Gun licence for sport shooting in Norway

Membership

You must be a member of a godkjent skyttarorganisasjon (an approved shooting organisation) and of a club in it, and the organisation must have an approved programme for the type of gun you apply for.Våpenlova § 12 and § 28; våpenforskrifta § 4-6 and § 4-7; Våpenrundskrivet 3.2

Pistol or revolver (each application)

The organisation’s safety course, at least six months’ membership, and 10 of the organisation’s organised trainings or competitions in the last six months.Våpenforskrifta § 4-6

Rifle or shotgun

The safety course, membership, and at least six organised trainings or competitions arranged by the organisation. The police guidelines set no period for them.Våpenforskrifta § 4-7; Våpenrundskrivet 3.2

Every application

The activity test applies to each application, also when you already hold a gun of the same kind. The period is counted back from the day the police receive the application.Våpenrundskrivet 3.2

Number of guns

One complete gun for each approved programme you shoot, and a second one (reservevåpen, a reserve gun) when in the last 12 months you shot 10 competitions in that programme, 5 of them open, or took part in an international championship.Våpenforskrifta § 4-8

Keeping a gun

No law or regulation sets an end date for an ordinary licence. To keep a pistol, the police guidelines look for at least 3 organised trainings or competitions for that type of gun in the last five years; for a rifle or shotgun, 1.Våpenrundskrivet 5.8

Age

18 for a gun, 21 for a pistol or revolver that needs a licence. The police may make exceptions: from 16 for rifles and shotguns, from 18 for pistols.Våpenlova § 15; våpenforskrifta § 7-1 and § 7-2

Våpenlova (LOV-2018-04-20-7) and våpenforskrifta (FOR-2021-05-07-1452) replaced the weapons act of 1961 and the regulation of 2009 on 1 June 2021 (våpenlova § 42; våpenforskrifta § 14-2). For sport shooters, these are the changes that matter:

• Licences granted under the old law are still valid (våpenforskrifta § 14-1 nr. 2). The exception that matters for shooters was semi-automatic rifles originally designed for automatic fire or for the military or police: those licences ran out after three years, on 31 May 2024, unless a special licence was granted, for sport shooting among other grounds (våpenlova § 5 and § 43; våpenforskrifta § 14-1 nr. 3; Politiet). Politiet notes that sport guns are not covered by that ban.
• The new law speaks of sportsskyting (sport shooting) instead of practice and competition shooting, to make clear that holding a sport gun does not always require competing. The police guidelines call the activity needed to keep a gun much lower than under the old rules, and no longer sort shooters by level, from beginner to competition shooter (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2 and 5.8).
• Whether a gun suits the discipline is now the organisation’s approved technical rules, not a police judgement: the old practice of refusing a 9 mm pistol for grovfelt is gone (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).
• The handgun activity figures have not changed since 2021. On 1 May 2025 the rules for a gun held by an adult for a young shooter were rewritten (våpenforskrifta § 5-1; FOR-2025-03-18-469).
• New fees apply from 1 January 2026 (våpenforskrifta § 12-2; FOR-2025-10-24-2081).
• Since 27 May 2026, magazines of more than 10 rounds for a manually repeating rifle can be licensed for sport shooting, and a programme that uses magazines needing a special licence, which the police could not approve before, can now be approved when an international shooting organisation manages it (våpenforskrifta § 4-4 third paragraph and § 8-7; FOR-2026-05-27-911). The reference to the pistol-magazine paragraph that this change left out of § 2-5 was put back on 2 July 2026 (FOR-2026-07-02-1501).
• Applications are moving from the police districts to Politiet’s Nasjonal enhet for våpenforvaltning (national weapons administration unit) in Nordland police district; Oslo and Finnmark moved in mid-September 2026. Weapons cards are now digital, in the weapons register (Politiet).

1. Join a club in an approved shooting organisation that has an approved programme for the type of gun you want. Politiet’s list of approved organisations includes Det frivillige Skyttervesen (DFS) and Norges Sportsskytterforbund (NSF); the licence covers only guns that can be used in the organisation’s approved programmes (våpenlova § 12 and § 28; Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).
2. Take the tryggingsopplæring (safety training) the organisation arranges (våpenforskrifta § 4-6 nr. 1). Until you hold a gun of your own, you shoot club guns handed to you under supervision, as described under Under 18.
3. Stay a member for at least six months, and take part in 10 of the organisation’s organised trainings or competitions in the last six months (våpenforskrifta § 4-6). For a rifle or shotgun, six organised trainings or competitions are enough, with no membership period (våpenforskrifta § 4-7).
4. Collect the evidence: proof of membership of the organisation and of the club, of the safety course, and of your activity. Trainings and club competitions go on Politiet’s log for them, signed by a range officer or club official; other competitions go on the log for national and international competitions, with the entry or result lists (Politiet, Våpen til sport; Politiet’s activity logs; Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).
5. Apply to Politiet, digitally or on paper, and pay the fee. The regulation sets 1 495 kr if you hold no weapons licence yet and 745 kr if you do, and Politiet charges a fee for each gun you apply for, due whether the application is granted or refused, and also if you withdraw it or never use the licence (våpenforskrifta § 12-2; Politiet, Våpen til sport). No fee is charged when the gun comes by inheritance, gift or sale from a relative in direct line, such as a parent or child (våpenforskrifta § 12-3).
6. Your conduct, sobriety and suitability are checked (våpenlova § 16). A foreign citizen must as a rule have lived in Norway for five years; among the exceptions is a citizen of an EEA country who brings a police certificate from home (våpenforskrifta § 7-7).
7. Wait for the decision. On 16 September 2026 Politiet gave up to 30 weeks for a digital sport application at the national unit, and longer in districts with backlogs. The decision names the programme the gun is granted for (Våpenrundskrivet 1.1).
8. Buy the gun within a year: the ervervsløyve (licence to buy) is valid for one year, and the police may extend it by up to a year if you ask before it runs out. You may buy only what the licence names (våpenforskrifta § 2-7; Våpenrundskrivet 1.1; Politiet, Våpen til sport). The gun is then registered to you and your våpenkort (weapons card) is digital.

Storage and transport rules apply from the day you hold the gun (våpenlova § 19 and § 20; våpenforskrifta chapter 6). In short:

• Guns are kept unloaded, at your permanent home, locked in an approved gun safe or an approved gun room. The safe must be approved by FG (the insurers’ approval body, now FG Skadeteknikk) under FG-520, SSF 3492, EN 1143, NS 5089, INSTA 610 or a higher standard; locking away a vital part instead of the whole gun is enough (våpenlova § 19; våpenforskrifta § 6-1; Våpenrundskrivet 4.3).
• The police guidelines ask that a safe weighing less than 150 kg be anchored to the building, or weighted on the inside (Våpenrundskrivet 4.3).
• The police guidelines read “locked” to include the key: keys, codes or chips for the safe are kept apart from it, where no one else in the household can reach them; licence holders in one household may share a safe (våpenlova § 19; Våpenrundskrivet 4.3).
• More than 25 licensed guns or gun parts in one household need an FG-approved alarm connected to a manned alarm centre (våpenforskrifta § 6-1).
• Ammunition is kept locked, apart from the guns, up to 10 000 rounds per household (15 000 when at least 5 000 are .22 LR or .22 Short). An approved gun safe may hold up to 2 000 rounds with the guns, more if it is also approved for ammunition (våpenforskrifta § 6-3).
• You may keep the guns in another home you live in, or leave them with someone licensed for the same kind of gun, if you tell the police at least three weeks before. A cabin or holiday home does not count as a home, and guns and ammunition may not be kept in a home nobody lives in (våpenforskrifta § 6-2 and § 6-3; Politiet, Ofte stilte spørsmål).
• The police may check your storage after giving at least 48 hours’ notice (våpenlova § 30; våpenforskrifta § 11-6).
• On the move, carry the documents that show you hold the gun lawfully. Keep it unloaded (Politiet, Ofte stilte spørsmål) and packed so it can neither be seen nor easily reached, and keep gun and ammunition apart unless they travel in a gun safe (våpenlova § 20). In public, you may not carry it in a holster on the body. In a vehicle, gun and ammunition must be under proper supervision; you may leave them only packed and hidden in a locked vehicle, or with a vital part taken out (våpenforskrifta § 6-7).
• Away from home, on a trip or at a competition, keep gun and ammunition under proper supervision, or hidden or covered in locked lodgings or a locked vehicle (våpenforskrifta § 6-8).
• Breaking the storage or transport rules can be punished with fines or up to three months in prison (våpenlova § 39).

Every sport licence starts with the tryggingsopplæring (safety training) arranged by the shooting organisation: for pistols and revolvers under våpenforskrifta § 4-6, for rifles and shotguns under § 4-7, and for semi-automatic rifles and large magazines under § 4-4. Politiet asks you to document your våpenferdighet (weapon skill), and gives a completed safety course as an example (Politiet, Våpen til sport).

The regulation names no badge or score test for a sport licence; what it asks for besides the course is membership and activity. For an exception from the age limit of 21 for a pistol, the safety training must be for that type of gun (våpenforskrifta § 7-2).

The aktivitetskrav (activity requirement) is how the police judge that you need a gun for sport shooting. The figures for applying are binding, in våpenforskrifta §§ 4-4 to 4-8:

The test applies to each application, also when you already hold a gun of the same kind or in the same organisation. The period is counted back from the day the police receive the application; the activity may fall anywhere in it, with no need to spread it evenly (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).

What counts is the organisation’s activity: shooting on an approved range the club uses, under the range instructions and proper range supervision, arranged by a club in an approved organisation. The training need not be in the programme you are applying for. Shooting on your own, outside the club’s organised training, does not count, and neither does volunteer or board work. Each competition start counts once, so two competitions on one day are two; a training counts once a day, unless the trainings are held by different organisations or on different ranges. Serving as range officer or judge counts the same as shooting (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).

An open competition is one open to shooters from outside the organising club. An international championship is one that names a champion, such as a Nordic championship; open international competitions and other countries’ national championships do not count as one. A higher form can stand in for a lower one: an international championship can replace open competitions, competitions or trainings (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).

The club can confirm only the trainings and competitions it arranged itself. Politiet has an activity log for trainings and club competitions, with the place and date of each, signed by you and a range officer or club official, and another for national and international competitions. For open competitions and international championships you bring the entry or result list, with the date and your placing, and the competition number if it has one. The person who confirms your activity must be someone other than you, and a statement from the club does not replace proof of membership (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2; Politiet’s activity logs).

These figures for keeping a gun are the police guidelines, not the regulation; only the five-year report and the revocation rule for semi-automatic rifles under § 4-4, second paragraph, and for large magazines are in the regulation (§ 11-3 and § 11-10). The figure is for the type of gun within the organisation, not for each gun, and the activity must be in the organisation the licence was granted through (Våpenrundskrivet 5.8). A pistol holder who meets the pistol figure also meets it for rifles and shotguns acquired in the same organisation, and a holder of a semi-automatic rifle under § 4-4, second paragraph, who meets its figure also meets it for pistols, rifles and shotguns in the same organisation (Våpenrundskrivet 5.8).

The regulation asks for a report of activity only from holders of semi-automatic rifles under § 4-4, second paragraph, and of large magazines (våpenforskrifta § 11-3). For other sport guns, the police may check that the conditions for the licence are still met, and may ask the approved organisations for copies of their membership lists (våpenlova § 30). A licence can be revoked when the holder no longer has a need for the gun (våpenlova § 31).

Holders of a semi-automatic rifle under § 4-4, second paragraph, or of a licence for large magazines under § 2-5 must send the police a list of the competitions they have shot every five years; for the rifle, the guidelines count the five years from the day the licence was granted. The police must revoke the licence if the holder has shot no open competitions in the programme behind it in the last five years. The guidelines ask, for each five-year period, for at least one open competition per rifle and an international championship for a reserve gun, and say that activity shot after the deadline and a reminder should not be accepted (våpenforskrifta § 11-3 and § 11-10; Våpenrundskrivet 5.8).

Neither våpenlova nor våpenforskrifta sets an end date for an ordinary licence to hold a gun, and neither has rules for renewing one. What runs out is the licence to buy, after one year unless the police extend it by up to a year (våpenforskrifta § 2-7).

Some permits are time-limited: an exception from the age limit for a pistol, for up to a year (våpenlova § 15); a licence held by an adult for a young shooter, for up to two years at a time (våpenforskrifta § 5-1); and the European firearms pass, for five years (våpenforskrifta § 11-14). A licence to borrow guns has no time limit (Politiet, Våpen til sport).

In place of renewal, the police keep watch: they must check that holders still meet the requirements of conduct, sobriety and suitability, and may check the other conditions for the licence (våpenlova § 30). See the activity requirement above for what the guidelines look for when you keep a sport gun.

For sport shooting, the police may grant one complete gun for each approved programme you have documented membership and activity for. A shooter who already holds a gun for one programme can get a similar gun for another (våpenforskrifta § 4-8; Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).

A second gun in the same programme, a reservevåpen (reserve gun), needs at least 10 competitions in that programme in the last 12 months, 5 of them open, or taking part in an international championship in that time (våpenforskrifta § 4-8).

The law and the regulation set no overall number of sport guns; how many you can hold depends on what you compete in and which organisation you belong to (Politiet, Ofte stilte spørsmål). More than 25 licensed guns or gun parts in one household need an alarm (våpenforskrifta § 6-1).

• Hunting: a person in Jegerregisteret (the hunters’ register) may hold up to eight rifles and shotguns for hunting, more with a special need, but no pistols. Hunting guns need no regular hunting, only registration in Jegerregisteret (våpenlova § 11; Våpenrundskrivet 5.8).
• Air guns: see Air rifles below.
• Collectors: a member of an approved collectors’ organisation may hold up to 25 guns within approved collecting areas, and more in steps of up to 25, at most 100; collected guns may not be used for anything but the collection (våpenlova § 13; våpenforskrifta § 4-11).
• Inherited or memorial guns: from a relative in direct line, such as a parent, grandparent or child, up to three in all, if you can show weapon skill, and a pistol or revolver only if you already hold a pistol licence (våpenforskrifta § 5-4). From anyone else only for another reasonable ground under våpenlova § 14, and the guidelines set a high bar (Våpenrundskrivet 3.8). No fee is charged for an inheritance, gift or sale between relatives in direct line (våpenforskrifta § 12-3).
• Borrowing: a licence holder may borrow a gun of the same kind with a written statement from the lender; anyone else needs a licence to borrow, for 248 kr (våpenlova § 18; våpenforskrifta § 12-2).

Licence-free

An air, gas or spring gun made to fire projectiles of 4.5 mm (.177) or less in diameter is friteke frå løyveplikt (exempt from the licence requirement). The line is the calibre alone: the regulation sets no limit on energy. Its pellets and the compressed air or gas that drives it need no licence either, but the police guidelines treat arrows and bolts made to be fired from an air gun as banned ammunition. Air and spring guns made before 1900 are licence-free whatever their calibre. The police may forbid a person who does not meet the requirements of conduct, sobriety and suitability from acquiring or holding licence-free guns, and nobody may then hand that person one, not even briefly under supervision.Våpenforskrifta § 2-3 nr. 4 and nr. 10, § 2-6; våpenlova § 7 third paragraph, § 18 fourth paragraph and § 31 second paragraph; Våpenrundskrivet 2.2.4.4, 3.9 and 5.8

Age

From 18, you may buy and own a licence-free air rifle and its pellets: the age limit of 18 covers licence-free guns and their ammunition too. Air pistols up to 4.5 mm are licence-free as well, from 18, and the exemption from 16 described below does not cover them: the law gives it for rifles and shotguns only, though Politiet’s FAQ says without distinction that you can apply from 16.Våpenlova § 15 and § 30 fourth paragraph; våpenforskrifta § 1-2 nr. 1, § 2-3 nr. 4 and § 7-1; Våpenrundskrivet 5.6; Politiet, Ofte stilte spørsmål

Younger shooters

Under 18, you may use an air rifle or air pistol handed to you for a short time under supervision. Otherwise, a licence-free gun may be lent or handed to you only if you hold an exemption from the age limit, which the police may grant from 16 for a rifle, an air rifle among them. See Under 18 for the supervision rule and the conditions for the exemption. The police may take a licence-free gun from someone under 18 who holds, stores or carries it without an adult’s proper supervision.Våpenlova § 15 second paragraph, § 18 third and fourth paragraphs, § 30 fourth paragraph; våpenforskrifta § 1-2 nr. 1 and § 7-1

Above the limit

An air or spring gun made for projectiles over 4.5 mm needs a licence, which Politiet may grant without behovsprøving (a needs test): Politiet asks that you meet the age, conduct, sobriety and suitability requirements, and the fee is 374 kr. Once licensed, it is stored and carried like any licensed gun, as described under Your first licence above. One acquired before 1 July 2009 may be kept without a licence; the police guidelines treat it as needing one once it changes hands.Våpenforskrifta § 5-5 second paragraph, § 12-2 nr. 3 and § 14-1 nr. 11; våpenlova § 19 and § 20; Politiet, Andre våpentillatelser; Våpenrundskrivet 2.2.4.4

Storage

Keep a licence-free air rifle unloaded, and locked in a cabinet, drawer or other lockable container, or locked to a wall; locking away a vital part instead is enough. It needs no approved gun safe: that rule is for licensed guns. Keep the pellets locked away too, though unlike other ammunition they may be kept in a house or cabin nobody lives in.Våpenlova § 19 first and third paragraphs; våpenforskrifta § 6-6 second paragraph and § 6-3 second paragraph; Våpenrundskrivet 4.1 and 4.7; Politiet, Ofte stilte spørsmål

Carrying and transport

In a public place, you may not carry a gun in a holster or anything like it fastened to the body for quick access. The police guidelines say this covers licence-free guns too, that a rifle carried on the back in a case is lawful, and that a gun should not be within easy reach in a car, ATV, snowmobile or the like. Having an air or spring gun with you in a public place, wilfully or by gross negligence, is punishable by a fine or up to a year in prison, unless it is for work, outdoor life or another aktverdig (legitimate) purpose. Våpenlova’s rules on packing a gun out of sight, keeping it apart from its ammunition and carrying proof that you hold it lawfully name only guns that need a licence, such as an air rifle over 4.5 mm; no guidance says they also apply to a licence-free one. For a licence-free one, Politiet’s own advice is that it be unloaded and covered when you carry it, and that you take a vital part with you if you must leave it unattended, in a car too.Våpenforskrifta § 6-7 first paragraph; straffeloven § 189; våpenlova § 20; Våpenrundskrivet 4.6; Politiet, Ofte stilte spørsmål

Where you may shoot

Organised shooting may take place only on a skytebane (shooting range) or other area the police have approved, or with their approval in advance; any area used for organised shooting under responsible range supervision counts as a range, and so must meet the regulation’s safety rules for ranges. Outside organised shooting, våpenlova and våpenforskrifta set no rule on where you may shoot. Air guns may not be used for hunting: in ordinary hunting and culling, only rifles and shotguns firing a powder charge are allowed. A municipality may set rules for public places in its politivedtekt (local police by-law): Oslo’s, for example, forbids carrying or shooting an air or spring gun on, over or in the immediate vicinity of a public place without a legitimate reason. Check your municipality’s politivedtekt on Lovdata before you shoot outside a range.Våpenlova § 29; våpenforskrifta § 8-1 and § 8-3; forskrift om utøvelse av jakt, felling og fangst § 15; politiloven § 14; politivedtekt for Oslo § 2-3; Våpenrundskrivet 6

The rules for air and spring guns were carried over from the old rules when våpenlova and våpenforskrifta took effect on 1 June 2021 (Våpenrundskrivet 3.9), and Lovdata shows no amendment since to våpenforskrifta § 2-3, § 2-6, § 5-5 or § 6-6. The 374 kr is § 12-2’s current fee.

More on air rifles on the Shooter blog →

The age limit is 18, and 21 for a pistol or revolver that needs a licence (våpenlova § 15).

• Rifles and shotguns from 16: the police may make an exception when a guardian agrees and the gun is kept by the guardian or another adult who meets the requirements. For sport shooting, you must have been an active member of an approved organisation for at least six months. Nobody under 18 may buy a gun (våpenlova § 15; våpenforskrifta § 7-1). With shared parental responsibility, both guardians must agree (Våpenrundskrivet 5.6).
• Pistols from 18: an exception for up to a year, for a shooter with the safety training for that type of gun, at least two years’ membership, and at least 10 open competitions with that type of gun in the last two years (våpenlova § 15; våpenforskrifta § 7-2).
• An adult can hold the gun for a young shooter: a pistol or revolver for a shooter aged 12 to 21 who meets the § 4-6 requirements, only in .22 Long Rifle under 18; a rifle or shotgun for a shooter under 16 who meets § 4-7. The licence runs for up to two years at a time (våpenforskrifta § 5-1, since 1 May 2025).
• Shooting under supervision: without a licence of your own, you may use a gun handed to you for a short time under the forsvarleg tilsyn (proper supervision) of its owner or licence holder, or of someone acting for them. The law sets no minimum age for this, and it is how a young shooter shoots club guns. The police guidelines read proper supervision as the supervisor staying close enough to step in at once (våpenlova § 18 fourth paragraph; Våpenrundskrivet 4.8).
• Air rifles under 18: see Air rifles above.

If you have not documented the requirements when you apply, the police refuse the application, after giving you a time to correct it, normally three weeks (Våpenrundskrivet 1.1).

The regulation asks for a report of activity only from holders of semi-automatic rifles under § 4-4, second paragraph, and of large magazines (våpenforskrifta § 11-3). For other sport guns, the police may check that the conditions for the licence are still met, and may ask the approved organisations for copies of their membership lists (våpenlova § 30). A licence can be revoked when the holder no longer has a need for the gun (våpenlova § 31).

The police must revoke a licence when the holder no longer meets the requirements of conduct, sobriety and suitability, and may revoke it when the holder no longer needs the gun (våpenlova § 31). A revocation is as a rule announced in advance, and you normally have three weeks to reply (forvaltningsloven § 16; Våpenrundskrivet 1.2).

You can appeal a refusal or a revocation within three weeks of receiving the decision. The appeal goes to the police unit that made the decision; if it does not change the decision, Politidirektoratet decides (våpenforskrifta § 11-13; forvaltningsloven § 28, § 29, § 32 and § 33).

After a revocation, you hand the guns to the police when they order you to, and you must sell or otherwise dispose of them within 12 months. After that, the police may destroy them without owing you anything (våpenlova § 31). When the revocation is for lack of need, the police may let you keep the guns for a time while you sell them (Våpenrundskrivet 5.8).

After a revocation decision you no longer hold a licence for the guns. Keeping them against the police’s order to hand them in is punishable under våpenlova § 39 as possession without a licence. Breaking the order is not an offence under § 39 in itself, but it can count against your suitability (Våpenrundskrivet 5.8). Breaking the rules on acquiring or possessing guns, or a corresponding order under the weapons act, wilfully or by gross negligence and repeatedly or in an aggravated way, carries fines or up to 2 years in prison, and a grave offence up to 6 years (straffeloven § 190 and § 191).

To buy again, you meet the same activity requirement as a new applicant (Våpenrundskrivet 5.8). After a refusal or revocation for conduct, sobriety or suitability you may not borrow a gun even under supervision (våpenlova § 18; Våpenrundskrivet 5.8), and must first ask the police to lift that ban before you can build up activity again (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).

The Shooter app has no Norwegian defaults; it counts against figures you set. For the test before an application, set the club requirement to 10 occasions over 6 months: the app then counts the days in the last six months on which you marked a session as a club session. It counts days, not starts, so two competitions on one day count once in the app, while the police count each start.

For each gun, the app counts the days on which you fired at least the number of shots you set with that gun, in the months before the date you give the gun as its next activity deadline, against the number of sessions you set; the shots, the sessions and the window are one setting each for all guns. A Norwegian licence has no such date: give the gun the date you want to be ready by, and set the activity window to 60 months to follow the guidelines’ five-year figure. The app counts each gun on its own, while the guidelines count the type of gun in the organisation, and it counts your shooting: whether a session was the organisation’s organised training is for your club to confirm.

Shooter is not affiliated with Politiet or with any shooting association. Your activity is confirmed by your club, and the licence is the police’s decision.

How many trainings do I need for a pistol licence in Norway?

10 of the shooting organisation’s organised trainings or competitions in the last six months, after at least six months’ membership and the organisation’s safety course (våpenforskrifta § 4-6). The six months are counted back from the day the police receive your application.

Does competition count towards the activity requirement?

Yes. Organised trainings and competitions both count, and each competition start counts on its own, while a training counts once a day. Serving as range officer or judge counts too; volunteer and board work do not (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).

Do I have to meet the requirement again for my second pistol?

Yes. The activity test applies to every application, also when you already hold a pistol in the same organisation (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2). You may hold one gun for each approved programme, and a reserve gun in a programme only with high competition activity (våpenforskrifta § 4-8).

Does shooting abroad count?

The activity must be arranged by the approved shooting organisation. An international championship counts, such as a Nordic championship, but open international competitions and other countries’ national championships do not count as one (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).

Does my licence expire?

Neither våpenlova nor våpenforskrifta sets an end date for an ordinary licence to hold a gun. Two kinds do end: an exception that lets you hold a pistol before 21 is granted for up to a year, and a licence an adult holds for a young shooter for up to two years at a time (våpenlova § 15; våpenforskrifta § 5-1). The licence to buy is valid for one year, and the police may later check that you still need the gun: for a pistol, their guidelines look for 3 organised trainings or competitions for that type of gun in five years (våpenforskrifta § 2-7; Våpenrundskrivet 5.8).

How do I document my activity?

On Politiet’s activity logs: one for trainings and club competitions, signed by a range officer or club official, and one for national and international competitions. For open competitions, add the result list with the date and your placing (Våpenrundskrivet 3.2).

What does a weapons application cost?

The regulation sets 1 495 kr if you hold no weapons licence yet and 745 kr if you do (våpenforskrifta § 12-2, from 1 January 2026). Politiet charges a fee for each gun you apply for, due whether the application is granted or refused. A gun that comes by inheritance, gift or sale from a parent, child or other relative in direct line costs nothing to apply for (våpenforskrifta § 12-3).

How long does a weapons application take?

On 16 September 2026, Politiet gave up to 30 weeks for a digital sport application at its national weapons unit, and up to 45 weeks on paper. Districts with backlogs are slower while applications move to the national unit.

Do I need a licence for an air rifle in Norway?

Not for an air, gas or spring rifle made for projectiles of 4.5 mm (.177) or less, whatever its power, but you must be 18 to buy or own one (våpenforskrifta § 2-3; våpenlova § 15). Under 18, you can shoot one handed to you briefly under proper supervision, and from 16 the police may grant an exemption to hold one, though not to buy one (våpenlova § 15 and § 18). An air or spring rifle of a larger calibre needs a licence, which Politiet may grant without a needs test (våpenforskrifta § 5-5).

Can I get a pistol before I am 21?

From 18, by an exception for up to a year, if you have the safety training, two years’ membership and 10 open competitions with that type of gun in the last two years (våpenlova § 15; våpenforskrifta § 7-2). From 12, an adult can hold a pistol for you if you meet the same membership, safety-course and activity requirements as an adult applicant, in .22 Long Rifle until you are 18 (våpenforskrifta § 4-6 and § 5-1).