Information on weapons law:

Anyone wishing to acquire and possess weapons or ammunition requires a permit in accordance with the Weapons Act.

The ZA 16 Weapons Law Department is responsible for all weapons law issues in the Düsseldorf city area and is located at Derendorfer Allee 4 in 40476 Düsseldorf.

The team at the ZA 16 Weapons Law Department can be reached by telephone at the following times:

• Tuesdays       13.00 - 15:00
• Wednesdays   10:00 - 12:00
• Thursdays      10:00 - 12:00 a.m.

Outside the telephone service hours, you can send your request by e-mail to waffenrecht.duesseldorf [at] polizei.nrw.de (waffenrecht[dot]duesseldorf[at]polizei[dot]nrw[dot]de) or by post to

Düsseldorf Police Headquarters
P.O. Box 101110
40002 Düsseldorf

Note on public access:

Please note that due to various changes in the Weapons Act, the issuing of firearms licenses cannot take place on the same day as in previous years and the public access at ZA 16 will remain closed.
You have the option of submitting your applications by post and by email to waffenrecht.duesseldorf [at] polizei.nrw.de (waffenrecht[dot]duesseldorf[at]polizei[dot]nrw[dot]de).

Due to an increased workload, we recommend that you do not enclose your firearms licenses (e.g. firearms possession card, European firearms pass) when submitting your application. If your application is processed positively, you will be asked to submit the permits with the help of the fee notice.
We can be contacted by telephone during the service hours listed for other matters relating to firearms law. In exceptional cases, an appointment for a personal visit can be arranged. Therefore, please do not appear at the gatekeeper service without being asked and without an appointment.

Notes:

Note for hunters (due to the occasion):
For reasons of data protection, the Lower Hunting Authority of the City of Düsseldorf does not pass on any data on hunting license renewals to the weapons authority of the Düsseldorf Police Headquarters.
This means that an extension of the hunting license must be reported immediately and independently to the weapons authority.
 

In recent months, many applications for small firearms licenses have been submitted to the German weapons authorities, including the Düsseldorf Police Headquarters. This obviously has to do with certain incidents in the past as well as individual experiences that have changed many people's sense of security.

Before you go ahead and fill out the application and send it to the local authority, you are asked to take note of the following information:

Any uncertainty in handling weapons can have fatal consequences for you and bystanders. Always remember that you are in a stressful situation if you use a weapon. In this case, the attacker may snatch your gas/barrage weapon from you and turn it on you.

It is also possible that the person in question has a live firearm, leaving you in an almost hopeless situation.

Remember that if you react inappropriately, you may injure yourself or uninvolved third parties, which may result in claims for damages or criminal prosecution.

Are you aware that you are not allowed to carry weapons at public festivals, sporting events or similar public events, as you would otherwise be liable to prosecution? 

Contrary to popular belief, it is also not permitted to shoot with a weapon, especially on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day, and certainly not with pyrotechnic ammunition.

You can carry permit-free animal repellent sprays instead of gas/shotguns. You do not need a small firearms license for this either.

For further information, please contact the staff at the Weapons Legislation Unit.