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Ampumakelvottomaksi tehdyn tai deaktivoidun aseen ilmoittaminen en
Notification of firearms rendered unfit for use or deactivated
All firearms that have been permanently rendered unfit for use or deactivated must be registered in Finland. Such firearms are often found as mementos or heirlooms in family homes. These firearms must be reported to the police and everyone in possession of such a firearm must report it.
If the firearm was deactivated after 28 June 2018, it might already be in the police firearms register. You are responsible for ensuring that the firearm is indeed registered. The police recommend the notification of all deactivated firearms now. If registration has not been done, the possession of such a firearm will be a punishable offence from 15 July 2024.
You need the following identification information to report the firearm:
- firearm type
- make
- model
- calibre
- serial number
- current owner or holder.
When a firearm changes owner, the new owner must submit a new notification within 30 days of the change of ownership. If the firearm has been permanently deactivated before 28 June 2018, it must be deactivated in accordance with current legislation before being handed over to a new owner. Gunsmiths will help with deactivation.
Police online services help with notification
You can notify the police of firearms that have been permanently rendered unfit for use or deactivated through the police online services on the online form provided for this purpose. The form is under the title Services for private individuals - Firearms. You can use the same form to notify on behalf of an estate, a business or a society. The service provides instructions for entering firearm identification information and so makes it easier and faster to submit the notice.
You can also notify the police by visiting a police station. You can find your nearest police station on the Poliisi.fi website. Remember to take an official ID card or your passport with you when visiting the police station. You do not need to take the firearm, if needed the police will ask you separately to present the firearm.
Report firearms in good time, unregistered firearms may result in sanctions
The transition provision in the Firearms Act requires firearms holders to notify the police of
- firearms rendered permanently unfit for use before 8 April 2016
- firearms deactivated after 8 April 2016.
Notification must be made by 15 July 2024, after which being in possession of any such firearm not notified will be a punishable offence.
Links
- Submit notification online at Poliisi.fi/online
- Contact information - Here you can find your nearest police department
- For firearms advice for administrators of a decedent’s estate go to Firearms belonging to estates of deceased persons - Police (police.fi)
Deaktivoidut ampuma-aseet - kysymyksiä ja vastauksia - otsikko en
Deactivated firearms – Q&A
Deaktivoidut ampuma-aseet - kysymyksiä ja vastauksia en
Both are inoperable firearms. Whether a firearm is rendered irreversibly inoperable or deactivated depends on the requirements in force at the time the modification work was carried out. In everyday language both are referred to as a decorative or deactivated firearm.
The EU Deactivation Regulation (15 December 2015) entering into force in 2016 uses the term deactivated firearm. Prior to then, national law referred to firearms that had been permanently rendered unfit for use.
The three periods applying to a deactivated firearm are:
- the period prior to 8 April 2016, when Regulation (EU) 2015/2403 entered into force = a firearm or firearm component rendered permanently unfit for use
- the time 8 April 2016–28 June 2018 = deactivated firearm which does not conform with the requirements and clarifications of Regulation (EU) 2018/337
- after the entry into force of Regulation (EU) 2018/337 of 5 March 2018 which entered into force on 28 June 2018 = deactivated firearm.
A deactivated firearm is a firearm that has been rendered inoperable.
A deactivated firearm is a firearm that the police have approved in accordance with the European Union's Deactivation Regulation (EU) 2015/2403 and the specified content of the Regulation of 2018. The requirements of the regulation have been aimed at ensuring that such a weapon could no longer be brought back to working order. Such a weapon may have written certification of deactivation from the police or Finnish Defence Forces.
There may also be a written certificate from the Finnish Defence Forces that the firearm has been rendered irreversibly inoperable.
People have obtained deactivated firearms for many different reasons:
- a decorative item
- an interest in firearms or their history
- a desire to keep a family firearm as an heirloom after the death of a family member by deactivating it.
Private individuals, associations or other organisations or, for example, a firearms dealer may have deactivated firearms.
You must notify deactivated weapons to the police by 15 July 2024. The police must be notified of a change of owner or acquisition of a deactivated firearm within 30 days of the change of owner.
You must notify deactivated weapons to the police by 15 July 2024. If you fail, either wilfully or because of gross negligence, to submit notification in violation of the Firearms Act (1/1998), you will be guilty of a firearms offence, for which you may be sentenced to a fine.
NOTE! If you have presented your deactivated at a police station after 15 July 2019, you do not need to need submit a new notification.
If the firearm has been deactivated in accordance with the new Deactivation Regulation and the police have issued a certificate accordingly, you can obtain a duplicate of the certificate from the police.
Deactivated firearms must be kept safely in the same way as other similar operable firearms.
The police don’t currently know the exact numbers since there was earlier no requirement to report all deactivated firearms to the police. There are currently around 25,000 deactivated firearms in the firearm information system. The total numbers will be clear after July 2024 once the transition period to report deactivated firearms ends.
Deactivation Regulation (EU) 2015/2403 including the 2018 specifications to it have been drafted in such a way that accepted firearms cannot easily be modified to make them operable.
Since under firearms legislation, a deactivated firearm is defined as a firearm and as such is subject to the requirements applying to firearms.
By law, the acquisition and change of ownership of a firearm that has been irreversibly rendered inoperable must be reported to the police.
A change of ownership of a decorative firearm requires the police to have approved the deactivation of the firearm and that it conforms with the requirements of the Deactivation Regulation.
Over the years, firearms have been rendered inoperable in accordance with the requirements in force at different times.
If you have acquired a firearm that has been deactivated on or after 28 June 2018, all you need to do is to notify the police that you have acquired such a firearm either in the online services or by visiting a police department within 30 days of acquisition. If the firearm has been deactivated earlier, it may change owner without new deactivation only in the same way as an operable firearm (firearm permit procedure).
Online interaction requires strong identification before logging in to the service. Everyone, who is able to identify themselves using Finnish identification tools such as banking IDs or a mobile certificate, can use police online services.
No it doesn’t.
Contact the police department and book an appointment to present the firearm. Do not bring the firearm to the police department yourself but act in accordance with the instructions issued by the police. You can find the contact information for your nearest police department at poliisi.fi/en/contact-information.
How do I notify the police of a deactivated firearm that has been purchased or acquired in 2018 or later and obtain a certificate that it has been officially deactivated in compliance with EU regulations.
You must notify the police of the firearm. The easiest way to do this is using the police online service poliisi.fi/online services. Scan or photo the certificate to attach to the notification.
You can also visit a police station in person. Make an appointment in the poliisi.fi/online appointment service and take a copy of the certificate with you.
The firearm was acquired in 2018 or later but there was no certificate with it.
You must notify the police of the firearm. The easiest way to do this is using the police online service poliisi.fi/online services. In the more information section, tell where and when the item concerned was acquired. The firearm may not change hands before up-to-date deactivation has been verified and an official certificate of this is attached to the notification.
A firearm acquired after 2015 but before 2018. There is a certificate of deactivation of the firearm in accordance with EU regulations.
You must notify the police of the firearm. The easiest way to do this is using the police online service poliisi.fi/online services. Scan or photo the certificate to attach to the notification. The firearm may not change hands until its deactivation has been improved to comply with the requirements that entered into force in 2018.
A firearm acquired after 2015 but before 2018 and there is no certificate of its deactivation in accordance with EU regulations.
You must notify the police of the firearm. The easiest way to do this is using the police online service poliisi.fi/online services. In the more information section, tell where and when the item concerned was acquired. The firearm may not change hands until its deactivation has been improved to comply with the requirements that entered into force in 2018.
A firearm acquired before 2015. I have a certificate of the firearm being rendered irreversibly inoperable in accordance with valid regulations.
You must notify the police of the firearm. The easiest way to do this is using the police online service poliisi.fi/online services. In the more information section, tell where and when the item concerned was acquired. The firearm may not change hands until its deactivation has been improved to comply with the requirements that entered into force in 2018.
A firearm acquired before 2015 but with no certificate of the firearm being rendered irreversibly inoperable in accordance with the regulations in force at the time.
You must notify the police of the firearm. The easiest way to do this is using the police online service poliisi.fi/online services. In the more information section, tell where and when the item concerned was acquired. The firearm may not change hands until its deactivation has been improved to comply with the requirements that entered into force in 2018.
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