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
- 48 hourss. 10(3)(b) Firearms Act 1925
- Recurring review
- Each time the permit is renewed
Permits #
| Permit or document | Validity | Recurring obligation |
|---|---|---|
| Firearms training certificate | limited validity | — |
| Authorisation for a deactivated firearm | no expiry | — |
| Licence to hunt with firearms (deer licence) | limited validity | — |
| European Firearms Pass | limited validity | — |
Quota #
The law sets no maximum number of firearms: each firearm needs its own certificate with its own good reason (s. 3, s. 4(2)(a) Firearms Act 1925). Ammunition is limited per firearm too – to the amount the certificate specifies (s. 3(5)(c) Firearms Act 1925); the Commissioner's Guidelines 2018 give up to about 1,000 rounds as usual for target shooters.
Proof of need #
For each firearm you give a good reason, for a restricted firearm a good and sufficient reason, and you show that only this type is appropriate (s. 4(2)(a), (h) Firearms Act 1925). A rifle or pistol for target shooting requires membership of an authorised rifle or pistol club (s. 4(2)(e), s. 4A Firearms Act 1925); if you let your membership lapse, the Gardaí may revoke the certificate under the Commissioner's Guidelines 2018. Neither the Firearms Act 1925 nor the Guidelines set a number of shooting sessions. Practical or dynamic shooting – any activity using firearms to simulate combat or combat training, such as IPSC – is an offence, including with air guns over 1 joule; the only exception is use covered by an authorisation under s. 2(5)(a) and below 16 joules (s. 4C Firearms Act 1925). As a hunter you name the land you have permission to shoot over; for deer you enclose the licence under s. 29 Wildlife Act 1976.
Storage #
Secure accommodation is a condition of every certificate, and the Gardaí may inspect it (s. 4(2)(d), (4) Firearms Act 1925). How secure depends on the type and number of firearms: a single non-restricted shotgun disassembled with a trigger lock, otherwise a gun safe to BS 7558 fixed to a solid structure; from two restricted or more than three non-restricted firearms – for mixed holdings, take this tier – an alarm and BS 3621 locks on the external doors as well; from three restricted or six firearms of any kind in the same place a monitored intruder alarm (Schedule S.I. 307/2009). Ammunition is locked away separately from the firearm (reg. 13 S.I. 209/2022). In a vehicle the firearm is concealed and kept apart from the ammunition, which is locked (reg. 14 S.I. 209/2022); under the Commissioner's Guidelines 2018 in a case in a locked boot, unloaded, with bolt or magazine removed where possible.
From 4 non-restricted firearms, from two restricted firearms, and for mixed holdings for which the Schedule names no tier, an alarm and BS 3621 locks on the external doors are required in addition to the BS 7558 gun safe (Schedule S.I. 307/2009, no. 3).
| Class | What applies |
|---|---|
| One shotgun, disassembled, with trigger lock | Only for a single non-restricted shotgun: when not in use it is disassembled, each part stored securely and separately, and the trigger housing secured with a trigger lock (Schedule S.I. 307/2009, no. 1). Any further firearm and any restricted firearm needs a gun safe to BS 7558. |
| Gun safe to BS 7558, fixed (1 restricted or up to 3 firearms) | For one restricted firearm or up to three non-restricted: each firearm in a gun safe complying with BS 7558, securely fixed to a solid structure (Schedule S.I. 307/2009, no. 2). With two restricted or more than three non-restricted firearms, an alarm and BS 3621 locks on the external doors are also required. For mixed holdings – say one restricted and two non-restricted – the Schedule names no level: take the next higher one (no. 3); whether your accommodation is sufficient is decided by the superintendent when granting the certificate (s. 4(2)(d) Firearms Act 1925). |
| BS 7558 with alarm and BS 3621 door locks (up to 5 firearms) | For two restricted firearms or more than three non-restricted: gun safe to BS 7558, fixed, plus an alarm at the premises and locks complying with BS 3621 on the external doors (Schedule S.I. 307/2009, no. 3). From three restricted or six firearms in the same place you need the monitored intruder alarm. |
| BS 7558 with monitored intruder alarm to EN 50131 | From three restricted firearms or six firearms of any type kept in the same place: everything from the previous level plus an intruder alarm complying with I.S. EN 50131, installed and maintained by an installer licensed by the Private Security Authority, connected to a licensed monitoring service with GSM back-up signalling (Schedule S.I. 307/2009, no. 4). |
| Locked ammunition receptacle, separate from the firearm | When the firearm is not in use, ammunition is kept in a locked receptacle, separately from any firearm in which it can be used (reg. 13 S.I. 209/2022). |
The container classes shown summarize the rules of your country in simplified form and do not cover every case — the statute, the regulation and your authority prevail.
Legal deadlines (Ireland) #
| Deadline | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Renew the certificate (no earlier than 3 months before) | A firearm certificate runs for three years (s. 3(7) Firearms Act 1925). You may apply for renewal no earlier than three months before it expires (s. 3(8) Firearms Act 1925); the Garda may take up to three months from your completed application to decide (s. 3(9) Firearms Act 1925). So apply right at the start of the window – under the Commissioner's Guidelines 2018 the FCR form arrives about three months beforehand, and you should avoid applying to substitute a firearm (s. 11 Firearms Act 1964) during those three months. For a semi-automatic centre-fire rifle an expired certificate is lost: it can only be renewed, never granted again (s. 3DA Firearms Act 1925). The reminder comes on the day the window opens. | s. 3(7), (8), (9) Firearms Act 1925 |
| Decision within 3 months | The Garda decides on an application for a certificate or its renewal within three months of your submitting the completed form (s. 3(9) Firearms Act 1925). If nothing has arrived by then, the application is deemed refused and you are deemed to have received notice: the 30 days for an appeal to the District Court run from that day, even without a letter (s. 15A(2), (5) Firearms Act 1925). | s. 3(9) Firearms Act 1925; s. 15A Firearms Act 1925 |
| Appeal within 30 days | Against a refusal or revocation of a certificate you appeal to the District Court within 30 days of receiving notice of the decision, to the judge assigned to the district where you live (s. 15A Firearms Act 1925); if the Garda has not decided within three months, the 30 days run from the end of those three months (s. 15A(5) Firearms Act 1925). You may not keep the firearm while the appeal is pending: without a certificate in force, possession is unlawful (s. 2 Firearms Act 1925) – under the Commissioner's Guidelines 2018 you hand it to a registered firearms dealer for storage until the appeal is decided. | s. 15A Firearms Act 1925 |
| Report loss or theft within 3 days | If a firearm or ammunition is lost or stolen, report it within three days of becoming aware of it to the authority that granted the certificate (s. 5A Firearms Act 1925); failing to do so without reasonable excuse is an offence. If the firearm is listed in your European Firearms Pass, report it immediately and produce the pass (reg. 23(4) S.I. 209/2022). | s. 5A Firearms Act 1925; reg. 23 S.I. 209/2022 |
| Sale, gift or loan to a private person: notify within 48 hours | You may sell, give or lend a firearm (s. 10(6) Firearms Act 1925) only to someone who produces a certificate for this very firearm (s. 10(2) Firearms Act 1925), and never to a person under 18 (reg. 12 S.I. 209/2022). Within 48 hours of handing it over you send notice by registered post to the superintendent for the area where the recipient's certificate was granted (s. 10(3)(b) Firearms Act 1925) – unless it went to a registered firearms dealer. You cancel your own certificate on form FCA2 under the Commissioner's Guidelines 2018. The app reminds you when you record a sale. | s. 10(2), (3) Firearms Act 1925 |
| Transport in a vehicle | In a vehicle the firearm is concealed from view and kept apart from the ammunition, which is stored in a locked receptacle (reg. 14 S.I. 209/2022). Under the Commissioner's Guidelines 2018 it travels unloaded in a case in a locked boot, never concealed on the person in public, with bolt or magazine removed where possible. Having a third party consign a firearm requires the superintendent's written authorisation; carrying it yourself does not (s. 16 Firearms Act 1925). To travel to other EU states you use the European Firearms Pass; where the destination state requires its prior consent, that consent must be entered on the pass before you travel – without it only hunters with Category C firearms and target shooters with Category B or C firearms may travel (reg. 19(2), (3) S.I. 209/2022), and you must be able to show the reason for the journey, for example an invitation (Art. 17 of Directive (EU) 2021/555). Northern Ireland is governed by the law of the United Kingdom. Importing a firearm into Ireland requires a licence from the Minister (s. 17 Firearms Act 1925). | reg. 14 S.I. 209/2022; s. 16, s. 17 Firearms Act 1925 |
Fully automatic and military semi-automatic firearms #
Fully automatic firearms #
In Ireland, fully automatic firearms are Category A firearms under the EU Firearms Directive: acquiring or possessing one is an offence (s. 2D Firearms Act 1925), and since 1 September 2019 no application for a certificate has been considered (s. 2E Firearms Act 1925). Converting a firearm to fully automatic fire is also an offence (s. 12A Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990).
Military semi-automatic rifles #
Since 1 August 2023 no certificate has been granted for semi-automatic centre-fire rifles, not even by way of substitution for another firearm (s. 3DA Firearms Act 1925); only a certificate first granted on or before 18 September 2015 and in force on 1 August 2023 is renewed – once it expires, it is lost. Assault rifles, guns resembling them and bullpup rifles are never non-restricted firearms (Art. 3, Art. 4(2)(c) S.I. 21/2008).