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Firearms license; application

If you want to carry a firearm in public, you must first apply for a firearms license.

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Procedure details

If you have a weapon outside

  • your own home,
  • your own business premises,
  • your own pacified property (e.g. your own garden) or
  • a shooting range

you generally require a permit (firearms license). Exceptions apply in the cases specified in § 12 Para. 3 WaffG (e.g. transportation of weapons that are not ready for firing or access on the way to hunting or to a shooting range and back). If you only wish to carry alarm, irritant or signal weapons with PTB approval marks in public, you only require a small firearms license (see "Related topics"), the issue of which is subject to less stringent requirements.

It is recommended that you inform yourself in detail about the regulations of firearms law before submitting your application.

If you carry the weapon with you, you must have the firearms license with you and be able to identify yourself with an identity card or passport.

You will receive the firearms license for a maximum of 3 years. You can have the firearms license extended twice for a maximum of 3 years.

You may be refused a firearms license if you have not lived in Germany within the last 5 years.

If you move to another town or municipality, you do not have to have your firearms license transferred.

If you handle weapons and ammunition without the required firearms license, you may face a fine or imprisonment.

  • You must be at least 18 years old.
  • You must have a valid permit for the purchase and possession of a weapon (e.g. weapon possession card) or apply for this at the same time as the firearms license.
  • 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 a credible reason to the competent weapons authority. As a rule, a credible reason is only recognized if you can prove that you are significantly more at risk than the general public and that carrying firearms in public is suitable and necessary to reduce this risk.
  • You must be reliable under firearms law.

    You may be deemed unreliable under firearms law if, among other things
    • you have been sentenced to a prison sentence of at least one year within the last 10 years or have been a member of or supported a prohibited organization in the last 10 years.
    • it can 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 authorized to do so.
    • you have been in preventive police custody more than once in the last 5 years with judicial authorization due to violence.
    • you have repeatedly or grossly violated firearms legislation.
  • You must be personally suitable.

    You may be deemed personally unsuitable if, among other things
    • You are legally incompetent.
    • 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 are unable to handle weapons or ammunition carefully or properly, or that you are unable to store these items carefully, or that there is a concrete danger that you will endanger others or yourself.
  • You must prove that you have sufficient knowledge of weapons and ammunition and how to handle them (expertise).

    To be able to prove your expertise in handling weapons and ammunition, you must have taken part in an appropriate training course. The course comprises a theoretical and practical part. At the end of the course, you will take an examination before an authorized examination board. If you pass the examination, you will receive proof of the weapons and ammunition for which you have acquired expertise.
  • You must have liability insurance that covers personal injury and property damage up to a lump sum of 1 million euros.
  • You must provide evidence of the safe storage of weapons and ammunition.

    You must store weapons and ammunition safely. This generally means that only you as an authorized person may have access to weapons and ammunition. If you do not store your weapons and ammunition securely, you are committing an administrative offense for which a fine of up to EUR 10,000 can be imposed. In addition, your reliability under firearms law may be called into question and your firearms possession card and firearms license may be revoked.

    When submitting your application, you must provide details of the storage location and the container in which you wish to store your weapons and ammunition. The storage requirements are based on § 13 of the General Weapons Act Ordinance (AWaffV). In cases of doubt, please contact the authority responsible for you. In principle, you can use the following guidelines as a guide:
    • Ammunition requiring a permit 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 permit. 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 can 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 weapons, up to 10 short weapons and ammunition in a gun cabinet with resistance grade 0 in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard weighing over 200 kilograms.
      • In a gun cabinet with resistance grade I in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard, you may store an unlimited number of long weapons and handguns as well as ammunition
    • The following rules 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 authorized to own weapons, you may store the weapons in a shared weapons cabinet.

  • The following documents are required:
    • Identity card or passport (copy)
    • Weapons possession card (if not applied for at the same time)
    • Proof of a need (for example proof of danger to your person)
    • 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 (for example photo of lockable container)

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

The firearms authority will issue you with the firearms license if you meet the necessary requirements.

The fees for issuing a firearms license are between EUR 100 and EUR 500.

none

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 permit NWR ID for the firearms permit (E-NWR ID)
  • the weapon or weapon part NWR ID (W or T NWR ID).

You can obtain the NWR IDs on request from the relevant weapons authority.

Administrative court action

Status: 24.07.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerisches Staatsministerium des Innern, für Sport und Integration
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