Firearms business license

A permit may be granted to a natural person if they

• are 18 years of age or older
• have the right to engage in business
• designate a firearms officer approved by the National Police Board, as required by the law
• are suited to carrying on the firearms trade in terms of their health and behaviour;
• have sufficient expertise to carry on the firearms trade
• are not bankrupt or subject to any restriction of competency and
• have the necessary assets to carry on the firearms trade responsibly.

A permit may be granted to a legal person if

• it has sufficient financial resources to carry on activities responsibly;
• the members of its administrative body and its managing director, as well as its partners in the case of a partnership firm or its active partners in the case of a limited partnership company, are
  • 18 years of age or older,
  • entitled to engage in business,
  • suited to carrying on the firearms trade in terms of their health and behaviour and
  • not bankrupt or subject to any restriction of competency.

Please include the following in your application: 

1) The applicant’s information

• If the applicant is a private person: 
  • The applicant’s name, address and personal identity code
  • If a company owned by a private person has been entered into the Trade Register, please provide the business name and company registration number (business ID). 
• If the applicant is an organisation: 
  • The organisation’s registration number, name and address in the Trade Register/Register of Associations, as well as any other necessary contact details
• Please attach contact information with which the applicant may be reached if necessary to the application.

2) Planned activities

• Trade, exchange, storage and rental of firearms, firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous projectiles
• Repair, commercial modification, conversion and manufacturing of firearms and firearm components
• Distribution of firearms, firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous projectiles for commercial purposes
• Organising conveyance within Finland or some other form of legally defined transfer, export or import of firearms, firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous projectiles
• Commercial manufacture of cartridges or specially dangerous projectiles

3) The business location

• Provide the precise location (address).
• If activities are carried out at multiple locations, all addresses must be provided.

4) The storage location of firearms, firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous projectiles. Please note that 

• the storage location must be approved by a police department
• it is recommended that the applicant contact their local rescue services during the planning stage and
• with regard to storage facilities, new dealers in the firearms trade will be expected to meet the level-3 standards laid down by Finance Finland for structural protection and alarm systems.

5) The names, personal identity codes and addresses of firearms officers

6) Information regarding firearms, firearm components, cartridges and other items related to your trade

Please do the following: 

• List the firearms with which you intend to carry on trade and the mode of operation of each specific weapon type as defined in the Firearms Act. The modes of operation specified in the law are single-shot, single-shot with magazine, self-loading single-shot and automatic shot. 
• List the firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous cartridges and projectiles you intend to trade in.

7) An account of the financial situation of the dealer

A trade permit for dealing in firearms can only be granted to a party that has sufficient assets to carry on the trade in a responsible manner. For this reason, the clarification of the applicant’s financial situation is a key factor in the assessment of the application. 

The appropriate documents related to the applicant’s financial circumstances may vary, depending on the circumstances. For example, an applicant may provide proof of their assets and outstanding debts in the form of 

• bank statements,
• a tax debt certificate,
• an extract of their accounts for their trade or
• an extract of their sales ledger. 

A permit will not be granted unless the National Police Board has received confirmation that the company’s financial situation is sufficient. An entrepreneur who is starting a business will generally be required to provide a business plan, financial plan and proof of assets and possible outstanding debts.

When applying for a permit, request statements from your local rescue services and police department to attach to the application. The police department’s statement will concern your suitability and the suitability of your firearms officer to carry on the firearms trade. In the case of a legal person, the statement will also concern the suitability of persons who are part of the company’s administrative bodies. 

If the trade you are carrying on changes, you must make a notification of it via the police’s online services or in written form to the National Police Board. Inform us if 

• your name, your company name or the company form change, you open or close a business location, your storage environment or location changes, you take new storage facilities into use, remove old storage facilities from use or change your business address;
• there is a change in the membership of the administrative body, managing director, partners in a partnership firm or active partners in a limited partnership company;
• business operations are terminated or suspended for a period of more than one month; or
• operations are resumed after the suspension described above.

If possible, make the notification no later than on the seventh day following the change. 

If the change concerns the company’s firearms officers, please attach documents verifying the new firearms officers’ qualifications for the task. 

If you are planning to carry out any of the aforementioned changes or any other changes, please contact the National Police Board’s Firearms Administration well in advance. Some of the aforementioned changes may require amendments to your firearms trade permit.

A party dealing in firearms must have a designated person who is responsible for activities carried out in said trade. This person is responsible for ensuring that trade is carried out in accordance with the law and the conditions of the permit. 

The designated person is responsible for ensuring that only staff who have a firearm licence transport, store and otherwise handle firearms, firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous projectiles.

Firearms officer approval is granted by the National Police Board, who may also revoke said approval. If required by the scope of the activities, the authority may require that there is more than one firearms officer.

Who should be your firearms officer?

The National Police Board may, by application of a person who holds or is applying for a trade permit for dealing in firearms, grant firearms officer approval to a person who

• has provided their consent to be named firearms officer;
• is no less than 18 years of age;
• has an appropriate familiarity with firearms, firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous projectiles;
• has successfully completed the National Police Board’s firearms officer examination; and
• has a valid firearm licence.

The firearms officer approval is valid until further notice.

Firearms officer examination

The National Police Board’s Firearms Administration organises examinations for the firearms officers of firearms dealers annually. The exam consists of two sections. When you successfully complete a section, you receive the necessary qualifications to act as a firearms officer in the relevant firearms trade. 

The sections are

• dealing in the firearms trade;
• manufacture of firearms, firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous projectiles and repair and conversion of firearms and firearm components. 

Businesses that also intend to sell ammunition must employ an individual who has passed the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency’s explosives sales supervisor’s exam.

Read more about the exam on the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency’s website

More information about firearms officer exams  

More information about the requirements of firearms officer exams 

Firearm licences are granted and revoked by police departments.

If you are employed by a firearms dealer, you must have a permit that allows you to handle firearms and ammunition at work. The permit entitles you to transport, store and otherwise handle 

• firearms,
• firearm components,
• cartridges and
• specially dangerous projectiles

that fall under the remit of the firearms dealer’s activities. 

The permit entitles the holder to discharge the above-specified firearms for purposes of presentation, testing or training, provided that it is necessary for the purposes of the trade.

A firearm licence may also be granted to persons who temporarily transport, store or otherwise handle firearms, firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous projectiles.

To receive a firearm licence, you must be 18 years of age or older. Additionally, your behaviour and state of health must be such that you can be considered fit to handle firearms, firearm components, cartridges and specially dangerous projectiles. 

If you are less than 20 years of age, the police will attach certain conditions to your firearm licence. The permit will not allow you to handle a pistol, small-calibre pistol, revolver or small-calibre revolver before you are 20 years of age.