Permit Price
£20 per permit
Getting Your Firearms Permit for the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom offers some of Europe's most varied sporting shooting, from driven grouse on the northern moors to walked-up pheasant in the hedgerow country of the south, and deer stalking across Scotland, England and Wales year-round. Visiting hunters and sport shooters from outside the UK wishing to bring their own firearms require a Visitor's Permit before arrival. The process is managed through a UK-resident sponsor and handled via the local police constabulary.
Last Updated:
March 5, 2026
Processing Time
5 to 10 working days
Authority
Local Police Constabulary / PSNI
Difficulty
Straightforward
Best Hunting Months
Grouse Aug–Dec, pheasant Oct–Feb, deer year-round
Tristan Dummer
Founder
Who Needs a Visitor's Permit
Any hunter or sport shooter travelling to Great Britain (England, Wales or Scotland) with a firearm from abroad requires a Visitor's Permit. Two types exist: a Shotgun Visitor's Permit if you are travelling with a shotgun, and a Firearm Visitor's Permit if you are travelling with a rifle. If you are bringing both, you need both permits.
If you are visiting Northern Ireland, a separate Visitor's Permit issued by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is required in addition to any Great Britain permit. Airguns in Scotland are separately licensed and require additional documentation.
The Application Process
The permit must be applied for by a UK-resident sponsor before your arrival. The sponsor is typically the host of the hunting trip, the officer of the shooting estate or agency organising the visit, or an officer of a target shooting club or association. The sponsor submits the application to their local police constabulary on your behalf.
To complete the application, you will need to supply your sponsor with the following information: full name and address, date of birth, nationality, your address while in Great Britain (hotel or accommodation details), details of any criminal convictions, full details of each firearm you intend to bring (calibre, maker's name, type and action, serial number), the quantity of ammunition you intend to possess or purchase, and your expected arrival date.
If you hold a European Firearms Pass issued by an EU member state, supply a copy to your sponsor for inclusion with the application. Further guidance is available from BASC's visiting the UK guide.
Permit Cost and Validity
Each permit costs £20. The permit is issued to the visitor and must be presented to the police or customs official at the UK border on entry. Ensure your sponsor posts the permit to you with sufficient time before your departure.
What to Carry
At the UK border you will need your Visitor's Permit, your passport or travel document, and any export documentation required by your country of departure. Keep all documents accessible in your hand luggage, not in checked baggage with the firearm.
We can manage your application for you
We handle the forms in collaboration with the authorities to make sure everything is in your hands or on your phone before you fly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some hunting and sporting competition shoots ask outfitters and hosts to organise their guests temporary firearms permits. Your outfitter will be able to do this on your behalf through the Ambulo platform or you can do it yourself.
For outfitters and hosts organising permits for their guests, please contact tristan@ambulo.co to streamline this process.
To amend your application and your permit, before you travel, you need to contact us at least 14 days before your departure date. If you need to make amends to your permit, please email tristan@ambulo.co
Generally, you do not need to buy an additional permit for your stopover. However, some countries may require you to buy an additional permit. This is generally on a country by country basis. For example, if you are travelling to Poland, but flying to Germany and driving across, you may have to buy a permit for Germany, depending on the location.
Permit costs vary depending on the country you are travelling to. Once our permits go live you will be able to see a full pricing break down. We have priced this to be roughly the same price as hiring a rifle or shotgun at your final destination. Nothing beats taking your own equipment across!
At the moment, extending the length of your permit duration is not possible. We advise that you ask your host to either add a buffer time frame to the end of your trip in case you would like to stay longer. You can of course come back earlier if needs be but the duration and date of validity for your permit is linked to your arrival and departure dates you set out in your application.
For business and partnerships, please contact tristan@ambulo.co
At the moment, Ambulo only provides permits for the destination you are hunting within. If you are driving to your destination and crossing countries, you will have to follow each countries firearm rules and restrictions. This generally means you will need a permit for each country, if you are driving through Europe, for example.
We do not offer refunds at the moment, but is something we are working on. The reason we do not offer refunds is based on the agreements set by consulates, embassies and police forces of the destination countries.
You can either scan your Firearms License, Passport and letter of invitation through a traditional printer scanner, or use an application like Turbo Scan.
If you are using an app that converts photos into a scanned file, ensure all areas of the pages you scan are clear and legible and are saved as a PDF. For people with a UK firearms license, where your certificate contains multiple pages, ensure all pages are photographed and collated into one PDF.