Firearms / Non-Firearms (Manufacture – Import – Repair – Trade)

The Cyprus Police grants a license to manufacture, import, repair or sell firearms and other arms to natural persons. In case of legal entities, at least one natural person must be appointed as legally responsible for each store and follow the same procedure for obtaining the dealer’s/gunsmith licence.

Any natural person may be granted the above-mentioned licence if he/she:

• is 23 years old and above;
• possesses the required professional qualifications;
• has not be considered harmful either to him/herself or towards the public order or to the public safety following a Court Judgement or an opinion of a Governmental Medical Council;
• has not been convicted of any offences mentioned in paragraph (d) section 4 of the Article 5 of the Law113(I)/2004 which are:

i) Homicide,

ii)Rape,

iii)Kidnapping (excluding the kidnapping mentioned in Article 149 of the Penal Code, Cap. 154),

iv) arson,

v) high treason,

vi) robbery,

vii) taking part of an illegal organization,

viii) premeditated murder or attempted murder,

ix)import, possession, production, storage or transportation of explosive substances (According to the Article 4 of the Explosive Substances Law, Cap. 54, excluding the possession of ammunition of Category D firearms),

x) Attempt to destroy property by explosive substances,

xi) Illegal importation, acquisition, possession and use of Category A,B or C firearms,

xii) Illegal acquisition, possession and use of controlled drugs or psychotropic substances with the purpose to supply, according to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law (It should be noted that any person who is convicted to any of the crimes mentioned in points (iv) and (v) above, is entitled after 10 years of his/her conviction date and seven years after his/her release from prison, to submit an application in order to obtain the Firearms license, according to the relevant Law);

• has not been convicted of any other offence which is determined by the Council of Ministers and is published in the Cyprus Official Gazette;
• maintains a suitable and safe store in order to carry out his/her activities as a dealer. For keeping the firearms safe according to Regulation 4 of the Administrative Regulation Act 365/2005, the dealer should ensure that:

a) the external walls and roof as well as the floor if the warehouses not at the ground level are built with concrete or concrete and bricks or other similar constructing materials, of thickness at least 20cm,

b) the external doors, windows and other additions or any other entries/exits of the store must be covered with safety net, manufactured by vertical and horizontal steel bars or iron bars, with diameter at least 12mm. The distance between the vertical bars should not exceed 50cm and the distance between the horizontal bars should not exceed 15cm or vice- versa. Alternatively, they can be covered with a sheet-metal construction, of at least 2mm thickness . At the points where the construction is designed to be open, it should be locked with closed-chuckle lockers with pin of at least 8mm

c) The doors should have lockers with latch bolt of at least 15mm diameter or thickness each . These lockers should enter into a safety entrance of two or more points and to a depth of at least 25mm

d) It is not connected to any other store,

e) It is equipped with a fire safety system approved by the Fire Services

f) It has an external and internal alarm system connected with the Police and which covers doors, windows, or other openings in all internal rooms of the store and/or the laboratory as well as all other storage rooms

g) It has a closed circuit (TV) security system which covers at least the space where the guns are stored,

h) It is sufficiently lit externally during the night either with permanent lighting or with lighting which operates with sensors. Such lighting should exist internally as well, especially in cases where the safety rooms or the firearms room is visible from the road.

The application can be submitted either through the PSC Cyprus or by contacting directly the competent authority:

Guns Registry Office
Cyprus Police Headquarters
1478 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22808384
Fax: +357 22808755
E-mail: hq.gunsregistry@police.gov.cy
Website: http://www.police.gov.cy

1. The application needs to be accompanied by the following documents:

   • Certificate of Criminal Record (Original or Certified translation);
   • Certificate of incorporation (Certified Copy or Certified translation);
   • Rental agreement in case the applicant rents a store (Copy);
   • Diploma or certificate of a domestic or foreign recognized institution in the training of guns for a 6 months period at least proving his/her professional qualifications (Certified Copy or Certified translation);
   • Name and contact details of the appointed legally responsible natural person for each store, in case of legal entities (Certified Copy or Certified translation);
   • Proof of work experience by a former employer of at least two years in the sale or repair of guns (Original or Certified Translation);
   • Identification Card/Passport (Certified Copy or presentation of the original documents to the competent authorities) (Proof of Nationality and age of the applicant and the employees);
   • Work permit, in case the applicant is a national of a non-member state (copy).

   In cases where the applicant does not possess a diploma of a recognized institution which proves his/her professional qualifications but only possess a two year experience certificate then he/she will be practically examined based on his/her knowledge and skills.

   The committee will inspect the store in order to ensure that it is suitable and satisfies the relevant preconditions.

Upon approval, the applicant needs to pay the following fees to the Cyprus Police according to the license (either by cash or cheque):

• License to manufacture up to 5 guns €854,30;
• License to manufacture more than 5 guns €8543,30;
• License to import/exchange and sell guns €410,00;
• License to repair guns €105,00.

The renewal fees are the following:

• License to manufacture up to 5 guns €170,86;
• License to manufacture more than 5 guns €1708,60;
• License to import/exchange and sell guns €85,43;
• License to repair guns €42,72;

Administrative Action Against a Competent Authority’s Decision

Any person may file an Administrative Action at the Administrative court against a decision, act or omission of any competent authority or body.

Pursuant to Article 146 of the Constitution, an Administrative Action may be lodged within 75 days from the date of the decision or act or omission or from the day when such decision or act or omission was notified to the applicant.

The Administrative Court acts as a cassation Court and not as a substantive Court. In other words, the Administrative Court may:
I. Dismiss the Administrative Action
II. Annul wholly or partially the contested decision or act
III. Compel the relevant authority or body to take a certain action

After a decision is annulled, the authority and/or public body must reverse things back to the state prior to when the concerned decision and/or act was executed and reexamine.

Appeal Information

An Appeal may be filed against the Administrative Court’s first-instance decision within a period of 42 days from the date such decision was given.

At the Supreme Court (Court of Appeal Section) hearing, the contested issue of the appeal remains the legality of the decision or act already adjudicated for. However, such revision of the legality of the decision or act is solely examined on the matters and the extent that the two parties have limited the reasons in the relevant notice of appeal.

The decision adopted by the Supreme Court is considered final in relation to the matter that has been judged.

• The Firearms and Non-Firearms Law of 2004 (113(I)/2004)

Every licensed dealer is required to:

• keep his/her license for selling firearms in a prominent position inside the store;
• during non-working hours, keep all firearms and non-firearms in a safety room inside the licensed store;
• when the seller exposes, during working hours, the guns for inspection or sale then he/she must always expose them in a locked show case made of safety glass , 3 layers of thickness of at least 10mm or with an internal metal net of at least 6mm thickness or it must be hanged on a weapon bracket/rack at all times during working hours. When the guns are hanged on the weapon bracket/rack a metal chain should be inserted into the protection place of the trigger which should be locked at the two ends to rings properly fixed ion the wall or other steady point;
• when the guns are placed outside the show case or the weapon bracket/rack for inspection, repair, or any other legal purpose then the licensee dealer or the repair person or any replacement of the above persons must be present during inspection;
• individuals who are employed or will be employed by a licensed dealer should satisfy the requirements of the paragraphs (c) and (d) of the Article 5 of the Law 113(I)/2004;
• every licensed dealer is requested to keep into his/her store a suitable arms depot / Weapon Storage Cabinet which should:
  1. be built with iron sheet-metal of at least 3mm thickness or steel sheet of at least 2mm thickness or with concrete of at least 20cm thickness or with concrete and plastered bricks internally and externally of at least 24cm thickness;
  2. will not have any other openings except of the safety door made of sheet-metal which locks with a locker of high safety level which secures the door at the point where it is placed, hat level as well as on the top and bottom. At the side of the hinges it should be secured with at least two pins when the door is closed;
  3. in case it is made of metal it should be at least 1000kg or otherwise be inserted or fixed to a wall or to the floor with at least 4 screws the length of which must be at least 10cm and their diameter of at least 10mm. Every dealer is obliged within seven days from the importation and receipt of firearms of Category D, non-firearms or collective gun, to inform in writing the Chief of Police providing him a detail description of the gun which was imported or delivered for inspection purposes;
• every dealer is obliged to keep a register either in written or electronic form, of Category D firearms non firearms or collective guns which enter or exit the store. The register includes information that leads to the identification of the firearm, especially the type, brand, model, diameters, the manufacturer number, and the name and address of the dealer and the buyer;
• every dealer is obliged to keep the register which is mentioned above for a period of 5 years from the date the information is recorded and present the register to the Chief of Police whenever he/she is asked to do so. Moreover the licensed dealer should submit the register to the Chief of Police as soon as he ends his activity as a dealer.

During the time of operation of a licensed store, the presence of the licensed dealer is mandatory, unless he/she is substituted by an employee whose personal details are indicated in the dealer’s license.

Upon the expiration of the license, it must be submitted to the Cyprus Police along with the relevant Registers that were kept in the store.