Re: Importing firearms from abroad
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:42 pm
Not sure Stripey. There's a German collector of Mosins who has lost the faith and is releasing his collection into the wild.
Non-commercial imports of firearms, their components and ammunition
17. An import licence is not required for the personal import from outside the EU of firearms covered on a
Firearm Certificate, Shotgun Certificate or a British Visitors Permit (BVP) as long as your domestic
authority is presented to Customs at import.
Declaring your personal import
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18. If you are travelling with your firearm, you should go to the Red Point or Red Point telephone at the
Port or Airport on arrival to make your declaration. Pre-warning the Port or Airport of your arrival may
speed up the time taken to check your authority.
19. If you are returning with a newly acquired firearm or shotgun you must check:
• Your airline or ferry company’s policy on the transport of such items,
• That you are in full compliance with the laws in the country where you purchase the item concerning
its possession, transport and export,
• You have your UK domestic possession authority to present to UK Customs.
20. If your item is being shipped or posted from a non-EU country, it must have a declaration on the
package that clearly identifies its contents. Your item will then be held by UK Border Force whilst the
validity of your domestic possession authorities are confirmed by the issuing constabulary. Your item
will only be released when UKBF are satisfied that the correct authorities are in place.
21. If you are transferring a newly acquired firearm or shotgun into the UK from an EU country, you must
obtain a transfer licence (irrespective of whether you are returning from a trip with the item or having
it shipped to you). The transfer licence is issued by the relevant authority in the transferring Member
State.
Transfers of non-prohibited firearms and ammunition to the UK from within the EU
22. For transfers within the EU, the provisions of the EU Weapons Directive apply. A transfer licence is
required from the transferring member state for the transfer to the UK of newly acquired firearms.
There is no import licence requirement as long as the transfer licence accompanies the firearm to the
UK and you have the domestic authority to possess it. This also applies if you transfer handguns to
Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. A European Firearms Pass and BVP is required for transfers by
EU residents from another EU Member State to the UK.
Exemptions from the Provisions of the EU Weapons Directive
23. There are exemptions to the provisions of the EU Weapons Directive, where a transfer licence would
not be required in the transferring Member State. These include applications made by the Police, the
armed forces, collectors, and weapons of war. In the case of the last 2 exceptions there are no legal
definitions of the terms. It is down to the interpretation of each Member State how they view
applications. For example, the UK class contracts between EU Government Departments as weapons of
war (See Article 2 of EC Weapons Directive).
Antique firearms
24. Firearms manufactured on or before 31 December 1899 do not require an import licence.
“Obsolete Calibre” firearms
25. The Home Office guidance lists firearms which do not require any form of domestic authority to allow
their possession in the UK as the manufacture of the Calibre of weapon or ammunition either no longer
exists or is in extremely limited supply. An import licence is required for these firearms if
manufactured after 31 December 1899,.
Expanding Ammunition
26. Expanding ammunition is prohibited under Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 (as amended).
Registered Firearms Dealers may import them provided they have a suitably conditioned Certificate of
Registration as a Firearms Dealer or Firearms Certificate. A Dealers Open Individual Licence is not valid
as it does not include items falling to Section 5 of the Act.
Police
27. Police forces are exempt from the domestic authority requirement for firearms and ammunition. They
are not exempt from the import licence requirement.
Air weapons
28. Air weapons require an import licence if:
• they have been disguised as another object; or
• have been designed or adapted for use with a self-contained gas cartridge system; or
• are air pistols that discharge a missile so that missile has, on being discharged from the muzzle
of the weapon, kinetic energy in excess of 6ft lb (8.14 joules); or
• are air weapons other than air pistols that discharge a missile so that missile has, on being
discharged from the muzzle of the weapon, kinetic energy in excess, of 12ft lb (16.27 joules)
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29. Under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, air pistols are prohibited if they use or are designed or
adapted for use with, a self-contained gas cartridge system or are capable of discharging a missile so
that the missile has, on being discharged from the muzzle of the weapon, kinetic energy in excess of
6ft lb (8.14 joules). Air weapons other than air pistols are subject to certification if they discharge a
missile so that missile has, on being discharged from the muzzle of the weapon, kinetic energy in
excess, of 12ft lb (16.27 joules). You will not need to apply for an import licence for an air rifle or an
air pistol as long as they:
• Have not been disguised as another object,
• Have not been designed or adapted for use with a self-contained gas cartridge system, and
• are incapable of discharging a missile so that the missile has, on being discharged from the muzzle
of the weapon, kinetic energy in excess, in the case of an air pistol, of 6ft lb (8.14 joules) or, in the
case of an air weapon other than an air pistol, of 12ft lb (16.27 joules)
• are for use only when submerged in water.
Replica firearms
30. An import licence is not required to import replica firearms into the UK as long as they are not readily
convertible to fire live ammunition. A firearms is considered to be “Readily convertible” if:
• it can be converted without any special skill on the part of the person converting it in the
construction or adaption of firearms of any description: and
• the work involved in converting it does not require equipment or tools other than such as are in
common use by persons carrying out works of construction and maintenance in their homes.
