Firearms licences and ownership for individuals (Reglamento de Armas)

A firearms licence is the administrative authorisation that allows an individual to own and use a regulated weapon. It is granted by the Guardia Civil through the Weapons Intervention Office corresponding to your address. The only exception is the compressed air weapons card, which is granted by the mayor of your municipality.

The legal framework is the Weapons Regulation (Real Decreto 137/1993), amended by Real Decreto 726/2020. It distinguishes several types of licences depending on the type of weapon and its purpose.

Important: the licence authorises the person, while each specific weapon is documented separately with its ownership guide. They are 2 different things and both are mandatory.

Licence B: short firearms (pistol or revolver) for personal defence. It has a restrictive nature, as it is only granted to those who prove a special and objective risk; it covers a single weapon.

Licence D: rifled long firearms (rifle) for big game hunting. Licence E: shotguns and weapons for small game hunting and sport shooting with a shotgun. Licence F: weapons for sport shooting, which requires being federated.

Licences A (law enforcement officers) and C (security guards) are linked to a position or contract and are not intended for the average individual. If you have doubts about which one applies to you, Managora determines it for you based on the intended use.

Age: be of legal age (18 years) for firearms licences. For the type A weapons card (compressed air) the minimum age is 14 years, with the required documentation.

Criminal record: have no criminal record. You must provide the certificate or authorise the Guardia Civil to consult the Central Register of Convicts of the Ministry of Justice.

Psychophysical aptitude: certificate issued by an authorised medical centre, which proves the physical and mental capabilities to own and use weapons.

Aptitude test (exam): for licences B, D and E you must pass knowledge and handling tests before the Guardia Civil. Licence F is obtained by proving your status as a federated sport shooter.

The ownership guide is the document that proves who is the legal owner or possessor of each firearm. It is issued by the Weapons Intervention Office when registering the weapon and always accompanies the weapon. Without it, ownership is not in order even if you have the licence.

The weapons card is a different document, for compressed air weapons (category 4). It is granted by the mayor of the municipality of residence. Type A (category 4.1) covers up to 6 weapons and lasts 5 years; type B (category 4.2, a single shot) has permanent validity.

An individual with a hobby may need the 2 documents at the same time: the ownership guide for their shotgun or rifle and the weapons card for their compressed air carbine.

Licences B, D, E and F are valid for 5 years. Before they expire you must apply for renewal, providing the psychophysical aptitude certificate again. For licence B, you must also justify again that the risk that motivated its granting persists.

If the licence expires, you cannot use or carry the weapon. You must renew it on time or deposit the weapon at the Weapons Intervention Office. Using a weapon with an expired licence is a punishable offence.

For people over 67 years of age, the licence must be endorsed 3 years after its issuance with a favourable psychophysical aptitude report. Managora notifies you of the expiration and the endorsement so you do not miss the deadline.

Managora identifies the licence that applies to you, gathers and reviews all the documentation, manages the payment of the tasa (official fee) using modelo 790 and processes the acquisition of your criminal record or the authorisation for its consultation.

We submit the application to the Guardia Civil Weapons Intervention Office at your address and follow up until the resolution. We also manage the ownership guide for each weapon and the compressed air weapons card.

You only provide your details and personal documentation (psychophysical aptitude and exam, which are personal); Managora takes care of the rest of the file.