Arms trade; application for a permit

Permission to deal in firearms or ammunition is granted by a firearms dealer's permit.

The firearms trading permit may be restricted to certain types of firearms and ammunition.

The permit expires if the permit holder has not started the activity within one year after the granting of the permit or has not carried out the activity for one year. The time limits may be extended for special reasons.

The applicant must have the required reliability and personal suitability (cf. §§ 5 and 6 WaffG).

You must prove the required expertise. This does not apply if you do not manage the business, a branch or a dependent branch yourself.

The permit may be refused if you are not a German within the meaning of Article 116 of the Basic Law or have neither your habitual residence nor a commercial establishment within the scope of this Act.

The holder of a permit must notify the competent authority within two weeks of the commencement and cessation of operations and the opening and closure of a branch or a dependent branch.

If the commercial arms trade is to be operated by a deputy, a separate deputy permit must be applied for on behalf of this person. This also applies if someone is entrusted with the management of a branch office or a dependent branch. The deputy permit is linked to the associated firearms dealer permit. The same requirements must be met for a deputy permit as for a firearms trading permit.

• Proof of reliability and personal suitability
• Specialist certificate

• Establishment of a weapon trade permit according to § 21 Abs. 1 WaffG: 100 to 2,700 euro
• Establishment of a deputy permit according to § 21a WaffG: 50 to 500 euro
• State specialized knowledge examination according to § 22 Abs. 1 WaffG: 100 to 250 euro