Importing Shotgun From France - Personal Use

[Winch2021]

Hi all, hope everyone is well.

I am looking for some advice on obtaining shotguns in France and bringing them back into the UK.

So I am currently going through the application for a grant of shotgun license in the UK - fingers crossed all goes well and it is granted.

I am half french and have family in France who hunted. My late grandad owned several shotguns that I would like to bring back to the UK to use for personal use (not resell). After a lot of googling and research I am utterly confused as to what documents are needed - import licences in the UK and export licences from France etc come up but this seems excessive. A lot of the articles are pre brexit which doesn’t help.

I have a french hunting licence so would it be possible to drive to France, add the guns to my British certificate Table 2 and simply drive back? They are owned by my Nan and it would be a personal transfer and not a firearms dealer. The french hunting licence would permit me to travel in France with the weapons, and then when back in the UK the SGC would cover me. My only concern is the border forces on either side

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Luke

 

[Pine Marten]

Salut Luke!

If you have a Permis de Chasser, that's enough in France although I think you now have to transfer the ownership from your grandmother to you first, and you need to do that in front of a firearms dealer. There is CERFA form, and the chances are these guns are unregistered as it didn't used to be required.

When you have your UK SGC, you can enter them on there (serial numbers etc), inform the police, and once they're on there, that constitutes authority to possess and import.

You're covered on both sides of the Channel which helps.

 

[8x57]

Possibly not quite absolutely legally correct but if the guns are unregistered in France wouldn't it be a simple matter to simply sign them onto your SGC yourself thereby cutting out the middleman?
Of course you will need to inform your issuing police force by email of the transfer within 7 days.
Your SGC acts as your import license.

 

[Pine Marten]

Right, but to take them from where they are to the port/Shuttle Terminal and declare them, he needs authority to possess them in France. Which is the Permis de Chasser. Even if they are on his SGC, that has no validity overseas.

 

[8x57]

Wouldn't his Permis de Chasser cover temporary possession until he reaches the port?

 

[Winch2021]

Possibly not quite absolutely legally correct but if the guns are unregistered in France wouldn't it be a simple matter to simply sign them onto your SGC yourself thereby cutting out the middleman?
Of course you will need to inform your issuing police force by email of the transfer within 7 days.
Your SGC acts as your import license.

This is what I was thinking, the guns aren’t registered but wondered if for custom reasons they would have to go through a gun Smith to formalise the transfer of ownership. If this can be avoided then great!

Right, but to take them from where they are to the port/Shuttle Terminal and declare them, he needs authority to possess them in France. Which is the Permis de Chasser. Even if they are on his SGC, that has no validity overseas.

Yes the permis with departmental validation for the current year would cover me to travel in France and then the SGC when back in the UK.

I think it’s going to be a case of speaking to the local firearms officer should the SGC grant be accepted - can’t be the first to want to bring a weapon back from abroad.
Thank you both for your help

 

[8x57]

"This is what I was thinking, the guns aren’t registered but wondered if for custom reasons they would have to go through a gun Smith to formalise the transfer of ownership. If this can be avoided then great!"

I don't know for certain about formalising the transfer on the French side as I have only bought guns in France from a dealer so the procedure would have been slightly different. It was still pretty straightforward though it was a few years ago and things may have changed.

"think it’s going to be a case of speaking to the local firearms officer should the SGC grant be accepted - can’t be the first to want to bring a weapon back from abroad."

No you are certainly not the first, I've done it twice and I know of a couple of people who have done it from different countries in the past and it was far more straightforward than you would think. Just do your homework and get all the paperwork in hand before you travel. Declaring the guns at British customs in France was easy as they really didn't want to know just as long as I had them signed on to my certificate.

A word of warning though, just be careful about what you bring back especially barrel lengths. I've seen quite a few shotguns in France with 18" barrels for close in protection when tracking boar. I really fancied one but sadly 24 inches is the minimum barrel length in the U.K. for holding one on a shotgun certificate.

 

[Winch2021]

"This is what I was thinking, the guns aren’t registered but wondered if for custom reasons they would have to go through a gun Smith to formalise the transfer of ownership. If this can be avoided then great!"

I don't know for certain about formalising the transfer on the French side as I have only bought guns in France from a dealer so the procedure would have been slightly different. It was still pretty straightforward though it was a few years ago and things may have changed.

"think it’s going to be a case of speaking to the local firearms officer should the SGC grant be accepted - can’t be the first to want to bring a weapon back from abroad."

No you are certainly not the first, I've done it twice and I know of a couple of people who have done it from different countries in the past and it was far more straightforward than you would think. Just do your homework and get all the paperwork in hand before you travel. Declaring the guns at British customs in France was easy as they really didn't want to know just as long as I had them signed on to my certificate.

A word of warning though, just be careful about what you bring back especially barrel lengths. I've seen quite a few shotguns in France with 18" barrels for close in protection when tracking boar. I really fancied one but sadly 24 inches is the minimum barrel length in the U.K. for holding one on a shotgun certificate.

I’m hoping that as it’s a private individual selling, a bill of sale would be sufficient to demonstrate my ownership.

It’s really good to hear positive stories and do think that it seems far more complicated then it really is - all the information online might be confusing thing unnecessarily.

Thanks for the heads up on the barrel lengths, should be ok as my grandad used his rifle when big game hunting

 

[Pine Marten]

So although you may be able to get away with not registering your grandfather's guns, and a hell of a lot of people don't, it is clear that these guns should be registered, but when I looked at it, it was just a form to fill in and send in. I'll look into it further later if that's OK. I tried to buy one off the widow of an old acquaintance, a Manufrance Robust still it its box, but she refused because she couldn't be bothered with paperwork. So it's still sitting in the barn to rust away. There are thousands like that....

Ah, also, "Bécassier" shotguns can have rifled chokes for close range shot dispersal: they count as a rifle here. Silly as that is.

 

[Winch2021]

It’s a very French thing to let something rust in a barn just so they don’t have to deal with the authorities!!

Seems a bit pointless to register the shotgun over there if my intention is to take it out of France permanently, but if that’s what has to be done then so be it.

 

[enfieldspares]

I would actually throw money at the problem and contact Holt's. Yes they are an auction house but I believe they'd also act as a carrier on your behalf.

 

[Pedro]

I know they are owned by family and maybe have some sentimental value. But if they don't, might it be easier to just sell them in France and then use the proceeds to buy one in Blighty? Financially might be worth considering.

 

[badmolassesaccident]

Is it not the case that if you lawfully possess them in France, all you do is pole up to the red customs lane at the airport, Eurotunnel or ferry? I thought the customs officer had responsibility to enter the firearm/shotgun on your certificate. I was not aware you need import authorisation (though welcome corrections if I am wrong) and HMRC may charge you VAT.

 

[Winch2021]

I know they are owned by family and maybe have some sentimental value. But if they don't, might it be easier to just sell them in France and then use the proceeds to buy one in Blighty? Financially might be worth considering.

This isn’t an option, was my grandads wishes that they stay in the family

Is it not the case that if you lawfully possess them in France, all you do is pole up to the red customs lane at the airport, Eurotunnel or ferry? I thought the customs officer had responsibility to enter the firearm/shotgun on your certificate. I was not aware you need import authorisation (though welcome corrections if I am wrong) and HMRC may charge you VAT.

Not too sure on the roll of the customs officer on entering them on the shotgun certificate - from other posters I think it’s my responsibility to add them but will probably need to check this with the FEO. The VAT is an interesting point - on what would this be charged? As the sale would be from a family member the price will be nominal.

Thank you both for your posts, interesting to hear different factors to consider