Permit Price
£115
Getting Your Firearms Permit for the United States
Last Updated:
March 5, 2026
Processing Time
4 to 6 weeks for ATF Form 6NIA
Authority
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Difficulty
Moderate
Best Hunting Months
Whitetail Nov (rut), elk Aug–Oct, turkey Apr–May
Tristan Dummer
Founder
The United States offers hunting opportunities on a scale matched by few countries — whitetail deer in the eastern hardwoods, elk in the Rocky Mountains, wild turkey across the South, and waterfowl on the Mississippi Flyway. UK hunters are well-placed to visit: as Visa Waiver Program nationals, no visa is required for stays under 90 days, and there is a clear federal process for temporarily importing your own firearms. No UK export paperwork is required for temporarily travelling with your own firearms.
Step 1: Obtain a State Hunting Licence Before Travel
UK citizens entering under the Visa Waiver Program are exempt from the standard prohibition on non-immigrant aliens possessing firearms, provided they hold a valid US state hunting licence. A non-resident licence from any state satisfies this requirement — it does not need to be the state you are hunting in. Most states offer non-resident licences online through their fish and wildlife agencies. Big game species (elk, moose, pronghorn) typically require a separate tag, often issued through an annual draw.
Step 2: Complete ATF Form 6NIA Before Travel
Non-US residents bringing firearms into the USA for hunting or sporting purposes must submit ATF Form 6NIA (5330.3D) — the Application/Permit for Temporary Importation of Firearms and Ammunition — to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Imports Branch before travel. Rifles must have a barrel length of at least 16 inches and overall length of at least 26 inches; shotguns at least 18 inches barrel length. Fully automatic firearms are not permitted. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing.
Step 3: Declare at the Border
On arrival, declare all firearms and ammunition to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Present your ATF Form 6NIA permit, state hunting licence, and UK Firearm Certificate. All firearms must be in locked hard-sided cases, unloaded, in the hold. Ammunition must be in original factory packaging and kept separate from firearms.
Step 4: Re-export on Departure
The ATF Form 6NIA is a temporary importation permit only. All firearms and unused ammunition must leave the United States with you at the conclusion of your hunt.
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.