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Travelling with a firearm for hunting or competition

If you are travelling across Swedish border to hunt or compete with a firearm, you must always report that you are bringing a firearm, silencer or ammunition.

Depending on whether you are travelling between Sweden and another EU country, or between Sweden and a country outside the EU, you make this declaration in different ways.

When travelling with a firearm, you must always carry your Swedish firearm licence or your European Firearms Pass.

Register online

When travelling between Sweden and another EU country while carrying a firearm, silencer or ammunition, you can declare online that you are travelling with a firearm. As confirmation of your declaration, you will receive an email with a declaration number.

If you have made an online declaration, you can select the green or blue lane in the customs filter as you cross the Swedish border. The only thing you need to bear in mind is that you should be able to show your declaration number if requested by a customs officer.

Report that you are travelling with firearms and ammunition

Deregister your weapon

When you have returned from your travels, you have to denotify your firearm. You do this by clicking the link in the email you received when you gave notification of the weapon.

Report at the border

You can also make a declaration directly at the border. To do so, you must go to a customs officer and show your firearm and your permit to possess your firearm or European Firearms Pass (firearms licence). You will also need to fill in this form:

Declaration for firearms and ammunition for hunting, competition, transit pdf, 233.6 kB.

Same rules for travelling to and from Norway

Even when travelling between Sweden and Norway (which is not an EU country), you can declare your firearm online or make a declaration directly at the border.

If you are resident in Norway and travelling to or through Sweden, you can declare your firearm online. If you do not, you need to fill in this form:

Declaration for firearms and ammunition for hunting, competition, transit pdf, 233.6 kB.

Resident in another EU country

If you live in an EU country other than Sweden and are travelling between Sweden and another EU country with a firearm, silencer or ammunition, you can declare your weapon directly online or at the border.

When declaring at the border, present copy 1 of form Declaration for firearms and ammunition for hunting, competition, transit to a customs officer. You should also present your firearm, silencer, ammunition, entry permit and European Firearms Pass (EFP). When you leave the country at a later date, you should approach a customs official and present copy 2 of the same form.

Declaration for firearms and ammunition for hunting, competition, transit pdf, 233.6 kB.

Resident in Denmark, Finland or Norway

If you live in Denmark, Finland or Norway and are travelling to Sweden with a firearm, you must be able to present one of the following to Swedish Customs:

  • A licence to own a firearm issued in your country of residence.
  • Your European Firearms Pass (EFP).

You do not need to present both a licence and an EFP.

If you live in Denmark and are travelling to Sweden with a shotgun and do not have a permit, you must instead have an EFP issued for the shotgun.

For example, if you are travelling from Sweden to Denmark and then flying on with your firearms to a country outside the EU for hunting or a competition.

Always start by checking the national regulations that apply in the country you are travelling through and your final destination.

Please contact the relevant embassy or competent authority.

Follow these steps

Before you leave Sweden:

  • Declare your firearm by contacting Swedish Customs at the border (for example, at Arlanda or Landvetter) or at a customs clearance office. There, you can provide the information required for the customs officer to help you complete a customs declaration.
  • Upon request from a customs officer, you must be able to present the firearms, silencers and ammunition you are carrying.

Swedish Customs will draw up a temporary export document for your goods. You must take this document with you to the customs office of exit. The customs office of exit is the customs office at the border in the EU country where the goods leave the EU.

When you return to Sweden:

  • Declare your firearm for re-import by contacting Swedish Customs at the border (for example, at Arlanda or Landvetter) or at a customs clearance office. There, you must present your temporary export document and, upon request by a customs officer, show the firearms, silencers and ammunition you are carrying.

Stopovers within the EU

Regardless of whether or not you collect your luggage during a stopover within the EU, you must declare the firearm, silencer and ammunition to Swedish Customs. You do this by providing the information required for the customs officer to help you complete a customs declaration.

If you collect your luggage during the stopover, it is important that you also contact the relevant public agency in the country where you are stopping over to find out what rules apply when you leave that country.

When you are travelling between Sweden and a country outside the EU and are bringing a firearm, silencer or ammunition with you, you need to declare that you are taking the firearm, silencer or ammunition across the Swedish border.

You do this by contacting Swedish Customs at the border (e.g. Arlanda or Landvetter) or at a customs clearance offices. There you provide the information necessary for the customs officer to assist you in making a customs declaration.

At the request of a customs officer, you should be able to show your carried firearms, silencers and ammunition.

Rules for silencers

Silencers are not equated with firearms, but are regulated in the same way as ammunition. Anyone with a firearms licence may possess a silencer suitable for the firearm without special permission.

Silencers – Swedish Police Authority (in Swedish)

Import authorisation

If you do not have a Swedish firearms licence, you need an entry permit to enter Sweden with firearms, silencers and ammunition. However, this does not apply to people who live in Denmark, Finland or Norway and whose stay in Sweden lasts less than 3 months. The purpose of importing the weapon must be for hunting or competition. Importation for purposes other than hunting or competition requires an import licence from the Police.

Firearms – Swedish Police Authority

To find out about the rules on firearms in the other country you are travelling to or from, you need to contact the embassy or responsible authority of that country.

Simplified import procedure

This applies to those who do not have a Swedish firearms licence.

Hunters and competitive shooters allows to import certain firearms listed in their European firearms pass, together with associated silencers and ammunition, without requiring an import licence from the Police Authority.

You must notify Swedish Customs in the same way as you do today, either online or directly at the border.

On 1 June 2026, a new Offensive Weapons Act (2026:408) and a new Firearms Ordinance (2026:409) has come into force.

The following applies if you wish to import firearms under the simplified import procedure:

  1. Your firearm must be registered in your European firearms pass.
  2. You must be able to prove your participation in hunting or a competition, for example by means of an invitation from a hunting team or a list of participants for a shooting competition.
  3. Your firearm must be approved for the simplified import procedure.

Under the simplified import procedure, you may keep your firearm in Sweden for three months without an import licence.

The firearms approved for import into Sweden under the simplified procedure are listed in the annex to the new Firearms Ordinance.

Offensive Weapons Act (2026:408) – Swedish Parliament (in Swedish)

Firearms Ordinance (2026:409) – Swedish Parliament (in Swedish)

Travelling through with a firearm

If you are taking a firearm, silencer or ammunition through Sweden on your journey to another country, you must apply for a transit permit from the police. The purpose must be for hunting or competition. There are special rules for citizens of Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Firearms – Swedish Police Authority

As with other journeys with firearms, silencers and ammunition across the Swedish border, you must report it to Swedish Customs.

Questions and answers

Your friend will need the following:

  • An European firearms pass for the firearm, silencer and ammunition they are bringing with them. The firearms pass is issued by a competent public agency in their home country.
  • Your friend should apply for an import permit from the Swedish Police in good time.
    • If your friend is travelling under the simplified import procedure applicable from 1 June 2026, no import permit is required; read more about this above.
  • Your friend should always declare the firearm, silencer and ammunition to Swedish Customs.

Online declaration

Your friend can declare the firearm, silencer and ammunition to Swedish Customs well in advance of their journey here on our website. If they declare their firearm online, your friend will not need to declare it when crossing the border. Instead, your friend can choose the blue or green channel when passing through customs. In the event of an inspection, your friend must be able to show the registration number they received on their declaration.

Declaration of firearms and ammunition online

Declaration directly at the border

If your friend has not declared online, they can declare when entering Sweden by presenting their firearm, silencer, ammunition, firearms licence, permit and a completed copy of the form ‘Declaration for firearms and ammunition for hunting, competition, transit’. The form consists of three identical pages. Fill in all three and hand in the first page.

Declaration for firearms and ammunition for hunting, competition, transit pdf, 233.6 kB.

On departure, your friend must again present their firearm, silencer and ammunition, and hand in page two of the form. Your friend keeps the third and final page of the form.

Yes, that is permitted. Residents of Norway, Denmark and Finland with a valid permit to own a competition firearm does not have to request an import permit when visiting Sweden to hunt or compete for a period shorter than three months. Your friend does not need any additional permit for a silencer that belongs to the firearm.

When leaving Sweden, you must declare your firearm, silencer and ammunition to Swedish Customs. by filling in a customs declaration (single administrative document) which you hand to a customs officer at the border.

You do this by contacting Swedish Customs at the border (e.g. Arlanda or Landvetter) or at a customs clearance offices. There you provide the information necessary for the customs officer to assist you in making a customs declaration.

Contact the US Embassy to find out what regulations apply in the United States.

You denotify your weapon via a link in the confirmation email you received when you gave notification of the weapon.

If you no longer have this email, you will receive email reminders to denotify. The reminders have the same denotification link. You get the first reminder the day after your travels were scheduled to end. You will continue to get them every day until you have denotified the weapon.

If you fly within Sweden and make a stopover at, for example, Arlanda before travelling to another EU country, report your weapon online or directly at the border to a customs officer. If you report online, you must still

  • collect your weapon
  • go on the red file "goods to declare"
  • show declaration number and weapon
  • check in your weapon again before you leave.