Information on weapons law

Note on the application (as of 03.04.2023):

You can send your application documents by post to the address below or drop them in the letterbox at the Lindenstraße 5 office building in 41747 Viersen. Personal submission is only possible by prior appointment with the responsible clerk. Applications will be processed after a background check has been carried out. We ask for your understanding that there may be delays in processing applications due to the processing of other matters that need to be prioritized.

In order to ensure the shortest possible processing times, please ensure that only fully completed applications are submitted (complete details of the acquiring / transferring person as well as the weapon information and the date of actual possession / surrender of the weapon). In this way, otherwise necessary inquiries can be avoided. In this regard, please also refer to the information on incomplete applications.

In view of the fact that problems repeatedly arise when submitting applications, please note that only complete applications can be processed. This means that all documents must be submitted. If not all documents are available 14 days after the acquisition or transfer of a weapon and no individual agreement has been made due to special circumstances, administrative offense proceedings may be initiated. Administrative offenses against the Weapons Act can be punished with a fine of up to 10,000 euros. Complete applications include the completed application form from the website, the gun ownership card if already available, proof of need and, for new applications from hunters or marksmen, the declaration of storage, pictures of the storage, an invoice or a delivery bill from the storage.

The firearms authority would like to point out that, in particular, the notification of the purchase of a handgun with the corresponding form without a previously issued purchase authorization via the form "New application for a gun ownership card, application for purchase authorization" will result in the initiation of investigation proceedings, as there is a suspicion of a criminal offence. Please therefore ensure that you use the correct application forms at the right time! 

Note for hunting license holders:

Applications from hunting license holders can only be processed if proof of a valid hunting license is available. If your hunting license has lost its validity on 31.03.2023, but has already been extended by the Lower Hunting Authority of the district of Viersen, please submit a copy of the hunting license together with your application. Otherwise, the application cannot be processed until the firearms authority has received information about the extended hunting licenses (approx. at the beginning of June).

Please contact the lower hunting authority of the district of Viersen for information on hunting license extensions. The weapons authority cannot provide any information in this regard.

For information: 
Around 3300 gun owners (hunters, sport shooters, heirs and collectors) with around 20,000 guns are currently registered in the district of Viersen.
In recent years, there have been no crimes in the district of Viersen in which legal, i.e. registered, weapons have played a role. 

General information on weapons law can be found on the state website of the NRW police.