Firearms Trade; Applying for a Permit

Permission to trade in firearms or ammunition is granted through a firearms dealer's license.

The firearms dealer’s license may be limited to certain types of firearms and ammunition.

The permit expires if the permit holder has not commenced the activity within one year of the permit’s issuance or has not carried it out for one year. These time limits may be extended for special reasons.

The applicant must possess the required integrity and personal suitability (see Sections 5 and 6 of the Weapons Act).

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

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

The permit must be applied for at the appropriate firearms authority.

The holder of a permit must notify the competent authority within two weeks of commencing or ceasing operations, as well as of opening or closing a branch office or a dependent branch.

If the commercial trade in firearms is to be conducted by a representative, a separate representative’s license must be applied for on behalf of that person. This also applies if someone is appointed to manage a branch office or a dependent branch. The representative permit is linked to the corresponding firearms dealer’s license. The same requirements must be met for a representative permit as for a firearms dealer’s license.

• Proof of reliability and personal suitability
• Certificate of Expertise

• Issuance of a firearms dealer’s license pursuant to Section 21(1) of the Weapons Act (WaffG): 100 to 2,700 euros
• Issuance of a proxy permit pursuant to Section 21a of the Weapons Act (WaffG): 50 to 500 euros
• State proficiency examination pursuant to Section 22(1) of the Weapons Act (WaffG): 100 to 250 euros