Weapons and ammunition - apply for authorisation to carry

In order to be allowed to take weapons to Germany, you must prove your need, your reliability under firearms law, your personal suitability and expertise. If you are a citizen of an EU member state, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland, the European firearms pass is sufficient proof. If you are a citizen of a non-EU country, you can provide evidence in the form of meaningful official documents from your home country with a German translation. If you are a citizen of a third country and are unable to provide information on weapons and ammunition when submitting your application, you must do so upon entry at the latest.

You must always state the reason why you want to take weapons and ammunition to Germany temporarily, for example an invitation to hunt, to a shooting competition or to a traditional event.

If you are submitting the application for a shooting team, for example, you can enter the names of all participants on a separate sheet and attach it to the application. The licence will then be issued for all applicants together.

You do not need a licence if you are from an EU member state, Switzerland, Liechtenstein or Iceland.

• as a hunter up to 3 long guns and the corresponding ammunition,
• as a marksman up to 6 firearms and the corresponding ammunition and
• as a traditional shooter up to 3 single-shot or repeating long guns and the corresponding ammunition

to Germany with you. However, the weapons you are taking with you must be entered in your European firearms pass. As a citizen of a third country, you do not have to prove that you are of legal age and have the necessary expertise.

You do not need a European firearms pass if you want to take certain weapons from Austria to Bavaria or vice versa as a marksman or traditional marksman.

You also do not need a permit to bring weapons and ammunition to Germany if you

• take weapons and ammunition with you for which you have a licence to acquire and possess (weapons possession card - WBK),
• carry signalling weapons and the associated ammunition on board ships for safety reasons, or
• carry weapons and ammunition on board a ship or aircraft that are permanently kept under lock and key in Germany. These weapons and ammunition must be reported immediately to the competent authority and must be re-exported from Germany within one month at the latest.

If you want to take weapons and ammunition from Germany to an EU member state, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Iceland, you need

• authorisation to acquire and possess weapons and ammunition (weapons possession card - WBK),
• a European Firearms Pass listing the weapons you wish to take with
  you, and
• the consent of the country to which you wish to take the weapons and ammunition or credible proof that no authorisation is required.

You must also ensure the safe transport of the weapons and ammunition. You can also commission a transport company to do this. You should find out about the conditions of the country under which transport is or is not permitted before you take them with you.

If you want to take weapons and ammunition from Germany to a third country, you do not need a German licence. Here, too, you should inform yourself about the conditions of the country under which you are allowed or not allowed to take them with you.