This page is generated from the same catalogs Waffenschrank works with. Whatever it says, the app shows in the same words where it applies — with permits, deadlines and storage locations. When an entry changes, it changes in both places — in the app with the next update.
At a glance #
- Report after acquisition
- No single deadline in days in the catalog — see the deadlines below for specific cases
- Report after transfer
- No single deadline in days in the catalog — see the deadlines below for specific cases
- Recurring review
- Each time the permit is renewed
Permits #
| Permit or document | Validity | Recurring obligation |
|---|---|---|
| Våbentilladelse (firearms permit) | limited validity | — |
| Jagttegn (hunting license) | limited validity | — |
| Våbenpåtegning (weapon endorsement on the club card) | limited validity | — |
| Tilladelse til indkøb (purchase permit, 3 months) | Acquisition window | — |
| Tilladelse til sortkrudt (black powder, 5 years) | limited validity | — |
| Tilladelse til genopladning (reloading, 5 years) | limited validity | — |
| Våbensamlertilladelse (collector’s permit) | varies by document | — |
Quota #
There is no statutory maximum; shotguns with a barrel of at least 55 cm, guns with a model or manufacturing year up to 1890 and some Danish service models are permitted without a limit on numbers (§ 51 våbenbekendtgørelsen). Limits come from administrative practice under the weapons circular, which binds the police: if you already have two pistols of the same or a similar caliber, you must give a special, usually sporting reason for a third, and more than six pistols above 5.6 mm are granted only by way of exception (§ 20 stk. 5, 7 våbencirkulæret). Hunters get at most one semi-automatic centerfire rifle and two semi-automatic rimfire rifles up to 5.6 mm, for hunting and culling only (§ 19 a våbencirkulæret). Club members may acquire and hold a total of 1,000 long-range and 5,000 short-range cartridges (§ 40 våbencirkulæret).
Proof of need #
A permit for pistols is granted only to actively shooting members of a club under DGI, Skydesport Danmark or Dansk Firmaidræt who are at least 20 years old and have been shooting actively for at least two years; the club chair confirms this in writing (§ 20 stk. 1, 3 våbencirkulæret). Since 1 April 2026 the police can also authorize clubs under Dansk Sportsskytte Forbund to give weapon endorsements (§ 9 stk. 1 våbenbekendtgørelsen); the circular’s pistol rule does not name this association. Whether its members can get a permit for pistols is therefore unresolved. How often you must shoot to count as active is up to the associations – the circular gives no number. A weapon endorsement on your membership card lapses when your membership ends (§ 8 stk. 4 våbenbekendtgørelsen). The app’s training log does not replace the club’s confirmation.
Storage #
Guns and ammunition must be stored securely and out of reach of unauthorised persons; ammunition also belongs in the gun safe and may be kept together with the guns (§ 24 stk. 1–2 våbenbekendtgørelsen). From the first gun on, you need a gun safe (sikringsskab) of at least EN 1143-1 grade 0 or equivalent for up to 25 guns and conversion kits, of which at most 10 particularly dangerous ones such as pistols, revolvers, semi-automatic and automatic guns; if it weighs less than 1,000 kg, it must be bolted to the floor or wall (§ 24 stk. 4). Keys must be kept just as securely, and members of one household may share a safe (§ 24 stk. 6, 10). The police may impose further requirements or, in special cases, grant an exemption (§ 24 stk. 7, 8).
From 26 guns and conversion kits – or as soon as you have more than 10 particularly dangerous ones – you need a cast strongroom with a protection level of at least EN 1143-1 grade 1 or a grade 1 safe, bolted down if under 1,000 kg, plus an intruder alarm connected to a monitoring center approved by the Rigspolitiet and staffed around the clock (§ 24 stk. 5 våbenbekendtgørelsen). The app counts your total stock; it estimates the particularly dangerous ones from the firearm type (§ 24 stk. 9) – check the number, as the list there is not exhaustive.
The app does not list container classes for your country — your country’s storage rules and your authority prevail.
Legal deadlines (Denmark) #
| Deadline | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Shotgun or air gun over 4.5 mm: report within 8 days | Anyone who acquires a shotgun under § 2 a våbenloven or an air or spring gun with a caliber above 4.5 mm reports this to the police within 8 days – stating type, make, model, caliber, serial or identification number and from whom the gun was acquired (§ 52 våbenbekendtgørelsen). This does not apply to guns with their own permit: the permit names the gun before it is acquired (§ 5 våbenbekendtgørelsen). If you buy from a dealer, the dealer notes the delivery on the permit and returns it to the police (§ 29 våbencirkulæret). Who does this when you buy from a private seller is regulated neither in the order nor in the circular – ask the police before the handover. | § 52 våbenbekendtgørelsen |
| Pistol permits are valid for two years | A permit for pistols is valid for only two years, other firearms permits generally for five, and permits for rifled hunting guns issued to hunters for ten (§ 49 stk. 1, 3 våbenbekendtgørelsen). The new application has the same requirements as the first one, including the club chair’s written confirmation of your active membership (§ 20 stk. 1, 3 våbencirkulæret). The reminder comes three months before expiry. | § 49 våbenbekendtgørelsen |
| Renew your hunting license every hunting year | The hunting license is valid for the hunting year from 1 April to 31 March. Without a firearms permit, you may acquire, carry and use shotguns and shotgun cartridges under § 2 a våbenloven only while your hunting license is valid or if your shooting club has given you a weapon endorsement for them. As a former hunting license holder, you may keep possessing the shotguns – not the cartridges – as long as you meet the requirements for a hunting license (§ 2 a stk. 1 and 4 våbenloven). The police consent to the hunting license lasts only as long as the license itself (§ 49 stk. 4 våbenbekendtgørelsen). According to the authorities, the new license is issued only once the fee is paid and the previous year’s bag has been reported; the app has not checked the hunting act against its wording, and it does not report any bag. | § 2 a våbenloven, § 49 våbenbekendtgørelsen |
| Estate: four weeks | Heirs, estate administrators or trustees in bankruptcy may hold guns and ammunition from an estate or bankruptcy estate without a permit of their own for up to four weeks after the death or the bankruptcy order; by then a permit is applied for or the gun disposed of. The police may require the guns to be deposited and, in special cases, extend the deadline (§ 46 våbenbekendtgørelsen). | § 46 våbenbekendtgørelsen |
Fully automatic and military semi-automatic firearms #
Fully automatic firearms #
In Denmark, fully automatic weapons are particularly dangerous firearms (§ 10 a stk. 2 våbenbekendtgørelsen) and, like every firearm, require a permit (§ 2 våbenloven). Under the weapons circular, the police grant a permit for submachine guns, fully automatic rifles and machine guns only by way of exception, in very special circumstances and for professional use (§ 20 a våbencirkulæret) – the circular provides none for private persons, sport or hunting. The law sets no cut-off date.
Military semi-automatic rifles Unresolved #
In Denmark, semi-automatic weapons are particularly dangerous firearms (§ 10 a stk. 2 våbenbekendtgørelsen). Under the weapons circular, hunters can get one semi-automatic centerfire rifle in a big-game caliber and two semi-automatic rimfire rifles up to 5.6 mm, for hunting and culling only, and for hunting with a magazine permanently limited to three cartridges (§ 19 a våbencirkulæret). Semi-automatics with a fixed magazine holding more than ten cartridges, with a folding or telescopic stock that shortens them below 60 cm, or converted from a fully automatic weapon are granted only by way of exception and for professional use, unless the holder had a valid permit on 13 June 2017 (§ 20 a våbencirkulæret). Whether and how sport shooters can get a military semi-automatic is not specifically addressed by the circular.