Apply for a firearms licence

You must apply for a firearms licence from the relevant firearms authority. Submit the application together with the required documents.

The firearms authority will issue you with a firearms licence if you fulfil the necessary requirements.

• You must be at least 18 years old.
   
• You must have a valid licence for the purchase and possession of a weapon (e.g. hunting licence or weapon ownership card) or your employer if you wish to carry the weapon as an employee of a security company.
   
• You must prove that it is necessary for you to carry weapons in public (need). In order
  
  to be allowed to carry weapons in public, you must provide the competent firearms authority with a credible reason. The following are generally recognised as credible reasons:
  • Your life is at high risk.
  • you are an employee of a security company.
  • you can credibly explain other reasons why you want to carry weapons in public.
     
• You must prove your reliability under firearms legislation. You may be
  
  assessed as reliable under firearms legislation if, among other things, you
  • if you have not been sentenced to a prison term of at least 1 year within the last 10 years and have not been a member of or supported a banned organisation in the last 10 years.
  • if it cannot be assumed that you misuse weapons or ammunition or handle them improperly, do not store these items carefully or hand them over to persons who are not authorised to do so.
  • if you have not been in preventive police custody more than once in the last 5 years with judicial authorisation because of violence.
  • if you have not repeatedly or grossly violated the Weapons Act.

• You must prove your personal suitability.
  
  You may be deemed personally unsuitable if, among other things,
  • you are legally incapable.
  • you are dependent on alcohol or other intoxicating substances, mentally ill or mentally retarded.
  • you suffer from serious illnesses, such as brain injuries, or physical impairments, such as amputations or severe visual impairment.
  • it can be assumed that you do not handle weapons or ammunition carefully or properly or that you cannot store these items carefully or that there is a concrete danger that you will endanger others or yourself.
     
• You must demonstrate that you have sufficient knowledge of weapons and ammunition and how to handle them. You can shoot a firearm and know how to carry a weapon safely in public (expertise).
  
  In order to be allowed to carry weapons in public, you must prove that you are capable of handling them properly. To obtain expertise in the handling of weapons and ammunition, you must attend a corresponding training course. The course comprises a theoretical and a practical part. At the end of the course, you will take an examination before an authorised examination board. If you pass the examination, you will receive a certificate stating the weapons and ammunition for which you have acquired expertise. You can also acquire expertise only for the weapons and ammunition that you wish to purchase and possess.
   
• You must have liability insurance that covers personal injury and property damage up to a lump sum of 1 million euros.
   
• You must prove that you store weapons and ammunition
  
  securely. You must store weapons and ammunition securely. This generally means that only you, as the authorised person, may have access to weapons and ammunition. If you do not store your weapons and ammunition securely, you are committing an administrative offence for which a fine of up to EUR 10,000 may be imposed. In addition, this may cast doubt on your reliability under firearms law and result in the revocation of your firearms licence and firearms permit.
  
  When submitting your application, you must provide information about both the storage location and the container in which you intend to store your weapons and ammunition. The storage requirements are based on Section 13 of the General Weapons Act Ordinance (AWaffV). In case of doubt, please contact your local authority. As a general rule, you can refer to the following guidelines:
  • Ammunition subject to authorisation must be stored in a sheet steel cabinet/container with a swing bolt lock or an equivalent locking device.
  • You need a gun cabinet to store long guns and handguns that require a licence. The type of gun cabinet you need depends on the number and type of weapons and/or ammunition you wish to purchase and own.
    • You may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 5 handguns and ammunition in a gun cabinet with resistance grade 0 in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard weighing up to 200 kilograms.
    • You may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 10 handguns and ammunition in a gun cabinet with resistance grade 0 in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard weighing over 200 kilograms.
    • You may store an unlimited number of long guns and handguns as well as ammunition in a gun cabinet with resistance grade I in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard.
  • The following regulations generally apply to the location where you may set up the gun cabinet:
    • If you live in a shared household with another person who is also authorised to own weapons, you may store the weapons in a shared weapons cabinet.

• Identity card or passport (copy)
• Weapons possession licence (if not applied for at the same time)
• Proof of a need (e.g. proof that you are at risk)
• Proof of liability insurance in the amount of 1 million euros (lump sum for personal injury and property damage)
• Examination certificate of special expertise
• Proof of storage (e.g. photo of the sealable container)

• § Section 10 (2) of the Weapons Act (WaffG)
• § Section 12 (5) of the Weapons Act (WaffG)
• § Section 4 of the Weapons Act (WaffG)
• § Section 36 of the Weapons Act (WaffG)
• § Section 13 General Weapons Act Ordinance (AWaffV)

You can use the NWR identification numbers (NWR ID) to complete the application more quickly:

• Your Personal NWR ID (P or F NWR ID) for your personal details
• the permitNWR ID for the firearms licence (E-NWR ID)
• the weapon or weapon part NWR ID (W or T NWR ID).

You can obtain NWR IDs on application to the relevant firearms authority.

• Authorisation to carry firearms (firearms licence) Issue
• Weapons licence for carrying a weapon outside
  • your own home,
  • of your own business premises
  • your own pacified property (e.g. garden)
  • a shooting range
• Transport of a firearm without a firearms licence only if the firearm
  • is not loaded (not ready to fire) and
  • is in a locked container (not accessible)
• Weapons licence must be carried if the weapon is carried in public.
• Compulsory identification when persons carry a weapon in public
• Validity: 3 years (extension: twice for a maximum of 3 years)
• Prerequisites:
  • Authorisation for the purchase and possession of a weapon (e.g. hunting licence or gun ownership card)
  • Minimum age: 18 years
  • reasonable cause (need)
  • No criminal record (reliability)
  • No legal incapacity, mental illness or dependence on drugs (personal suitability)
  • Knowledge of firearms regulations
  • Safe handling of weapons and ammunition
  • Skills in shooting with a firearm
  • Knowledge about carrying a weapon in public
  • Liability insurance that covers personal injury and property damage up to a lump sum of 1 million euros
• When moving: no re-registration of the firearms licence necessary
• Unauthorised handling of weapons and ammunition leads to a fine or prison sentence
• Responsible: Weapons authority