no structures.
What to have ready
- A certificate of currency for your public liability cover
- Your project type worked out first: small-scale, low, medium or high impact, or travel media
- Written approval in hand before you shoot, not after
Also check
- The application fee is charged whether or not the application succeeds.
Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against
their website.
Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.
Botanic Gardens of Sydney
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and The Domain, the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan, and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mount Tomah.
A permit is needed for professional photography here, every time.
- Permit name
- Wedding and engagement photography permit
- Cost
- $380 for a two-hour permit at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and The Domain. $315 at Mount Annan and Mount Tomah. $320 rather than $380 if you are already hiring a venue, and included at no extra cost with several of them, including Harbour View Lawn, Tarpeian Lawn, The Calyx and Lion Gate Lodge.
- Lead time
- Not published on their page.
- Public liability
- Not stated on their page.
What to have ready
- A booked two-hour slot between 8am and 5pm
- The permit is non-exclusive. It covers any outdoor spot not already booked, and other people will be around
- At Mount Annan, a plan to keep moving: you can stay at most 30 minutes in any one spot
If you are shooting
- Commercial or advertising. Advertising and commercial shoots go through a separate commercial filming and photography permit, not this one.
- Portrait, family or newborn. Family and portrait sessions are commercial work here. Check with the Gardens which permit applies before you book a client in.
Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against
their website.
Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.
City of Sydney
Streets, parks and public space inside the City of Sydney local government area.
Ask first. A small handheld shoot often needs nothing at all here.
- Permit name
- Filming or photography permit
- Cost
- Low impact stills: a $100 application fee plus a $180 approval fee. Applying late costs $450. A shoot of six or fewer people in total, using minimal handheld gear, needs no application at all.
- Lead time
- At least 5 full business days for low impact. Late applications are declined unless the circumstances are genuinely exceptional.
- Public liability
- $10 million for stills shoots
If it is just you Six or fewer people in total, cast and crew counted, with minimal handheld gear: as a rule one camera and one handheld light, and nothing placed on the ground. That needs no application at all.
What to have ready
- A head count: six or fewer people, carrying about one camera and one handheld light, means no application
- Five clear business days if you do need to apply
- A conversation with the film liaison officer on (02) 9265 9333 if you are unsure
If you are shooting
- Wedding or engagement. The City says a permit is generally not needed for same-day wedding photography, while making clear it is still your job to check that approval is not needed for your particular shoot.
Also check
- Most portrait sessions have six or fewer people, so they need no application here.
Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against
their website.
Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.
Waverley Council
Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches and the surrounding streets and parks.
Written permission is needed once you are being paid for the photos.
- Permit name
- Photography Permit, lodged through their online booking system
- Cost
- No hourly charge for one to three people. Their schedule also lists a $264 administration fee for commercial photography. The schedule lists the $264 administration fee above the crew-size tiers, and lists one to three people as no fee, without saying whether the administration fee still applies to that smallest tier. Ring them on 0434 855 115 before assuming a solo shoot is free.
- Lead time
- Commercial photography applications are wanted 5 to 10 working days ahead. Nothing can go ahead until the permit is issued.
- Public liability
- $10 million Australian public liability, with Waverley Council named as an interested party.
If it is just you One to three people pay no hourly location fee, at Bondi and everywhere else in the council area. The approval and the insurance are still required.
What to have ready
- Public liability cover that names Waverley Council as an interested party. Not every council asks for this
- A CASA pilot licence and a take-off map if you are flying a drone
Also check
- Bondi is one of the most photographed places in the country. Don't assume a beach needs no permit just because it is public.
- No permit is needed on private property, though the council asks to hear from you if the shoot spills onto the street.
Figures checked on 13 September 2026 against
their website.
Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.
Use this as a starting point, not as advice. We took each figure from
the authority's website on the date shown. Fees and rules change
without notice, and your shoot may have details this page doesn't
cover. Confirm with the authority before you book the job.