Bundesportal | Report the transfer of firearms or ammunition from Germany as an arms dealer

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Publisher

Federal Office of Administration (BVA)

Last update or date of publication

November 24, 2025

Contact

The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.

Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 18:00 (and beyond these times in some regions).

Call 115 now

Government service telephone number calls are charged at local rates.

The EU Reporting Service exists to ensure that the legal arms trade within the European Union (EU), the Schengen area and Northern Ireland can be traced. The Internal Market Information System (IMI) records reports on the transportation of weapons and ammunition throughout the EU. In Germany, the Federal Office of Administration (BVA) accepts transfer notifications for weapons and ammunition and transmits them to IMI.

Arms dealers and manufacturers can apply for a general transfer permit instead of a permit for each individual export. This is valid for 3 years. You can apply for the permit at the competent weapons authority.

Only if you are in possession of this general transfer permit are you obliged to report exports to equivalent member states directly to the BVA.

This notification includes information

the shipment,
the consignor and consignee,
the permit and
about the weapons or ammunition.

general movement authorization
prior consent or exemption from the consent of the Member State of destination

Preconditions

You have a general, valid shipment permit.
The recipient Member State has consented to the shipment or granted an exemption.

Es fallen keine Kosten an.
Advance payment
no

Basis for legal action

Verordnung zur Umsetzung der Delegierten Verordnung (EU) 2019/686

§ 30 Satz 3 Waffengesetz (WaffG)

§ 31 Allgemeine Waffengesetz-Verordnung (AWaffV)

Legal Remedies

Action before the administrative court

Procedure

You can report the shipment online or by post.

If you want to report the shipment online:

Open the online service. You can identify yourself as follows:
- as a private individual with the online ID function of your ID card, the electronic residence permit or the eID for EU citizens
- as a private individual with the ELSTER certificate via the BundID
- as an organization with the company account based on ELSTER
Complete the application and upload the required documents.
Submit the declaration online.

If you want to report the shipment by post:

Apply for the transfer notification form from the relevant firearms authority.
Fill out the form, sign it and send it together with the required documents by post to the Federal Office of Administration (BVA).

The BVA will check your notification and transfer the information to the Internal Market Information System (IMI). You will receive the confirmed notification by post.

Deadlines

The general movement permit must not be older than 3 years.

The notification and movement must take place within the period of validity of the import permit.

Processing time

1 day until 7 days

Selected region