Shooting permit; application

You must apply for a permit if you want to shoot with a firearm that requires a permit or one that does not. In particular, hunters are exempt when hunting and sport shooters when shooting at authorized shooting ranges.

Description

If you want to shoot with a firearm that requires a permit or a permit-free firearm, you must always apply for a permit beforehand. You can apply for a permit for a single firing or a permanent permit.

Generally, firearms are objects designed for offense or defense, signaling, hunting, range injection, marking, sport, or play, with projectiles propelled through a barrel.

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

If possible, you must specify in the application where you intend to shoot, for example, address, district. If you are shooting on behalf of an enclosure operator, you must present their permit/order and, if necessary, provide further information on the enclosure operator.

You do not need a permit to shoot a firearm if you are

  • want to shoot in a shooting range, for example your shooting club;
  • as a hunter you want to shoot during authorized hunting practice or you want to shoot animals that are subject to nature conservation law and have a corresponding permit from the nature conservation authority;
  • wish to shoot as a traditional shooter at an event where it is customary to carry weapons for a special occasion, and the head of the traditional shooting association has been granted a valid exemption permit in accordance with Section 16 (3) of the Weapons Act;
  • wish to shoot with a long gun at shooting ranges at an approved sporting event, for example biathlon competition;
  • want to use weapons that can only fire cartridge ammunition during a theatrical performance or similar, or to scare away harmful birds;
  • want to shoot with compressed air, spring-loaded weapons andCO2 weaponswith less than 7.5 joules, marked with an "F" sign, with the consent of the holder of the house right in fenced areas, for example for paintball activities;
  • at sporting events, on behalf of the organizers, want to use alarm or signal weapons to indicate the start or beginning of a competition, if such signaling is required;
  • fire signal weapons during emergency and rescue exercises, if this is part of the exercise.

You may be denied a shooting permit if you have not resided in Germany within the last 5 years.

In order to obtain the shooting permit, you must

  • have the appropriate age and
  • Your need,
  • your reliability under weapons law,
  • your personal suitability,
  • have liability insurance covering personal injury and property damage in the amount of 1 million euros.



If you handle weapons and ammunition without a weapons permit, you may be committing a criminal offense.

Prerequisites

  • You must have a valid permit to acquire and possess a weapon (e.g. hunting license or weapons possession card).
  • You must be at least 18 years old.
  • You must prove that it is necessary for you to shoot with a weapon (need).

    You must give a credible reason to the responsible weapons authority. As a rule, a credible reason is recognized if you are
    • want to shoot animals in a (game) preserve for (game) meat production;
    • Are an orchardist or grape grower or operate a fish hatchery and want to drive away (scare away) harmful birds;
    • are a veterinarian.

You can also state other needs, which will then be examined by the competent authority.

  • You must prove your reliability under weapons law.

    Your reliability is a prerequisite for the issuance of a shooting permit. You can be assessed as unreliable under weapons law, among other things,
    • if you have been legally sentenced to a custodial sentence of at least 1 year within the last 10 years and have been a member of or supported a prohibited organization within the last 10 years.
    • if it can be assumed that you misuse or improperly handle weapons or ammunition, do not store these items carefully or hand them over to persons who are not authorized to do so.
    • if you have been in preventive police custody with judicial authorization for violence more than once in the last 5 years.
    • if you have repeatedly or grossly violated the weapons law.
  • You must prove your personal suitability.

    You may be judged to be personally unfit if, among other things
    • You are legally incompetent.
    • You are addicted to alcohol or other intoxicating substances, mentally ill or debilitated.
    • 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 not able to handle weapons or ammunition carefully or properly or that there is a concrete danger that you will endanger others or yourself.
  • You must have liability insurance covering personal injury and property damage in a lump sum of 1 million euros.

Procedure

You must apply for permission to shoot at the relevant firearms authority. Submit the application together with the required documents.

The firearms authority will grant you the permit if you meet the necessary requirements.

Special notes

To help you complete the application more quickly, you can use NWR Identification Numbers (NWR ID):

  • Your PersonalNWR-ID (P- or F-NWR-ID) for the information about your person
  • the permitNWR-ID for the weapons permit (E-NWR-ID)
  • the weapons or parts of weapons NWR-ID (W- or T-NWR-ID)

You can obtain the NWR-IDs upon application to the responsible firearms authority.

Deadlines

none

Required documents

  • The following documents are required:

    • Identity card or passport (copy)
    • Weapon ownership card or hunting license
    • Proof of a need
      • For example order of an enclosure operator, activity as a wine/fruit grower
      • Licensing as a veterinarian
    • Proof of liability insurance in the amount of 1 million Euro (lump sum for personal injury and property damage)

Fees

  • The fees for issuing a permit to shoot range from 25 to 250 EUR. They depend on the scope and administrative effort in the application procedure.

Remedy

Commitment action at the administrative court

Status:25.08.2023

Responsible for editing:Bayerisches Staatsministerium des Innern, für Sport und Integration

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