Apply for transportation of war weapons by ship or plane outside the federal territory

Do you want to transport war weapons outside the Federal Republic of Germany on German-flagged seagoing vessels or in aircraft registered in the German aircraft register? Then you need a permit.

Sea-going vessels and aircraft may only transport war weapons outside the Federal Republic of Germany if the transport has been authorized by the Federal Government.

You must apply for a permit if

• the ship flies the federal flag or
• the aircraft is registered in the German aircraft register.

You therefore also require a permit if you load and unload war weapons outside Germany and do not fly over or through the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany.

You can submit an individual application or apply for a permanent permit. The permit is possible for a specific period of time and with or without restriction to a specific quantity or type.

You have no right to be granted a permit by the Federal Government.

In certain cases, a general permit may be available under the War Weapons Control Act. You do not then have to submit an application. For example, transportation is generally approved if the war weapons are loaded onto a sea-going vessel or an aircraft outside of Germany and unloaded in a member state of the European Union, Ireland, Iceland, Canada or the United States of America. General licenses do not apply to the transport of anti-personnel mines or cluster munitions.

Which armaments are war weapons can be found in the so-called War Weapons List as an annex to the War Weapons Control Act. War weapons include, for example, combat aircraft, tanks, fully automatic small arms or warships.

You can also use the same form to apply for manufacturing, domestic transportation and foreign transactions.

Depending on the case, different authorities may be responsible for your request:

• in general: Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK)
• for transportation with German-flagged seagoing vessels and aircraft: Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV), only if transportation takes place outside the federal territory

If the applicant and the permit holder are not identical:

• Authorization to submit the application

For transportation on German-flagged seagoing vessels outside the federal territory:

• Declaration of final destination or proof of final destination

Depending on the individual case:

• corresponding import and/or export certificates

The licensing authority may request further documents from you, for example the end-use certificate or import licenses.

You have no right to the granting of a permit. This may be withheld in particular if:

• there is reason to believe that granting the license would be contrary to the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany in maintaining good relations with other countries
• the war weapons are used in a peace-disturbing act, in particular in a war of aggression
• there is reason to believe that the granting of the license would violate the Federal Republic's obligations under international law or jeopardize their fulfillment
• the following persons are not Germans within the meaning of Article 116 of the Basic Law and have their domicile or habitual residence in the Federal Republic of Germany and/or there is reason to assume that they do not possess the necessary reliability:
  • the applicant or his/her legal representative
  • in the case of legal entities: the authorized representative body or a member of such a body
  • in the case of commercial partnerships: a partner authorized to represent the applicant or the head of a business or part of a business of the applicant

Section 4 Weapons of War Control Act (KrWaffKontrG)

• Administrative court action

You can apply for the permit online or by post.

Online application:

• Call up the online application on the federal portal. This will guide you step by step through the necessary information, which you can enter electronically.
• Upload the required documents as a file (in PDF, JPEG, PNG format, maximum 10 megabytes per file) and send the application.
• The licensing authority will check your application and may request further documents or evidence from you.
• You will receive a notice of approval or rejection.

Application by post:

You can submit the application informally or using a form provided by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and Transport (BMDV).

• If you submit an informal application, your application must contain certain information. It is not sufficient for the data to be evident only from accompanying documents, consignment notes or other documents.
  • Name and address of the applicant
  • Designation of the war weapons
  • Number of the war weapons list: Please enter the classification number using the War Weapons List
  • Number of items or weight: Enter the exact number of items for each type of weapon; for ammunition, enter the caliber
  • Final destination of the war weapons or name and address of the recipient
  • Means of transportation including identification number and flag
  • Place of dispatch and destination
  • Route or flight
  • Period of transportation
• Please state in your application whether the following persons are German within the meaning of Article 116 of the Basic Law and have their domicile or habitual residence in Germany:
  • the applicant or his or her legal representative
  • in the case of legal entities: the authorized representative body or a member of such a body
  • in the case of commercial partnerships: a partner authorized to represent the company
  • the head of a business or part of a business of the applicant
• The licensing authority will check your application and, if necessary, request further documents or evidence from you.
• You will receive a notice of approval or rejection.

There is no deadline.

Fees are charged for the application. The Special Fees Ordinance of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) is used to calculate the fees. For individually attributable public services in the area of responsibility of the BMWK and the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control, the BMWK and BAFA Special Fees Ordinance for War Weapons Control, Export Control and Investment Control - BMWKBGebKAIV applies.

There are no indications or special features.