Packing firearms and ammunition for air transport
Firearms and ammunition may be carried as checked baggage. However, this requires permission from the airline, so remember to inform the airline about your intention to travel with firearms and ammunition when booking your flight or, at the latest, when checking in. Airlines may also have their own rules that are different from these instructions. It may even be entirely forbidden to carry firearms and ammunition on some flights. Please check the transport conditions from your airline in good time before the flight.
Firearms must be unloaded, which must be confirmed to the airline at the latest at the check-in. They must be packed in a sturdy separate package, for example in a gun case. A small sports gun may alternatively be packed in a normal suitcase together with other belongings, but even then the passenger must always report the gun to the airline during check-in, at the latest.
As a rule, ammunition must not be packed in the same suitcase as the firearm. However, if the passenger only has one piece of checked baggage, the ammunition and the firearm may exceptionally be packed in the same suitcase. You must inform the airline in advance even if you only intend to transport ammunition, during check-in at the latest.
The maximum quantity of category 1.4S ammunition (UN 0012 or 0014) that one passenger is allowed to transport is 5 kg, and the ammunition must be intended for the passenger’s own use and carried in his/her own baggage. It is forbidden to carry reloaded non-categorised ammunition, as well as ammunition containing explosive or incendiary bullets.
The ammunition must be packed in a sturdy package so that the cartridges will not get loose during the transport. An ammunition belt without separate cover/flaps to prevent single cartridges from getting loose, or the magazine alone, are not acceptable transport packages. The original packages (usually thin cartons) in which the ammunition was sold cannot be regarded as sturdy packages; they need to be strengthened for example by putting tape around them, preferably so that the label remains visible. The cartridges must not be packed loosely in a way that allows them to move in the package, even if each cartridge has been individually wrapped in paper or similar material. Tightly sealed ammunition cases, which are specifically designed for storing cartridges and where the cartridges are kept separate, are sufficiently sturdy packages.
It is forbidden to carry electroshock weapons (e.g. Tasers) containing dangerous goods such as explosives, compressed gas or lithium batteries.
To reclaim a bag containing a firearm or ammunition, the passenger must present the baggage tag personally at the destination airport.