Apply for a green firearms possession licence for a single person

You must apply for a licence to purchase and possess weapons and/or ammunition that require a permit from the relevant weapons authority. Submit the application together with the required documents.

The firearms authority will grant you the licence if you fulfil the necessary requirements.

Please contact the firearms authority in your district. If you live in Dessau-Roßlau, please also contact the firearms authority. If you live in Halle or Magdeburg, please contact the respective police department.

• You must be at least 25 years old. Exceptions apply to sport shooters and hunters.
  
  If you are under 25 years of age, the competent firearms authority may require you to submit a specialist medical or psychological report/certificate confirming your mental fitness. You must pay for the report/certificate yourself and send the original by post to the competent firearms authority. A copy or email will not be accepted.
  
  If you are a hunter, you do not need such an opinion/certificate.
  
  As a sport shooter, you must be at least 18 years old. You are then entitled to purchase and possess firearms up to a calibre of 5.6 mm lfB (.22 l. r.) for rimfire ammunition with a muzzle energy of no more than 200 joules (J) and single-shot long guns with smooth barrels of calibre 12 or smaller.
  
  For other firearms, the minimum age for sport shooters is 21, provided you can present a specialist medical or psychological report/certificate confirming your mental aptitude.
   
• You must prove that it is necessary for you to acquire and possess weapons and ammunition (need). In order
  
  to be allowed to acquire and possess weapons and ammunition, you must provide the competent weapons authority with a credible reason (need). The following are generally recognised as credible reasons:
  • you are a hunter and hold a hunting licence (daily or annual hunting licence). If, as a hunter, you only wish to acquire and possess long guns and two short guns, no further proof of a need is required.
  • You must have been a member of a sports club that is a member of a recognised shooting sports association and in which shooting with such weapons is permitted in accordance with an approved shooting sports regulation for 1 year. The shooting regulations are approved by the Federal Office of Administration. You must also prove that you have regularly attended training (at least once a month or at least 18 times within a year).
  • Your life is at high risk
  • you can credibly demonstrate other reasons why you wish to acquire and possess weapons and ammunition.
     

• You must prove your reliability under firearms legislation. You may be
  
  assessed as reliable under firearms legislation if, among other things, you

   
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • you have not been in preventive police custody more than once in the last 5 years with judicial authorisation because of violence.
  • 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,
  • 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 suffer from serious illnesses, such as brain injuries, or physical impairments, such as amputations or severe visual impairment.
  • you are dependent on alcohol or other intoxicating substances, mentally ill or mentally retarded.
  • you are legally incapable.
     
• You must prove that you have sufficient knowledge of weapons and ammunition and how to handle them (expertise). In order
  
  to purchase and possess weapons and ammunition, you must prove that you are capable of handling them properly. To obtain expertise in handling weapons and ammunition, you must attend a relevant 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 for which weapons and ammunition you have acquired expertise. You can also acquire expertise only for the weapons and ammunition that you wish to acquire and possess. You do not
  
  have to take a separate expertise examination if you
  • the hunting examination or an equivalent examination or
  • have passed a journeyman's examination for the gunsmith's trade or
  • have worked full-time in the firearms and ammunition trade for at least 3 years.

In these cases, you only need to provide suitable evidence.
 

• You must prove that you can store weapons and ammunition safely.
  
  This generally means that only you, as the authorised person, have access to weapons and ammunition, for example by always carrying the key with you. If you do not store your weapons and ammunition safely, 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 your firearms licence being revoked.
  
  When applying, you must provide information about both the storage location and the container in which you intend to store weapons and ammunition. 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.
  • You need a gun cabinet to store authorised long and short weapons as well as authorised ammunition. 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 EN 1143-1 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 EN 1143-1 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 1 in accordance with EN 1143-1.
  • The following regulations generally apply to the location where you may set up the gun cabinet:
    • If you live in a block of flats, it is not permitted to place the gun cabinet in the cellar if each resident only has a so-called cellar locker, which is only secured with a door with a padlock.
    • You may also store up to 3 long guns in buildings that are not permanently inhabited, such as a hunting lodge or a weekend home. However, you need a gun cabinet with resistance grade 1 for this.
    • If you live in a shared household with another gun owner, you may store the guns in a shared gun cabinet.
  • As a hunter, you may also allow another hunter to temporarily store your long guns in his gun cabinet. However, this period should be limited; permanent storage is not permitted. For permanent storage, you should purchase your own gun cabinet to which only you have access.
  • It is also permitted to store weapons and ammunition at a gun dealer. You must provide appropriate proof of this.

• Identity card or passport (copy)
• Proof of expertise
• Proof of storage, e.g. purchase contract for a gun cabinet and/or photos of the gun cabinet and installation site
• If applicable, a specialist medical or psychological certificate confirming your mental aptitude (if under 21 years of age for marksmen or under 25 years of age for other persons)

• § Section 10 (2) 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)

• Authorisation to acquire and possess weapons and ammunition: issuing of a green firearms licence (WBK) for an individual person
• Prerequisites:
  • Minimum age: 25 years
  • Reasonable cause, e.g. hunter, marksman, person at risk (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 firearms (may not be required if only weapons that cannot be fired are collected)
  • Secure storage
• Authorisation may also be granted to persons under 25 years of age if personal suitability is proven by expert opinion. In the case of sport shooters, possibly already for 18-year-olds (only for firearms up to calibre 5.6 mm lfB (.22 l. r.) for rimfire ammunition with a maximum muzzle energy of 200 joules (J) and single-shot long guns with smooth barrels of calibre 12 or smaller). Otherwise age limit for sport shooters 21 years; no certificate required for hunters
• When moving: no re-registration of the permit necessary
• Unauthorised handling of weapons and ammunition leads to a fine or imprisonment.
• Responsible: Weapons authority