Guide to shooting sports in Austria

For those interested in the shooting sports, Austria has a long tradition of hunting and marksmanship, and is one of the more supportive countries in the EU for these endeavors.

A quick overview

Any EWR citizen 18 or older who is not subject to a court-ordered weapons prohibition (Waffenverbot) can legally purchase and possess manually-actuated long guns and ammo (AKA Category C, e.g. break action shotguns or rifles, repeating bolt or lever action rifles) without need for any licensure.

To legally possess a handgun or semiautomatic rifle or shotgun (AKA Category B ), an EWR citizen 21 or older can apply for a Waffenbesitzkarte (WBK). Application is made at your local Bezirkshauptmannschaft, at the Polizeikommissariate (Vienna), or (in other major cities) at the Magistrat.

The prerequisites for a WBK are:

1. 21+ in age with no weapons prohibition

2. EWR citizen OR Aufenthaltstitel Daueraufenthalt-EU OR Aufenthaltstitel Familienangehöriger of an EWR citizen (NOT of an actual Austrian)

3. Successful completion of safety class “Waffenführerschein”

4. Successful completion of psychological evaluation “waffenpsychologische Gutachten”

5. If you’re an Austrian man, you must have completed your mandatory military service. If you opted instead for civil service, then they presume you eschew firearms and you have the equivalent of a Waffenverbot for 15 years.

If you meet the above criteria, the WBK is “shall issue”. That is, the officials have no discretion to deny the license. If the police have concerns about an applicant, they would need to follow due process and make their case before a judge to have a Waffenverbot applied.

For the initial 5-year period, there is by default a restriction to possession of two Category B firearms. This can be expanded to five “slots” upon renewal, or upon proof of need for more firearms (e.g. bonafide collector, participation in a variety of competition types, working as an instructor, etc).

The aforementioned Category C firearms are not related to the “slots” on the WBK. There is no limit on these (again, assuming you aren’t subject to a Waffenverbot).

Air guns with muzzle energy under 7.5 Joule are unrestricted.

All that said, there is a “general Waffenverbot” for non-EWR-citizens (e.g. Americans). The two exceptions to this are:

1. Having a residency card as a family member of an EWR citizen (who is NOT an Austrian)

2. Having a residency card of “Daueraufenthalt-EU” (permanent residence)

My personal route to a weapons licence

Since marriage to an actual Austrian isn’t considered to be marriage to an EWR-citizen under Austrian firearms law, I waited the 5 years and applied for a WBK after receiving my Daueraufenthalt-EU card.

As noted in the prerequisites above, normally for the WBK I would have needed to complete a “Waffenführerschein” course and get a psychological evaluation (about €400 combined), but since I went through the extensive (and expensive) process of getting my hunting license last year, those requirements are waived.

WBK application fee was €74.40.

I received my WBK in the post exactly 4 weeks after submitting the application. It is valid for the length of my current residency card (5 years), and can be renewed after I renew the residency card.

Useful links

• Waffenrecht/Weapons law: https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/dokumente_und_recht/waffenrecht.html

Photo copyright © Ted Kempster 2023