Buying weapons and dangerous objects online
You must always notify Swedish Customs when you order firearms, silencers, and ammunition online. You may also need to notify us about other weapons and dangerous items, such as knives and laser pointers.
When you buy a firearm, silencer, ammunition, other weapon, or dangerous object online, you may need a permit from the Swedish Police Authority.
If you are buying a laser pointer, you may need a permit from the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority. Find out what each authority requires in your particular case. The rules differ depending on whether you are placing your order from another EU country or from a country outside the EU.
How to register your goods
From an EU Member State
Applying for a permit
Depending on what you order, you may need to apply for a permit from more than one authority. Make sure to apply for a permit well in advance of placing your order.
Notifying Swedish Customs
Your carrier is advised to notify Swedish Customs in advance.
- Notify Swedish Customs at least 24 hours before taking weapons silencers and ammunition across the border. The forms below should be completed.
- Please e-mail your forms to vapendeklaration@tullverket.se
You are responsible for ensuring that you or your carrier present the goods to Swedish Customs at the border. The person bringing the order into Sweden is responsible for ensuring that the forms below are completed and signed.
Forms
From a country outside the EU
Applying for a permit
Depending on what you order, you may need to apply for a permit from more than one authority. Make sure to apply for a permit well in advance of placing your order.
Notifying Swedish Customs
You are responsible for ensuring that you or your carrier present the goods to Swedish Customs at the border. The person bringing the order into Sweden is responsible for ensuring that the forms below are completed and signed.
Forms
The single administrative document (SAD)
How to complete the Single Administrative Document when you import or export a weapon
Paying fees
When you order goods from a country outside the EU, you may have to pay customs duties and VAT on your order.
Is the country part of the EU?
If you are unsure whether the country you are trading with is an EU Member State or not – here is a list of all EU countries.
These are weapons, ammunition and silencers
Firearms include, for example:
- Bullet and pellet firing weapons
- Crossbows
- Tear gas and pepper spray devices
- Electroshock weapons (stun guns, tasers and similar devices)
- Certain weapons parts.
Ammunition refers to cartridges and projectiles for handguns, as well as primers and other ignition devices for such cartridges and projectiles.
Silencers are not classified as firearms, but are regulated in much the same way as ammunition. Anyone with a firearms licence may, without special permission, possess silencers that are suitable for their weapon.
Silencers – Swedish Police Authority (in Swedish)
Other weapons
There are other weapons that, under certain conditions, do not require a licence under weapons legislation. These include certain air and carbon dioxide weapons and harpoon weapons. Different weapons are subject to different rules and require different licences.
Air and carbonic acid weapons (limited-effect weapons)
Air and carbon dioxide weapons are what we call power-limited weapons. These are weapons that are powered by things like gas, carbon dioxide, air, springs, or other similar propellants.
You can bring an air or carbon dioxide weapon into Sweden without a licence if:
- You are over 18 years old.
- The weapon has a power limitation, which means that the projectile fired has an impact energy of less than 10 joules at 4 metres’ distance from the muzzle of the weapon.
- The impact energy is a maximum of 3 joules at 4 metres’ distance from the muzzle of the weapon for a fully automatic weapon.
- The impact energy is a maximum of 10 joules at 4 metres’ distance from the muzzle of the weapon for a semi-automatic weapon.
- The projectile (paintball) has a minimum diameter of 16 mm (applies to paintball weapons).
If your air or carbon dioxide weapon does not meet the requirements for licence exemption, you need a licence. The same rules apply as for ordinary firearms, and you must always notify Swedish Customs when you bring the weapon across the border.
An example of a power-limited weapon is an air rifle with a 4.5 mm air rifle pellet travelling at a maximum of 200 m/sec, measured 4 metres from the muzzle of the weapon.
Harpoons
You need a permit from the Swedish Police Authority to bring harpoon weapons into Sweden if:
- You are under 18 years old.
- The distance between the front edge of the bow and the hooking device is more than 50 cm.
- The harpoon is powered by more than one tension band.
- The harpoon is powered by explosive substances such as carbon dioxide, compressed air or a coil spring.
Dangerous objects
Dangerous objects include switchblades, stilettos, butterfly knives, brass knuckles, throwing stars, batons, karate sticks, lead weights, claw or studded gloves, nail clubs and similar items. To bring such goods into Sweden, you need a special permit from the Swedish Police Authority.
Permit for laser pointers
You need a permit from the the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority to bring laser pointers into Sweden. A powerful laser pointer is defined as a battery-powered laser pointer that is held in the hand and belongs to laser class 3R, 3B or 4. In most cases, this means laser pointers that are more powerful than 1 milliwatt (1 mW).
Questions and answers
May I order a knife online?
Yes, you may. However, depending on what type of knife it is, a permit from the Swedish Police Authority may be required. If a permit is required, notification of the knife must be given to Swedish Customs when it is brought into Sweden.
I have found a Spanish retailer who sells knives online. This retailer has a nice butterfly knife I would like to buy. Can I?
Butterfly knives are classed as dangerous objects and are regulated in Sweden’s Ordinance on permits for importation of certain dangerous objects (1990:415). As a result of this, to receive a parcel containing a dangerous object, you need a permit from the Swedish Police Authority.
May I place an online order to have a silencer for my elk hunting rifle sent to me from the USA?
Private individuals are required to hold a permit for the weapon for which the silencer is intended. This permit can be acquired from the Swedish Police Authority.
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