Weapon- and hunting permission
...or: How to
legally bring your hunting weapons to Sweden
The short-short version!
(Detailed description is found below)
Who may hunt
in Sweden?
In general you may hunt in Sweden if you own property or if you rent the
right to hunt on a property or if you are invited by one of the previously
mentioned.
To own (= get licence for) hunting weapon(s) you need to be at least
18 years old, have no criminal record and you must pass a hunter's
examination. The examination contains theoretical tests as well as
practical tests such as rifle- and shotgun tests, safe weapon handling
test etc.
You may handle a hunting weapon from the age of 15, but only when
accompanied by the owner of the weapon.
(For other weapons, e.g. handguns, other rules apply.)
If a foreigner has the lawful right to hunt in his country, he is permitted
to
hunt in Sweden as long as he is under supervision of a Swedish hunter.
Every hunter (even foreigners) must pay for a Hunter's Card (Jaktkort)
to be allowed to hunt. This card is valid from July 1 to June 30. The card
costs around € 20. (Ask your Swedish host to get you one.)
To bring a weapon to Sweden you always need permission. Three
different rules apply.
If you bring a weapon from
A. a
Nordic country (not Iceland), you
notify the customs when
entering Sweden. You are allowed to keep the weapon in Sweden
for maximum three months.
B. a country within the European Union, you should to get an
EU
Weapon Pass (not
an absolute requirement!) and
at the latest
notify the customs when entering Sweden.
(A "Swedish" EU Weapon
Pass costs around € 50 and is valid for five years. But...! I'm not
so sure that
this method works so well yet.)
C. an other country than above mentioned you have to notify
the
custom, at the latest, when you enter Sweden. There are no agree-
ments between the states to facilitate bringing your weapon, so
you should do what is stated in the chapter below.
A-C. It is always an advantage (but not an absolute requirement!)
to bring hunter's exam, membership in a hunters club, or a letter of recommendation
from a hunters association etc.
This
is how it (always!) works
(N.b. These are the general rules and apply to 99%. But
to be absolute sure you
should contact the Police Authorities
where you will enter Sweden.)
1. You have to have an invitation (here's
an example) from a Swedish host
who have permission to hunt in Sweden (se top of page). This invitation
must clearly state:
(N.b. The invitation may contain multiple hunts during one
season, meaning
several entries to the country on the same request.)
2. You have to make a formal request to the Police Authorities where the
weapon(s) are brought into the country. For your own convenience: Fill
in the all the fields in the form! (You are not the only one who
wants
to bring a weapon to Sweden.) You must send a photocopy of
your
weapon license with the form. (Here
you find the Arlanda Application form)
The clerks are very friendly but also very busy and must eventually
send
back the application if it is inconsistent. Note that there are different
handling times for the applications in different Police
Authorities.
Click
here to se table (you can also download application forms from there!).
Now hear this! For practical reasons the Authorities allow the Swedish
organisers for hunting (or competition shooting) to apply (i.e. sign!)
for permission for their Non-Scandinavian guests.
3. You must pay an administration fee of 500 SEK (around €
50)
when
you submit the application. If this fee is not paid the application will not
be considered and the entry permit will not be granted.
4. When all papers are in order your request will (most certainly)
be
granted. (First then may you bring your weapon to Sweden.)
5. When entering the country you must tell the customs that you bring
weapon(s) and show your invitation and weapon license (both originals).
6. When leaving the country again you must tell the customs that you
are taking your weapon(s) out of the country.
Some useful
hints
Let your host in Sweden prepare the "paperwork".
The host in Sweden is legally responsible for the foreign guest, meaning
that the host must know that the guest has good shooting skills, knows
about Swedish hunting rules, uses legal weapon and ammunition etc.
You
may of course bring along the ammunition needed for the hunt
(and practice).
A knife is defined as a weapon in Sweden, but you don't have to get
a licence for it. It's of course allowed carrying it to and from the hunt
and using it for its purpose but otherwise it's forbidden carrying it in
public places.
Be sure to let your host tell you about the non-written weapon safety
rules that we practice here in Sweden. (I can't - at the moment
- describe
them here.)