Moving firearms across national borders

A transfer from a member state of the European Union to another member state (EU->EU) is a private transfer when the end user is a private individual (citizenship is irrelevant, the place of residence is relevant). In Finland, the local police department is the competent authority for handling private transfer permits. 

Person living in an EU member state buys a firearm in Finland

If you live abroad and wish to acquire a firearm from Finland you must present:

• an acquisition permit, firearm permit or other document issued by the authorities of the country where you live, stating that you have the right to acquire the firearm mentioned in the document
• prior consent issued by the authorities of the country where you live, stating that there are no impediments to transferring the weapon from Finland to your country of residence.

If you are not coming to Finland to apply for the permit in person, the seller or an agent acting on your behalf must also present:

• a copy of your passport or identity card to link the firearm acquisition permit to your identity
• a power of attorney, where you authorise another person to act on your behalf in Finland to buy the firearm.

On the basis of these documents, the local police department grants an acquisition permit to a person living abroad and a private transfer permit by which the firearm can be transferred from Finland.

Private transfer permit

A private transfer permit is granted by a police department. The transfer permit may be used to transfer firearms from Finland to another EU country. The transfer permit is granted on the basis of the prior consent of the country of destination. The private transfer permit and an acquisition permit for a person living abroad must be applied for at the same time.

Prior consent for a Finnish national for a private transfer
You will need a prior consent for a private transfer if you intend to transfer any of the following to Finland from another EU country for a private purpose:

• firearms 
• firearm components
• specially dangerous projectiles. 

With your prior consent, you can demonstrate to the authorities of another EU country that a Finnish authority has no objection to you transferring the items mentioned in the consent to Finland. Based on the prior consent, you will be able to obtain a transfer authorisation for the firearms from the authorities of the country of dispatch and transfer them to Finland. 

You must have the right to possess the items to be transferred. The prior consent for a private individual is granted and withdrawn by the local police department of your municipality of residence or place of stay. The private prior consent may be granted for a maximum of one year.

Payments specified in the Ministry of the Interior Decree on Charges Payable for the Services Provided by the Police (1386/2019): 

• Acquisition permit for persons living abroad €35. Additional permit of the same type applied for at the same time €30
• Private transfer permit €31
• Prior consent for private transfer €31.

Exports (EU->non-EU) are classified as private exports when the end user is a private individual (citizenship is irrelevant, the place of residence is relevant). In Finland, the Firearms Administration of the National Police Board is the competent authority in matters relating to private exports. 

Private and commercial exports are not regulated by the Finnish Firearms Act but by the EU Firearms Regulation No 258/2012.  The Regulation entered into force on 30 September 2013. For private exports, the licencing authority is the Firearms Administration of the National Police Board. 

You will need a private export licence when you move from Finland to a country outside the EU and you are taking your firearms with you. You will also need a private export licence if you live outside the EU and want to buy a firearm in Finland.

Instructions for filling in the application

Fill in all sections carefully. Pay attention to the following details:

• Enter the codes for the Customs in the application form. 
• In section 3 in the description field, enter the code found on the left side of Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 258/2012 for the items to be exported, e.g. 14 (ammunition). 
• In the markings section, write the product name, for example LAPUA. 
• In the item code field, enter the CN code for the items. You will find the codes on the right hand side of Annex I to the Regulation (EU) No 258/2012, e.g. 9306 3090. Detailed explanations for the codes are attached to the form. 

Write the firearm’s identifying information in plain language in a separate supporting document which you attach to the application.

One code can contain more than one firearm. This information is completed by the applicant or agent.

Person living outside the EU buys a firearm in Finland
If you are the buyer, you will need:

• authorisation to acquire a firearm or an equivalent document obtained from the country of residence, in which the authority of the country of residence declares that the person is entitled to acquire the item(s)
• import licence issued by the country of residence
• end user certificate (EUC), i.e. a document where you provide information on the end use of the firearm (hunting, sports shooting or other use).

If you do not come to Finland to apply for the permits in person, you will also need:

• copy of your passport’s personal data page
• power of attorney for the person you have appointed to deal with the matter in Finland.  

You will need these documents to apply for an acquisition permit for persons living abroad and a private export licence.

Private export licence and acquisition permit for persons living abroad

The person handing over the firearm, the agent with a power of attorney or the buyer submits a private export licence application and an application for a permit to acquire a firearm (acquisition permit for a person living abroad).  The application for a private export licence includes:

• contact details of the person who fills in the application form
• items to be handed over
• who hands over the items 
• who receives the items
• buyer’s contact details
• invoicing address
• delivery address for the permits.

Although the applications are processed by the National Police Board’s Firearms Administration, the applications are submitted to the local police department. The Firearms Administration delivers the permits and the invoice to the agent or the person acquiring the firearm.

After the firearm has been delivered, the person who handed it over must submit a notification of firearm exports to the local police department. On the basis of the notification, the local police department records the change of owner and the delivery of the firearm abroad. 

If you are moving to a non-EU country and are taking your firearms with you, you will only need a private export licence. To apply for it, you will need: 

• import licence from the country of destination
• proof from the country of destination stating that you can obtain a permit for the firearm you are bringing to the country
• end user certificate (EUC), i.e. a document where you provide information on the end use of the firearm (hunting, sports shooting or other use).

A private import licence is issued and cancelled by the local police department of your municipality of residence or place of residence. The licence is usually granted for a maximum of one year, but for special reasons you can obtain it for two years. 

Under a private import licence, you will be allowed to keep the items in your possession for a maximum period of 3 months during the period of validity of the import licence.  During that time, you must obtain a Finnish firearm permit for the items you have brought. If you have not obtained a firearm permit within three months of the import, or your import licence expires, you must hand over the items to the police. Note that in order to obtain a Finnish firearm permit, you must fulfil the conditions specified in the Firearms Act for obtaining firearms permits in Finland.

A private import licence may also be used when hunters or sports shooters come to Finland from outside the EU or, for example, a biathlon athlete takes part in a Finnish hunting or sports event. In this case, you must also present an invitation or other document as proof of participating in a hunting or sports event.

If you do not have a municipality of residence in Finland, you must also have a firearm permit or another authorisation issued by an authority of the country of residence stating that you are entitled to possess the firearm or component in your country of residence.

A Finnish firearms dealer needs prior commercial consent from the country of destination. With the prior consent, the authority of the destination country notifies the Finnish authority in advance that there is no impediment to the transfer of the firearms from Finland to the destination country. The dealer in the destination country provides this consent to the Finnish dealer. The Finnish dealer submits the prior consent with the commercial transfer permit application to the Firearms Administration of the National Police Board. If the conditions for granting a permit are met, the Firearms Administration of the National Police Board issues a transfer permit, invoices the Finnish dealer, and the transfer may then take place. 

A Finnish firearms dealer who wants to transfer firearms from a dealer in another EU member state to Finland must apply for prior commercial consent from the Firearms Administration of the National Police Board. The prior commercial consent confirms in advance that there are no impediments to transferring the items mentioned in the prior consent to Finland. On the basis of the prior consent, the competent authority in the country of dispatch can issue a transfer authorisation for the items. 

You can order the forms for a commercial transfer permit and commercial prior consent from the National Police Board’s Firearms Administration at asehallinto@poliisi.fi. 

If the items are included in the Common Military List of the European Union, an export/transfer licence must be applied for from the Ministry of Defence.
The Common Military List is available on the website of the Official Journal of the EU.

You will need a commercial export licence when you export items from Finland to a non-EU country and the recipient is another business. The Firearms Administration of the National Police Board is the competent authority for commercial exports. 

For a commercial export licence, you will need:

• import licence issued by the authority of the country of destination 
• end user certificate (EUC). The recipient firearms dealer in the country of destination issues or obtains the end user certificate. The certificate must state the end use of the items and any resale.  

Provisions on private and commercial exports are given in the EU Firearms Regulation No 258/2012. As an EU regulation, it is directly applicable legislation and overrides the provisions of national firearms law in export matters (prior consent still works in the European Union – transfer licence practice between member states). The Regulation entered into force on 30 September 2013. 

Filling in an export licence application

Send the completed, signed and dated export licence application and the supporting documents to the Firearms Administration of the Finnish National Police Board. Note that the Firearms Administration fills in the model export authorisation forms annexed to the Regulation.
 

• Fill in the applicant’s and the recipient’s details in sections 1 and 2 of the application form. 
• Write the business ID in the field for identification number if the exporter is a firearms dealer.
• In section 3 enter the items to be exported using codes. 
• In the description field, enter the description code of the items using the code found on the left hand side of Annex I to the Regulation (EU) No 258/2012, e.g. code 2 (Single-shot... etc). 
• In the item code field, enter the CN code, e.g. 9302 2000, which you will also find in Annex I, so that the exported items correspond to the descriptions in the Annex. 
• The third supporting document (eu_ 2014) describes in more detail the items which the codes refer to (the Customs is very particular about these and the codes must describe the items accurately). 
• In the marking section, enter the item product name, such as ‘Browning’.
• In the currency and value section, enter the currency used in transaction and the price of the item (the price is not mandatory). 
• In the quantity of items section, enter the number of items under the code. 

There may be more than one item of firearms or components under the same code. You do not need to enter each one separately in the application.

In section 4, enter of the end use of the items in accordance with the end user certificate issued by the country of destination.

In section 5, ‘temporary exports’ may mean, for example, trade fair exports if the items are returned to the exporter after the event. In the section for the date of export, the year of export is enough. In the import licence number section, enter the number of the import licence issued by the country of destination. In the term of validity section, enter the validity period of the import licence.

Prior to the departure of the consignment, enter the identifying information for the firearms/components/cartridges in a separate document using plain language. The identifying information on the items, such as the firearm identification number, must be delivered to the Firearms Administration of the National Police Board.

Send the application and the supporting documents to:

National Police Board / Firearms Administration
PO Box 50
11101 Riihimäki

Import licences are granted and cancelled by the National Police Board’s Firearms Administration. A licence may be granted if the imports do not endanger the maintenance of public order and security. The Firearms Administration may ask you to present the end user certificate for the items you are intending to import.

You must always present the end user certificate for a specially dangerous firearm. In addition, the Customs will need proof of whether the firearms and ammunition have been inspected in order to verify their safety in use.

You must apply for an import licence in writing. To order the forms for commercial import licences, contact asehallinto@poliisi.fi 

Send the import licence application and the supporting documents to:

National Police Board / Firearms Administration
PO Box 50
11101 Riihimäki

Under the Finnish Firearms Act, transit means transport from a non-EU member state via Finland to a non-EU member state.

A commercial transit licence may be issued to an applicant who presents an end user certificate or other reliable proof of no impediment to issuing the licence.

You will need a trade permit in firearms for brokering firearms, firearm components, cartridges or specially dangerous projectiles. 

Broker means any natural or legal person, other than a dealer, whose trade or business wholly or partly consists of either of the following: 

• a) the negotiation or arrangement of transactions for the purchase, sale or supply of firearms, essential components or ammunition 
• b) arranging the transfer of firearms, essential components or ammunition within a member state, from one member state to another member state, from a member state to a third country or from a third country to a member state