General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police - Directorate for Weapons, Explosives and Dangerous Substances*

The Directorate for Arms, Explosives and Dangerous Substances within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police is the competent authority in the recognition of the qualification of shooting range instructor.

This procedure serves to establish the steps and documents required for a shooting range instructor, who is a citizen of an EU member state, the EEA, or the Swiss Confederation, in order for the Romanian authorities to recognize the professional qualification of shooting range instructor.

Decisions regarding the recognition of the status of shooting range instructor may be challenged in administrative courts in the ways and within the time limits provided by Law no. 554 of 2004 on administrative litigation.

Romanian citizens, residents of member states or foreigners with domicile, residence or, as the case may be, place of residence in Romania, shall submit the application accompanied by the documents provided for in art. 5 para. (1) of the Methodological Norms for the Application of Law no. 295/2004 on the regime of arms and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018, to the weapons, explosives and dangerous substances structure, territorially competent with regard to the domicile or residence of the applicant (the Weapons, Explosives and Dangerous Substances Service/Office within the County Police Inspectorate or the General Directorate of Police of the Municipality of Bucharest).

In order to acquire and remove from the territory of Romania lethal weapons and ammunition by residents of member states or foreigners who do not have domicile, residence or, as the case may be, place of residence in Romania, they shall submit the application and documents provided for in art. 70 para. (1) of the Methodological Norms for the Application of Law no. 295/2004 on the regime of arms and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018, to the weapons, explosives and dangerous substances structure, competent with regard to the address where the gunsmith or intermediary from whom the weapon or ammunition is procured carries out their activity.

On the basis of the procurement authorization, the gunsmith or intermediary shall transfer or, as the case may be, export the weapons to the domicile of the buyer, under the conditions of Chapter VI, Section 2 relating to the carrying out of transfer and import operations by gunsmiths and intermediaries.

​The holders of lethal weapons may request the weapons, explosives, and hazardous substances structure to issue the purchase authorization for a new weapon under the conditions provided in art. 5 para. (3) and para. (4) of the Methodological Norms for the application of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018, depending on the purpose of the weapon.

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The holders of the right to possess, respectively carry and use weapons whose weapon permit/European firearms passport has been stolen/lost/destroyed may request the issuance of a new document after the event is published in the Official Gazette of Romania.

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For the purpose of obtaining an authorization for the transfer without prior approval of lethal or non-lethal weapons subject to authorization, as well as their essential parts and components, to a gunsmith or intermediary from a member state of the European Union, in which such transfers are not conditional upon the granting of prior authorization, gunsmiths or intermediaries on the territory of Romania shall submit the form, in two copies, to the competent police authority or to the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police.

The processing time for the application is 10 working days, and the legal basis is provided in Article 173 of the Methodological Norms for the Application of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018.

​It shall be submitted to the arms, explosives and dangerous substances structure competent for the applicant’s domicile or residence (the Arms, Explosives and Dangerous Substances Service/Office within the County Police Inspectorate or the General Directorate of Police of the Municipality of Bucharest), accompanied by the documents provided for in art. 36 para. (2) of the Methodological Norms for the implementation of Law no. 295/2004 on the regime of arms and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018.

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The transfer permit for weapons and ammunition is submitted in 2 copies and is addressed to:

• individuals who wish to dispose of the weapons they own in a Member State of the European Union and will submit the documents provided for in art. 164 para. (1) of the Methodological Norms for the enforcement of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the credit system for weapons and ammunition, approved by H.G. no. 11/2018, at the weapons, explosives and hazardous substances structure with territorial competence concerning the applicant's domicile/residence;
• commercial companies authorized to carry out operations with weapons and ammunition on the territory of Romania, who wish to transfer firearms, parts, their essential components, as well as ammunition, from the territory of Romania to the Member States of the European Union, and the police unit competent to resolve this is the Weapons, Explosives and Hazardous Substances Directorate within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police.

The term for resolving the request is 10 days and the legal basis is provided by art. 164, respectively art. 166 of the Methodological Norms for the enforcement of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by H.G. no. 11/2018.

The application for the extension of the validity of the weapon(s) permit is submitted and processed by the arms, explosives and hazardous substances structure that is territorially competent regarding the applicant's domicile or residence (the Weapons, Explosives and Hazardous Substances Service/Office within the County Police Inspectorate or the General Police Directorate of the Municipality of Bucharest), accompanied by the documents provided for in art. 40 para. (1) letters a) – f) and, where applicable, letters g) and h) of the Methodological Norms for the enforcement of Law no. 295/2004 on the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018.

In addition to the documents provided for in art. 40 para. (1), instructors at the shooting range are required to submit a certificate issued by the legal person owning the authorized shooting range, certifying that they have actually carried out training, guidance and supervision activities of the shootings performed.

The application is submitted before the expiry of the validity of the weapon permit.

Legal entities established as gunsmiths may carry out operations with weapons and ammunition only after obtaining authorization or, as the case may be, after its appropriate completion, which is carried out upon request by the police structure within whose territorial jurisdiction the headquarters or place of business where the operations are to be conducted is located. To obtain the authorization or, as the case may be, to complete it, the gunsmith must submit an application specifying the category of operations to be undertaken, accompanied by the documents provided for in Art. 143 of the Methodological Norms for the application of Law No. 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision No. 11/2018.

Within 10 days from the date of alienation of the lethal/non-lethal weapon, the holder shall request the cancellation of the alienated weapon from the permit at the territorial structure for weapons, explosives and dangerous substances, competent regarding the domicile/residence of the applicant.

For the purpose of authorization for the possession, carrying, and use of lethal/non-lethal weapons subject to authorization, legal entities shall submit the application and the documents provided for in art. 95 para. (2) of the Methodological Norms for the implementation of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018 to the arms, explosives, and hazardous substances structure competent for the registered office or the work point for which authorization is requested.

The legal entities that may request authorization are public law legal entities, private law legal entities, and museums that may acquire and possess collection weapons.

​The application and the documents provided for in Article 61 paragraph (1) of the Methodological Norms for the implementation of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018, shall be submitted by foreign citizens, personally or through a proxy, and shall be processed by the weapons, explosives and hazardous substances structure within whose jurisdiction the applicant's residence will be established, within 30 days (except for persons temporarily introducing weapons for hunting or shooting purposes).

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The application is submitted and processed by the arms, explosives, and dangerous substances department, territorially competent regarding the domicile or residence of the applicant (the Arms, Explosives, and Dangerous Substances Service/Office within the County Police Inspectorate or the General Directorate of Police of the Municipality of Bucharest) and must be accompanied by the documents provided in art. 52 paragraph (1) of the Methodological Norms for the application of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the admittance of arms and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018.

Within 30 days from the registration of the application, the competent police authorities issue the European Firearms Pass, in which only the lethal weapons for which the holder has the right of possession or carrying and use are entered.

For the acquisition, possession, carrying, and use of weapons and ammunition, individuals must submit the medical certificate, in original and copy, issued by an authorized public or private healthcare unit.

According to art. 12 letter a (any kind of changes have occurred that require modification of corresponding mentions in the content of the document), from Law 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, the holder of the weapon acquisition authorization or, as the case may be, of the weapon permit is obliged to notify the territorially competent police authority, within 10 days from the date the changes occurred.
Changing the domicile or, as the case may be, the residence, involves the modification of the place where the weapons are kept.
Entering the address in the weapon permit is done only based on the identification document which must contain the address that the applicant wishes to be entered in the weapon permit.

The prior agreement for the transfer of weapons and ammunition is submitted in 2 copies and is addressed to:

• individuals who wish to acquire firearms from a member state of the European Union and is submitted to the arms, explosives and dangerous substances structure, territorially competent with regard to the applicant's place of domicile/residence;
• commercial companies authorized to carry out operations with weapons and ammunition on the territory of Romania, which wish to transfer firearms, parts, their essential components as well as ammunition on the territory of Romania from member states of the European Union, the competent police unit for resolving this being the Weapons, Explosives and Dangerous Substances Directorate within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police.

The deadline for resolving the request is 10 days and the legal basis is provided by art. 162 and art. 167 of the Methodological Norms for the application of Law no. 295/2004 on the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018.

Commercial import operations with weapons, parts, and ammunition intended for civilian use can be carried out only after obtaining the authorization for the import of weapons and ammunition, which is submitted in 2 copies, as follows:

• individuals who wish to acquire a weapon from a third country shall submit the documents provided in art. 163 of the Methodological Norms for the application of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018, to the weapons, explosives, and dangerous substances structure, territorially competent regarding the place of domicile/residence of the applicant;
• commercial companies authorized to carry out operations with weapons and ammunition on Romanian territory, who wish to import firearms subject to authorization, parts and essential components thereof, as well as the corresponding ammunition from third countries, shall submit the documents provided in art. 168 of the Methodological Norms for the application of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018, to the Weapons, Explosives, and Dangerous Substances Directorate within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police.

​The competent structure for receiving and resolving the application is the Weapons, Explosives and Dangerous Substances Service/Bureau, which has territorial jurisdiction over the place of domicile/residence of the applicant. The person requesting the issuance/extension of the instructor certificate in the shooting range must cumulatively meet the conditions provided by art. 30 para. (1), respectively art. 35 from the Methodological Norms for the Application of Law no. 295/2004 regarding the regime of weapons and ammunition, approved by Government Decision no. 11/2018.

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