LAW OF GEORGIA ON WEAPONS

LAW OF GEORGIA

ON WEAPONS

Chapter I – General Provisions

Article 1 – Scope of the Law

This Law defines the types of weapons, and regulates relations related to the circulation and control of weapons, and the rights and obligations of participants in the circulation of weapons.

Article 2 – Definition of terms

The terms used in this Law have the following meanings:

a) weapon – a device or object that is structurally designed to damage and/or destroy a living or other object, or to deliver a signal, or to obtain a sound (acoustic) effect;

b) firearm – a short or long firearm in which a projectile or projectiles begin a directed movement as a result of the energy released during the combustion of gunpowder or other charge and which is designed to mechanically damage and/or destroy an object from a distance; 

c) major elements of a firearm – a barrel, a cylinder, a bolt, a ramp, a receiver;

d) hunting firearm – a smooth-bore (rifle), bolt-action (carbine or rifle) or combined (bolt-action and smooth-bore) long gun with a mechanical or semi-automatic mechanism for bringing into combat position;

d¹) handgun:

d¹.a) firearm, gas (air) or pneumatic pistol;

d¹.b) firearm, gas (air) or pneumatic revolver;

d¹.c) firearm or pneumatic weapon manufactured by a weapon maker or manufacturer, the total length of which does not exceed 55 cm;

d²) long gun – firearm or pneumatic weapon, which does not belong to the handguns referred to in subparagraphs (d¹.a) and (d¹.b) of this article and the total length of which as a result of manufacturing by a weapon maker or manufacturer exceeds 55 cm;

d³) overall length of a weapon – the length of a weapon without a muzzle brake, flash eliminator and/or other device attached to a barrel and:

d³.a) including a butt if a butt is solid (stationary, which cannot be removed without the use of additional tools);

d³.b) excluding a butt if a butt is folding or removable, which can be removed without the use of additional tools;

d³.c) including folded butt if a butt is telescopic;

d⁴) civilian firearm – self-defence firearm, sporting firearm, hunting firearm;

e) (deleted – 31.5.2023, No 3100) ;

f) sporting firearm – a firearm included in the special list approved by the joint order of the Minister of Sports of Georgia and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia in agreement with the State Security Service of Georgia; 

g) shotgun – a short firearm with a special stationary barrier in the barrel or cylinder that prevents the firing of a projectile, which does not cause penetrating injuries to the body as a result of firing trauma-causing shotgun shells;

h) gas (air) weapon – a weapon (pistol or revolver) with a special stationary barrier in the barrel or cylinder that prevents the firing of a projectile or shotgun shells, which is intended to temporarily incapacitate a living object with tear gas or irritant substances; 

i) pneumatic weapon – a weapon in which a projectile begins its directed movement under the action of compressed, pressurised or solidified gas and which is intended to damage an object from a distance;

i¹) hunting pneumatic weapon – a long pneumatic weapon that can be used for commercial, amateur, sports and/or scientific hunting;

i²) sports pneumatic weapon – a short or long pneumatic weapon that can be used to fulfil sports qualification standards and/or participate in sports competitions;

j) (deleted – 31.5.2023, No 3100) ;

k) gas spray device – a device intended to temporarily incapacitate a living object with tear gas or irritant substances and complies with standards established by the legislation of Georgia;

l) ammunition – a device or object consisting of an initiating explosive substance and a projectile (projectiles) and structurally intended to damage and/or destroy an object as a result of firing from a weapon;

l¹) major elements of ammunition – an initiating explosive substance, a projectile, a cartridge, a capsule;

l²) blank cartridge – a device or object consisting only of a cartridge, an explosive substance, a stopper, a capsule and that is intended to produce a sound (acoustic) effect;

l³) cartridge – a device intended for a weapon, which combines a primer, an explosive substance and a propelling element through a shell;

m) electroshock device – a device intended to temporarily incapacitate a living object by means of an electronic charge and complies with norms established by the legislation of Georgia;

m¹) electric fish stunner – a device with an electronic charge, which is used for fishing only for scientific and research purposes and complies with norms established by the legislation of Georgia. The technical parameters and the rules and conditions of the use of an electric fish stunner are determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia;

m²) electric fishing machine – manufactured or improvised device, the working principle of which is to attract aquatic living organisms with an electric current and/or to reduce their viability or physical activity and/or to kill them;

n) cold weapon – a weapon that is brought into action by human physical force and which is intended for damaging an object by a direct contact;

o) throwable cold weapon – a weapon that is brought into action by human physical force or a mechanical device and which is intended to damage an object from a distance;

p) collectible weapon – a weapon that has scientific, historical, and/or artistic value and the purpose of which is to form part of a collection and/or exhibition;

q) signal weapon – a weapon or device intended to deliver a light-sound and smoke signal;

q¹) sound (acoustic) weapon – a weapon that is structurally designed (or transformed) only for firing sound (blank) cartridges and is used in theatrical performances, film screenings, television shows, historical reconstructions, parades and sporting events;

q²) flint-lock, wick, capsule firearm – a firearm that is loaded by placing gunpowder, primer and a shell in the barrel separately from the front section of the barrel and in which the gunpowder is ignited by a spark generated by the friction of a flint, wick or capsule and metal;

r) awarded weapon – a weapon that, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, is given to a natural person by an authorised official in the form of an incentive for special merits before the State, as well as for service or combat merits and/or sports achievements;

s) weapon circulation –weapons trading, numbering, registration, manufacturing, producing, repairing (including modernisation and on-site service), purchase, storage, carrying, use, transfer and shipping, sending, export, import, re-export, transit, removal, write-off, destruction, internal processing, external processing, temporary import and/or export, collecting and exhibiting, import into and export from Georgia, ballistic examination, and producing bullets and shell archives;

t) weapons maker – a person who holds a license provided for by Article 15(1) of this Law ;

u) weapon owner – a person who, in accordance with procedures established by the legislation of Georgia, is granted the right to possess, dispose of and use a weapon;

v) weapon user – a person to whom a weapon has been transferred for temporary use, for the purpose of performing official duties;

v¹) temporary weapon user – a person to whom a firearm, pneumatic or signal weapon has been transferred for temporary use in the territory of a closed or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range or shooting and hunting stand, for the purpose of practising in a hunting farm or for training in sports shooting, for fulfilling qualification standards and/or for participating in a shooting competition in accordance with the procedures established by the legislation of Georgia;

w) military equipment – for the purposes of this Law, equipment intended for the production of both major and minor elements of firearms and/or weapons;

x) technical inspection of weapons – if the circumstances specified in Article 19(10) of this Law exist, a visual inspection by a Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and comparison of the data with the registration records of a short defensive firearm and/or a short sporting firearm owned by a permit seeker; 

y) certificate of mental health – a health certificate of a person, in the form approved by a normative act of the Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories of Georgia, Labour, Health and Social Protection, which confirms that he or she is mentally healthy.

Article 3 – Types of weapons

1. Weapons shall be divided into the following types according to their purpose:

a) civilian weapons;

b) service-staff weapons;

c) military-combat weapons.

2. The procedure for awarding civilian or service-staff weapons as an award shall be established by the Government of Georgia upon the nomination of the Ministers of Defence of Georgia and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

3. A weapon shall be classified as a throwable cold weapon if it complies with the technical characteristics of throwable cold weapons approved by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the National Agency of Standards and Metrology of Georgia. A weapon shall be classified as a cold weapon if it complies with the main technical characteristics of cold weapons approved by the Government of Georgia.

Chapter II – Civil Weapons

Article 4¹ – (Deleted) 

Article 7 – Hunting weapons

A hunting weapon shall be a weapon allowed in civilian circulation:

a) a hunting smooth-bore firearm (gun);

b) a hunting bolt-action weapon (a carbine or a rifle);

c) a hunting combined firearm (bolt-action and smooth-bore gun);

d) a hunting cold weapon;

e) a hunting throwable cold weapon;

f) a hunting pneumatic weapon. 

Chapter III – Service-staff Weapons

Article 9 – Service-staff weapons

1. Service-staff weapons are those that are authorised to be carried by persons specified in this Article for the purpose of exercising their powers under the legislation of Georgia.

2. The following persons have the right to carry service-staff weapons:

a) authorised officers of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia;

b) authorised officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia;

b¹) authorised persons of the system of the State Security Service of Georgia;

b²) ( deleted – 24.6.2025, No 701 );

c) authorised officers of the system of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia;

d) authorised persons of the system of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia; 

d¹) authorised officers of the state sub-agency institution called the Special Penitentiary Service within the system of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia;

e) ( deleted – 26.5.2025, No 768 );

f) authorised officers of the Special State Protection Service of Georgia;

g) a prosecutor, an investigator of the Prosecutor’s Office and a professional public officer of the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia designated by the Prosecutor General of Georgia;

h) judges;

i) bailiffs;

j) authorised employees of institutions within the system of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia;

j¹) (deleted – 25.3.2013, No 487) ;

j²) (deleted – 22.12.2018, No 4076) ;

k) collectors and cashiers of the National Bank of Georgia and banking institutions, when performing their official duties;

k¹ ) authorised persons of the LLC Georgian Post, to ensure the security of the transfer/transportation of postal items containing state secrets, monetary and/or other valuables, or of special importance,  when performing their official duties;

l) employees of the Civil Aviation Security Structural Unit, when performing their official duties in accordance with the procedures determined by the ordinance of the Government of Georgia;

m) members of the Presidium of the State Audit Office;

m¹) current members of the Central Election Commission of Georgia;

m²) current members of the Supreme Election Commission elected by the supreme representative body of an autonomous republic;

n) the President of Georgia, a member of the Parliament of Georgia, the Prime Minister of Georgia, other members of the Government of Georgia, members of the supreme representative bodies of the Autonomous Republics of Abkhazia and Ajara, and heads of governments of the Autonomous Republics of Abkhazia and Ajara;

o) (deleted – 30.10.2018, No 3591) ;

o¹) ( deleted – 26.6.2025, No 806 );

p) (deleted – 31.5.2023, No 3100) ; 

q) (deleted – 7.12.2017, No 1703) .

3. After the expiration of their official term of office, the right to carry self-defence and sporting short bolt-action firearms shall be retained, in accordance with the procedures established by the legislation of Georgia, by the persons specified in paragraph 2(n) of this article, judges, judges of the Constitutional Court of Georgia, members of the Central Election Commission of Georgia who have continuously exercised the powers of a member of the Central Election Commission of Georgia during the last 4 years of their term of office (except for those members of the Central Election Commission of Georgia whose violation of the election legislation of Georgia has been confirmed by a court decision that has entered into legal force), members of the Supreme Election Commission elected by the supreme representative body of an autonomous republic who have continuously exercised the powers of a member of the Supreme Election Commission during the last 4 years of their term of office (except for those members of the Supreme Election Commission of Georgia whose violation of the election legislation of Georgia has been confirmed by a court decision that has entered into legal force), as well as employees of the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, the Ministry of Defence of Georgia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, the system of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, the State Security Service of Georgia, the Special Investigation Service, the Intelligence Service of Georgia, the Special State Protection Service and the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, who have been awarded senior and higher special ranks or military ranks of a senior officer and a higher officer under the legislation of Georgia and had the right to carry service-staff weapons, and persons who have been awarded the military rank of senior sergeant in the system of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia and had the right to carry service-staff weapons, except for cases when they renounce the citizenship of Georgia, enter the military service of another country or the police or security service of another country, carry out private security activities (only during the period of carrying out the aforementioned activities) and/or have been dismissed from service due to the imposition of disciplinary liability and/or criminal liability.

4. A person employed under an employment contract shall not have the right to carry a service-staff weapon.

5. The list of officials (except for those specified in paragraph 2(n) of this article) who have the right to carry service-staff weapons shall be approved by the Government of Georgia upon the joint submission of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, and the State Security Service of Georgia. Amendments and changes to that list shall be submitted to the Government of Georgia by the interested agency in agreement with the Ministry of Defence of Georgia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, and the State Security Service of Georgia.

6. Before granting the right to carry a service-staff weapon, the state institution specified in paragraph 2 of this article, which confirms the right to carry a service-staff weapon by issuing a relevant certificate or by making a special remark in the service certificate, shall be obliged to obtain the necessary data from the Unified Information Database of Persons with Mental Health Problems, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction and/or Solvent Abuse (‘the Unified Information Base’) to determine the compliance of the health status of a person with the requirements determined by the legislation of Georgia. The state institution determined by this paragraph shall be authorised to verify the compliance of the health status of a person with the right to carry a service-staff weapon with the requirements determined by the legislation of Georgia through the Unified Information Base.

7. If the right to carry a service-staff weapon is confirmed by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia by issuing a relevant permit, it shall be obliged to obtain the necessary data from the Unified Information Base to determine the compliance of the health status of a person with the requirements determined by the legislation of Georgia. The Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall be authorised to verify the compliance of the health status of a person with the right to carry a service weapon with the requirements determined by the legislation of Georgia through the Unified Information Base.

8. If the right to carry a service-staff weapon is confirmed by the relevant state institution determined by paragraph 6 of this article by issuing an appropriate certificate or by making a special remark in the service certificate, the procedure for responding to data obtained from the Unified Information Base, including the procedure for notifying a person with the right to carry a service weapon about the data obtained from the Unified Information Base, confiscating the weapon and/or returning weapon, shall be established by a legal act of that state institution.

9. If the right to carry a service-staff weapon is confirmed by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia by issuing a relevant permit, the procedure for responding to data obtained from the Unified Information Base, including the procedure for notifying a person with the right to carry a service-staff weapon of data obtained from the Unified Information Base, confiscating weapon and/or returning weapon, shall be established by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia.

1. Service-staff weapons shall be transferred to persons provided for by Article 9(2) of this Law for use, with the right to carry.

2. During the period of official powers, registered weapons owned by the persons provided for by Article 9(2) of this Law may be granted the status of service-staff weapons by a decision of the relevant authorised body/official. After the expiration of official powers, such weapons shall be deprived of the status of service-staff weapons, and in the cases provided for by the legislation of Georgia, the owner of the weapon shall be obliged to re-register the weapon.

3. A perpetrator (‘the perpetrator’) as determined by Article 4(h) of the Law of Georgia On Elimination of Violence against Women and/or Domestic Violence, Protection and Support of Victims of Violence shall, in cases and for a specified period provided for by protective and restraining orders, be prohibited from carrying weapons in his personal possession, and the carrying of service-staff weapons shall be restricted or prohibited. During the period of the validity of the protective, restraining and weapon-related rights restriction orders or during the period determined by protective and restraining orders, a perpetrator shall be deprived of weapons in his personal possession and the right to carry transferred service-staff weapons shall be restricted or deprived. Confiscated weapons shall be stored in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

Chapter IV – Military-combat Weapons

Chapter V – Circulation of Weapons

Article 12 – Restrictions on the circulation of civil, service-staff and cold weapons

1. It shall be prohibited to use the following as civil weapons and service-staff weapons:

a) firearms that imitate the shape of another object;

b) cassettes and other similar percussive and crushing objects;

c) weapons and other devices whose operating force is based on electrical energy, radioactive radiation or biological factors;

d) pneumatic weapons whose technical characteristics do not comply with the technical characteristics of pneumatic weapons allowed for civil circulation determined by the legislation of Georgia;

e) long automatic firearms;

f) illegally manufactured (including transformed) firearms, gas (air) or pneumatic weapons;

g) gas (air) weapons equipped with nerve-paralytic (sedative), poisonous or other potent substances;

h) weapons whose characteristics do not comply with the characteristics established by the legislation of Georgia;

i) electric fish stunners whose technical characteristics do not comply with the relevant technical parameters established by the legislation of Georgia;

j) electric fishing machines.

1¹. It shall be prohibited to use the following as civilian weapons and service-staff weapons:

a) ammunition that has armour-piercing, incendiary, explosive or tracer effect;

b) ammunition and shells intended for weapons that are not allowed in civilian circulation;

c) devices used to suppress the sound of gunfire;

d) nerve-paralytic (sedative), poisonous or other potent substances intended for gas (air) weapons;

e) ammunition, shells and equipment, the characteristics of which do not comply with the characteristics established by the legislation of Georgia and/or which have been withdrawn from civil circulation. 

2. It shall be prohibited for individuals to manufacture and carry cold weapons and throwable cold weapons. The purchase, storage, transportation and shipping of such weapons shall be permitted on the basis of an appropriate permit from the authorised state body of Georgia.

3. The carrying of hunting and sporting pneumatic weapons with technical characteristics determined by the ordinance of the Government of Georgia by an individual shall be permitted only after their registration with a Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

Article 13 – Weapon registry

1. The weapon registry shall include information on the type, model, main characteristics, owner of weapons, users of weapons, and other registration data of weapons determined by Article 19(4) of this Law , which is registered with a Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

2. The weapon registry shall be maintained by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia;

3. ( deleted – 12.6.2015, No 3702) .

Law of Georgia No 74 of 27 June 2008 – LHG I, No 12, 14.7.2008, Art. 96

Law of Georgia No 3285 of 2 July 2010 – LHG I, No 38, 16.7.2010, Art. 228

Law of Georgia No 3702 of 12 June 2015 – website, 30.6.2015

Article 14 – Ballistic examination of weapons

1. The ballistic examination of weapons shall, in the presence of the circumstances provided for by paragraph 2 of this article, determine the compliance of the characteristics of civilian weapons and service-staff weapons with the characteristics established by the legislation of Georgia, and also the type, model, main characteristics of a weapon and other data established by the legislation of Georgia shall be determined. In cases provided for by the legislation of Georgia, an experimental shot from a weapon shall be carried out for the purpose of placing it in the bullet and shell archive.

2. The ballistic examination of weapons shall be carried out:

a) upon the registration or re-registration of weapons (excluding exceptions established by the legislation of Georgia, for weapons provided for by Article 19(4) of this Law;

b) for civilian weapons, gas (air) weapons (excluding exceptions established by the legislation of Georgia) and signal weapons intended for sale by a person holding a relevant license for trade in firearms, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges and major elements of ammunition determined by the legislation of Georgia;

c) for civilian firearms, gas (air) weapons, pneumatic weapons and signal weapons intended for sale by a person determined by paragraph 3(a) or 3(b) of Article 17 of this Law; 

d) upon the registration or re-registration of a weapon, for a pneumatic weapon owned by a natural person determined by Article 12(3) of this Law;

e) upon the registration or re-registration of a weapon, for a weapon purchased by a legal entity/individual entrepreneur determined by paragraph 1(c¹), 1(c²), 1(f) or 1(g) of Article 19 of this Law;

f) in other cases determined by the legislation of Georgia.

3. During the initial registration of a weapon, a natural person shall be exempted from conducting a ballistic examination for civil defence weapons, sporting and hunting firearms and pneumatic weapons, signal weapons and gas (air) weapons if the relevant weapon is purchased from a person determined by paragraph 2(b) or 2(c) of this article and the purchased weapon has already undergone a ballistic examination in accordance with the established procedure.

4. When purchasing a weapon, a legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by paragraph 1(c¹), 1(c²), 1(f) or 1(g) of Article 19 of this Law shall be exempted from conducting a ballistic examination for the purchased weapon if that weapon has been purchased from a person determined by paragraph 2(b) or 2(c) of this article and the purchased weapon has already undergone a ballistic examination in accordance with the established procedure.

5. In the circumstances determined by this article, the ballistic examination of a weapon shall be conducted by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

6. The rules and conditions for ballistic examination and experimental firing of weapons shall be approved by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

Article 14¹ – Technical characteristics of weapons and other acts subject to approval

Article 15 – Manufacturing and repairing weapons, their main parts and ammunition/cartridges

1. Weapons, their main parts and ammunition/cartridges, shall be manufactured and repaired in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, on the basis of an appropriate license issued by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia. A license shall be issued if the premises where weapons, their main parts and ammunition/cartridges are manufactured and repaired complies with technical regulations as approved by the Government of Georgia. The said technical regulations shall also determine an authorised person to issue a document certifying the compliance of the premises in question with technical safety standards.

2. The illegal manufacturing of firearms and signal weapons (including transformation with or without changing the overall length) shall be prohibited.

3. The registration of partially or fully manufactured weapons without a license provided for by paragraph 1 of this article shall be prohibited.

4. The manufacture of weapons and ammunition/cartridges (including transformation with or without changing the overall length) and/or repair without a license shall result in liability in accordance with the legislation of Georgia.

Article 16 – Grounds for issuing a license for manufacturing (production) of civilian weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges and major elements of ammunition and a license for the repair of civilian weapons and firearms

To obtain a license for the manufacturing (production) of civil weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges and major elements of ammunition, and a license for the repair of civil weapons and firearms, the following shall be submitted:

a) a written application of a legal entity or individual entrepreneur;

b) data on the registration of a legal entity or individual entrepreneur in the Register of Entrepreneurs and Non-Entrepreneurial (Non-Commercial) Legal Entities;

c) for a legal entity, a list of all the founders (if a founder is a natural person), managers, authorised representatives, employees included in the staff and engaged under contract who directly carry out the activities provided for by the license:

c.a) a list of persons (indicating first and last name, date of birth, position, ID card number and place of residence), information on their convictions/deprivation of their rights, their convictions for committing a crime as provided for by paragraph 2(e) of Article 27 of this Law, absence from drug registration, and mental state;

c.b) a certificate confirming the appropriate education and/or qualifications (certificate, license, recommendation from the organisation, a certificate of passing one of the exams provided for by paragraph 1 of Article 27¹ of this Law or a document confirming training or military service regarding the rules for the use and storage of weapons);

d) for an individual entrepreneur:

d.a) information about his/her convictions/deprivation of his/her rights, his/her convictions for committing a crime as provided for by paragraph 2(e) of Article 27 of this Law, absence from drug registration, and mental state;

d.b) a document confirming the appropriate education and/or qualifications (certificate, diploma, recommendation from an organisation, a certificate of passing one of the exams provided for by paragraph 1 of Article 27¹ of this Law, or a document confirming the completion of training or military service regarding the rules for the use and storage of weapons);

d.c) a list of persons (with the indication of first and last name, date of birth, profession, place of work, ID card number and place of residence) who will assist the license holder in carrying out the activities permitted by the license, information on their convictions/deprivation of their rights, their conviction for committing a crime provided for by paragraph 2(e) of Article 27 of this Law, their absence from drug registration, and their mental state, as well as a certificate confirming their appropriate education and/or qualification (certificate, recommendation from an organisation, certificate of passing one of the exams provided for by paragraph 1 of Article 27¹ of this Law or a document confirming training regarding the rules for the use and storage of weapons, or military service);

e) a certificate of compliance with fire safety standards in a building;

f) a document confirming compliance with the technical safety standards of premises established by the technical regulations approved by the Government of Georgia, issued by an authorised person determined by the same technical regulations;

g) a document confirming the payment of a license fee;

h) a recommendation of the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia;

i) the consent (certificate) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia in the event that the license is issued for a sound (acoustic) weapon, gas spray device and/or electroshock device.

Article 17 – Trade in weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges and major elements of ammunition 

1. Special purpose entities, based on an appropriate license issued by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, shall have the right to trade in weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges and major elements of ammunition. A license shall be issued if the premises where the trade in weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges and major elements of ammunition, complies with the technical regulations approved by the Government of Georgia. The above technical regulations shall also determine an authorised person to issue a document certifying the compliance of the premises with technical safety standards.

2. A person holding a relevant license for trading in weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges and major elements of ammunition defined by the legislation of Georgia, shall be obliged to:

a) ensure the numbering of purchased and sold goods, as well as the maintaining of accounting documentation;

b) carry out the sale of weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges and major elements of ammunition only to persons with the relevant right;

c) carry out the sale of only those goods that comply with the requirements established by the legislation of Georgia;

d) not carry out the sale of civilian weapons as provided for by Article 19(4) of this Law without conducting their ballistic examination, excluding the exceptions determined by the legislation of Georgia;

e) place on consignment only those weapons for which a certificate of delivery of weapons on consignment has been issued in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia;

f) submit a complete list of weapons and ammunition/cartridges imported for sale or placed on consignment on the basis of a relevant license (type, brand, model, series, number, calibre), as well as information about the buyer, to the relevant units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and the Ministry of Defence of Georgia for recording in the information base;

g) ensure the safety of storage of weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges and major elements of ammunition;

h) transfer the purchased weapon to the individual purchasing the weapon only in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia;

h¹) transfer a purchased weapon to a person purchasing a sound (acoustic) weapon, gas spray device and/or electroshock device only upon the submission of written consent (certificate) from the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia;

i) comply with other requirements established by the legislation of Georgia regarding the circulation of weapons.

3. The license determined by paragraph 1 of this article shall not be required:

a) for a court bailiff when selling weapons seized in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia at a forced auction;

b) for the legal entity under public law within the system of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia called the National Agency for State Property when privatising weapons that have become state property;

c) for the legal entity under public law called the State Military Scientific-Technical Centre ‘Delta’ or its successor, based on the recommendation of the Commission on Military and Technical Issues.

Article 18 – Grounds for issuing a license for trade in civilian weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges, and major elements of ammunition

To issue a license for trade in civilian weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges, and major elements of ammunition the following shall be submitted: 

a) a written application from a legal entity or individual entrepreneur;

b) data on the registration of a legal entity or individual entrepreneur in the Register of Entrepreneurs and Non-Entrepreneurial (Non-Commercial) Legal Entities;

c) for a legal entity – a list of all founders (if a founder is a natural person), managers, authorised representatives, employees included in the staff and invited under the contract who directly carry out the activities provided for by the license:

c.a) a list of persons (indicating first and last name, date of birth, position, ID card number and place of residence), information on their convictions/deprivation of their rights, their conviction for committing a crime provided for by paragraph 2(e) of Article 27 of this Law, absence from the drug registration, and mental state;

c.b) a certificate confirming the appropriate education and/or qualifications (certificate, license, recommendation from an organisation, a certificate of passing one of the exams provided for by paragraph 1 of Article 27¹ of this Law or a document confirming training or military service regarding the rules for the use and storage of weapons); 

d) for an individual entrepreneur:

d.a) information about his/her conviction/deprivation of his/her rights, his/her conviction for committing a crime provided for by paragraph 2(e) of Article 27 of this Law, absence from the drug registration, and mental state;

d.b) a certificate confirming the appropriate education and/or qualification (certificate, license, recommendation from an organisation, a certificate of passing one of the exams provided for by paragraph 1 of Article 27¹ of this Law or a document confirming training or military service regarding the rules for the use and storage of weapons);

d.c) a list of persons (indicating first and last name, date of birth, profession, place of work, ID card number and place of residence) who will assist the license holder in carrying out the activities permitted by the license, information on their convictions/deprivation of their rights, their conviction for committing a crime provided for by paragraph 2(e) of Article 27 of this Law, their absence from the drug registration, and their mental state, as well as a certificate confirming their appropriate education and/or qualification (certificate, recommendation from an organisation, certificate of passing one of the exams provided for by paragraph 1 of Article 27¹ of this Law or a document confirming training regarding the rules for the use and storage of weapons, or military service);

e) a certificate of compliance with fire safety standards in a building;

f) a document confirming compliance with the technical safety standards of premises established by the technical regulations approved by the Government of Georgia, issued by an authorised person determined by the same technical regulations;

g) a document confirming the payment of a license fee;

h) a recommendation of the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia;

i) consent (a certificate) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia in the event that the license is issued for a sound (acoustic) weapon, gas spray device and/or electroshock device.

Article 18¹ – (Deleted)

Law of Georgia No 3378 of 23 June 2006 – LHG I, No 26, 14.7.2006, Art. 206

Law of Georgia No 74 of 27 June 2008 – LHG I, No 12, 14.7.2008, Art. 96

Article 18² – (Deleted)

Law of Georgia No 3378 of 23 June 2006 – LHG I, No 26, 14.7.2006, Art. 206

Law of Georgia No 74 of 27 June 2008 – LHG I, No 12, 14.7.2008, Art. 96

Law of Georgia No 1971 of 3 November 2009 – LGH I, No 35, 19.11.2009, Art. 260

Law of Georgia No 2806 of 23 March 2010 – LHG I, No 20, 9.4.2010, Art. 111

Law of Georgia No 4469 of 22 March 2011 – website, 1.4.2011

Law of Georgia No 6162 of 8 May 2012 – website, 25.5.2012

Law of Georgia No 2471 of 29 May 2014 – website, 12.6.2014

Article 19 – Right to acquire weapons, their major elements and ammunition/cartridges

1. The following persons shall have the right to acquire weapons, their major elements and ammunition/cartridges:

a) a person who, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, has the right to manufacture and/or sell weapons;

b) institutions provided for by Article 9(2) of this Law ;

c) (deleted – 31.5.2023, No 3100) ;

c¹) a legal entity engaged in commercial, amateur, sports or scientific hunting, or providing tourist services in those fields and meeting the requirements established by the Government of Georgia;

c²) a legal entity as determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia, for signal weapons;

d) a person who collects and exhibits weapons in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia;

e) a citizen of Georgia or a foreign country who meets the requirements established by the legislation of Georgia;

f) a legal entity/individual entrepreneur holding a permit to open a closed and/or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range and/or shooting and hunting stand, for those civil firearms and hunting and sporting pneumatic weapons admitted to civil circulation that are permitted to be fired in the area of a closed and/or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range and/or shooting and hunting stand, in accordance with an ordinance of the Government of Georgia and a permit to open a closed and/or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range and/or shooting and hunting stand, and their major elements;

g) a national sports federation/organisation of a shooting sport recognised by the Ministry of Sports of Georgia in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia (‘the Federation’) and/or its member legal entity/individual entrepreneur (which has opened a closed and/or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range and/or shooting and hunting stand in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia), as well as a national sports organisation recognised in the same manner (one of the fields of which is shooting sports) (‘a sports organisation’), for hunting and sporting firearms, hunting and sporting pneumatic weapons admitted to civil circulation and their major elements.

1¹. A legal entity as determined by paragraph 1(c¹) of this article shall have the right to purchase only hunting firearms, their major elements and signal weapons.

2. The following persons shall have the right to purchase ammunition in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia:

a) the persons determined by paragraph 1(a) and 1 (b) of this article;

b) the persons determined by paragraph 1(d) and 1(e) of this article, only if that ammunition is intended for firing from a registered or numbered weapon in their possession (ownership);

c) the persons determined by paragraph 1(c¹) of this article, only if that ammunition is intended for firing from a hunting firearm registered in their name;

c¹) a legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by paragraph 1(f) and 1(g) of this article, if that ammunition is intended for firing from a weapon in their possession or use; 

d) a natural person to whom a hunting firearm has been temporarily transferred for use in accordance with the procedure established by this Law by a legal entity as determined by paragraph 1(c¹)of this article, only if that ammunition is intended for firing from the said weapon, but not for more than the period specified for use;

e) a natural person to whom a legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by paragraph 1(f) of this article has temporarily transferred for use a weapon in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, if that ammunition is intended for firing from the said weapon, but not for more than the period specified for the use of the weapon. 

2¹. The following persons shall have the right to purchase cartridges in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia:

a) an entity as determined by paragraph 1 of this article, only if that cartridge is intended for firing from a registered or numbered signal weapon in their ownership (possession);

b) a natural person to whom a signal weapon has been temporarily transferred for use in accordance with the procedure established by this Law by a legal entity as determined by paragraph 1(c¹) of this article, only if that cartridge is intended for firing from the said weapon, but not longer than the period established for its use.

3. The acquisition by a natural person of a civilian weapon and/or its major element or signal weapon as provided for by Article 5(a) and (b), Article 6(1)(a), and Article 7(a)-(c) of this Law, as well as the assignment of a service-staff weapon to a weapon user by institutions as determined by Article 9(2)(h)–(j), (k)-(n) and (o¹) of this Law, shall be permitted only on the basis of a permit for the acquisition of the relevant weapon (with the right to store and/or carry) issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

3¹. A legal entity as determined by paragraph 1(c¹) or (c²) of this article shall, within 10 working days after the acquisition of a hunting firearm or its major element and/or signal weapon, register it with the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, in accordance with the procedure established by the order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia. Before meeting the obligation determined by this paragraph, to dispose of the said weapon or transfer the right to use it to another person shall not be permitted.

3². A legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by paragraph 1(f) of this article shall, within 10 working days after the acquisition of a civilian firearm or a hunting or sporting pneumatic weapon admitted to civil circulation or its major elements, submit the relevant documentation to the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia for registration. Before the registration of the said weapon, the disposal of it by that legal entity/individual entrepreneur or the transfer of it to another person with the right of use shall not be permitted.

3³. A legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by paragraph 1(g) of this article shall, within 10 working days after the acquisition of a hunting or sporting firearm or a hunting or sporting pneumatic weapon admitted to civil circulation or its major elements, submit the relevant documentation to the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia for registration. Before the registration of the said weapon, the disposal of it by that legal entity/individual entrepreneur or the transfer of it to another person with the right of use shall not be permitted.

3⁴. The registration of weapons as determined by paragraphs 3¹-3³ of this article shall be carried out and the weapon registration certificate shall be issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

3⁵. The procedure for the registration of weapons as determined by paragraphs 3¹-3³ of this article and the form of the weapon registration certificate shall be approved by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

4. The Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall issue the following for civilian and service-staff weapons:

a) a permit to purchase (with the right to store) the following weapons:

a.a) defensive firearms;

a.b) sporting short firearms; 

b) a permit to purchase (with the right to store and carry) the following weapons:

b.a) defensive gas (air) weapons;

b.b) hunting firearms;

b.c) sporting long firearms; 

b.c¹) signal weapons;

b.d) (deleted – 31.5.2023, No 3100) ; 

b.e) self-defence or sporting short firearms, the owner of which, in accordance with the legislation of Georgia, has retained the right to carry a weapon after the end of his/her official duties;

b.f) weapons owned by persons using them, as determined by paragraph 2(h)-(o¹) of Article 9 of this Law, during the period of official duties, which have been granted the status of service-staff weapons;

c) weapon acquisition (with the right to carry) permits, for weapons transferred with the status of service-staff weapons to persons using weapons belonging to institutions as determined by paragraph 2(h)-(o¹) of Article 9 of this Law;

d) as a result of the registration of civil firearms and hunting and sporting pneumatic weapons admitted to civil circulation owned by a legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by paragraph 1(f) of this article, hunting and sporting firearms and hunting and sporting pneumatic weapons admitted to civil circulation owned by a legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by paragraph 1(g) of this article, as well as civil firearms as provided for by paragraph 3¹ of this article and hunting and sporting pneumatic weapons as provided for by Article 12(3) of this Law, a document confirming the registration of weapons in the form approved by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

5. The issuance of a permit as determined by paragraphs 3 and 4 of this article by the Legal Entity under Public Law called Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall be confirmed by registration and the issuance of a weapon registration certificate. 

6. In order to make changes and amendments to the weapon registration data, as well as to restore a cancelled registration, to re-register a weapon as determined by paragraph 4 of this article within 10 working days from the occurrence of the grounds determined by the legislation of Georgia, shall be mandatory.

6¹. The technical characteristics of a signal weapon, the purchase, import into Georgia, export from Georgia, transfer, shipment or sending of which is permitted only on the basis of a relevant permit/license, shall be determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia.

6². The list of state institutions and legal entities that do not require a relevant permit/license to import into Georgia, export from Georgia, transfer, or the transportation or shipment of signal weapons and cartridges intended for them, shall be determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia.

7. Using civilian sporting, hunting firearms, signal or pneumatic weapons in private security activities shall be prohibited.

8. A permit/license as provided for by the legislation of Georgia shall not be required for the purchase, import into Georgia, export from Georgia, transfer, transportation or sending of gas spray devices, electroshock devices, pneumatic weapons and flintlock, wick, capsule firearms permitted for civil circulation under the legislation of Georgia.

8¹. A permit provided for by the legislation of Georgia shall not be required for the purchase, export from Georgia, transfer, transportation or sending of sound (acoustic) weapons in accordance with the legislation of Georgia.

8². A relevant license/permit as provided for by the legislation of Georgia shall be required for the manufacture (production), repair, import, export, re-export or transit of sound (acoustic) weapons, gas spray devices and/or electroshock devices or for trade in any of these weapons.

8³. A person who has reached the age of 18 shall have the right to purchase, import into Georgia, export from Georgia, transport, ship or send a sound (acoustic) weapon, as well as to carry, purchase, import into Georgia, export from Georgia, transport, ship or send a gas spray device and/or an electroshock device, based on the written consent (certificate) of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

8⁴. Written consent (certificate) from the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall not be issued for the purchase, import into Georgia, export from Georgia, transfer, transportation or sending of a sound (acoustic) weapon by a person, as well as for the carrying, purchase, import into Georgia, export from Georgia, transfer, transportation or sending of a gas spray device and/or an electroshock device, if:

a) a person has not reached the age of 18;

b) a person is mentally ill and/or due to his/her health condition it is impossible to issue written consent (a certificate) to him/her;

c) a person grossly violates public order;

d) a person suffers from alcoholism, drug addiction or solvent abuse;

e) a person is accused or has a conviction which has been removed or expunged;

f) a protective or restraining order or an order for the restriction of rights related to weapons has been issued against a person, in cases determined by that order and for a specified period;

g) a person has had an administrative penalty imposed on him/her for committing an administrative offence, which has imposed a restriction of rights related to weapons, and the term of that administrative penalty has not expired;

h) a person has committed an administrative offence as provided for by Articles 166-167, 172, 173, 173¹⁶, 174¹ and 180-183 of the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia, and the period after which the person will be considered administratively insolvent has not expired;

i) if a fact or information indicating a real threat of a person committing an offence exists;

j) there are other circumstances provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

9. A perpetrator shall be prohibited from purchasing weapons during the period of validity of protective, restraining and weapons-related rights restriction orders or during the period determined by protective and restraining orders.

10. The Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall have the right, in order to issue a permit for the acquisition of a defensive short firearm or a sporting short firearm to a permit seeker who, at the time of the request, has more than three units of defensive short firearms and/or sporting short firearms registered in his/her ownership, to additionally request the submission of the said weapons for technical inspection. 

11. Paragraph 10 of this article shall not apply to persons as determined by Article 9(2) of this Law (excluding subparagraphs (k) and (l) of the same paragraph).

12. If the circumstances determined by Article 31(1¹) of this Law exist, the owner of a weapon shall keep records of the transfer of a hunting firearm and a signal weapon for temporary use to a natural person. In addition, they shall be obliged to provide the said information to the authorised persons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

13. If the circumstances determined by Article 31(1²) of this Law exist, the relevant authorised person of a closed or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range or shooting and hunting stand shall keep records of the transfer of a weapon for temporary use to a natural person. In addition, they shall be obliged to provide the said information to the authorised person/unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

14. In the cases determined by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, in order to purchase a specific type of weapon, a weapon of an identical make and model, or a certain number of weapons, a person shall be obliged to submit to the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, the consent of an authorised person of the relevant territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, issued in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

Article 20 – Storing weapons

1. The weapons and ammunition of the institutions included in the system of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, the system of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, the State Security Service of Georgia, the Special Service of State Protection and the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia shall be stored in accordance with the procedures established by the normative acts of those institutions, and the procedures for storing weapons and ammunition owned by the National Bank of Georgia, banking institutions and structural units of civil aviation security shall be established by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

1¹. The procedure for the storage, registration, issuance and security of hunting firearms and ammunition and/or signal weapons/their cartridges belonging to legal entities as determined by paragraph 1(c¹) and 1(c²) of Article 19 of this Law shall be established by the said legal entities in accordance with the requirements established by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

1². Security-related issues in the territory of a closed and/or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range and/or shooting and hunting stand, including the procedure for the registration, issuance, movement and use of weapons, the conduct and registration of shooters and shooting positions, shall be determined by a legal entity/individual entrepreneur holding a permit to open a closed and/or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range and/or shooting and hunting stand as provided for by paragraph 1(f) of Article 19 of this Law, in accordance with the requirements established by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

1³. The procedure for the storage, registration, issuance and security of weapons by a legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by paragraph 1(g) of Article 19 of this Law shall be established by the head of the said legal entity/individual entrepreneur. Failure to comply with those procedures or any violation (non-fulfilment) of the requirements determined by the established procedures shall result in liability for a legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by the same subparagraph in accordance with the legislation of Georgia. 

2. The procedure for carrying, storing, transporting, shipping, sending and registering weapons and ammunition/cartridges in use or ownership shall be approved by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

3. During the period of the validity of protective, restraining and weapons-related rights restriction orders or during the period specified by protective and restraining orders, the conditions for keeping a weapon (including service-staff weapons) belonging to a perpetrator or for its temporary seizure during the said period shall be determined by the relevant order. In the cases of valid protective, restraining and weapon-related rights restriction orders or in the cases specified by protective and restraining orders, the procedures and conditions for storing weapons in the personal possession of a perpetrator, as well as the procedures and conditions for the limited use of service-staff weapons and/or the confiscation of service-staff weapons, shall be determined by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

4. The Ministry of Defence of Georgia, the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, the State Security Service of Georgia, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, as well as state sub-agencies and legal entities under public law in the systems of the aforementioned institutions, shall be obliged to ensure the sending of bullets and cartridges fired from their service-staff firearms to the relevant body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia for placement in the bullet and shell archive. The procedure for sending bullets to the bullet and shell archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall be established by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

5. Civilian firearms, gas (air) weapons, hunting pneumatic weapons, sports pneumatic weapons, signal weapons and relevant ammunition/cartridges shall be stored in such state and conditions that:

a) ensure the protection and safety of weapons and ammunition/cartridges;

b) exclude the possibility of an unintended (unintentional) shot from the weapon;

c) exclude unauthorised persons access to weapons and ammunition/cartridges;

d) meet the requirements for safe storage of weapons and ammunition/cartridges established by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

6. Any violation of the requirements established by paragraph 5 of this article shall result in liability as determined by the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia.

Article 21 – Transportation-shipping and sending of weapons and ammunition/cartridges and carrying signal weapons

1. Transportation-shipping and sending of weapons and ammunition/cartridges shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, based on a relevant permit issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

2. The following persons shall not need a permit as provided for by this article:

a) a natural person who is the owner of a registered weapon, when transporting-shipping up to 300 cartridges of smooth-bore firearms, up to 300 cartridges of bolt-action firearms or gas (air) weapons, or up to one kilogram of gunpowder;

b) a natural person, during the transportation-shipping of hunting firearms and cartridges intended for them (but not more than 300 cartridges) transferred to him/her for temporary use in accordance with the procedure established by Article 31(1¹) of this Law;

c) transfer of weapons and ammunition/cartridges in the presence of a temporary weapon certificate issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia;

d) persons as determined by Article 9(2) of this Law, during the transportation-shipping and sending of their service-staff weapons, and persons as determined by Article 11(1) of this Law, during the transportation-shipping and sending of their military-combat weapons;

e) an employee of a criminal case investigation body, during the transportation-shipping and sending of weapons and ammunition/cartridges seized, confiscated and/or recognised as material evidence in a criminal case;

f) an employee of the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, during the transportation-shipping and sending of weapons and ammunition/cartridges when carrying out the procedures determined by the legislation of Georgia for the registration (re-registration) or write-off of weapons;

g) an employee of the Legal Entity under Public Law called the National Agency for State Property within the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, during the transportation-shipping and sending of weapons and ammunition/cartridges when carrying out procedures related to the disposal of weapons and ammunition that have become state property;

h) an enforcement police officer, during the transportation-shipping and forwarding of weapons and ammunition/cartridges seized for the purpose of compulsory enforcement;

i) authorised persons as determined by the legislation of Georgia, during the transportation-shipping and sending of weapons and ammunition/cartridges seized or confiscated in the cases determined by the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia;

j) during the transportation-shipping and sending of signal weapon cartridges by a natural person or legal entity in a quantity determined by the Government of Georgia.

3. In cases determined by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, during the transportation-shipping of civilian firearms, the requirements provided for by the legislation of Georgia shall be observed, and the said weapon shall be:

a) unloaded, separated from ammunition and with an empty magazine (if any);

b) incompletely disassembled or with a special safety lock, so that it is impossible to bring the weapon into combat condition without removing it;

c) in a special gun-case or holster, so as to exclude the possibility of the immediate use of the weapon;

d) protected from unauthorised access.

3¹. The temporary transfer of a self-defence short firearm/combat material from the place of storage to a closed or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range or shooting and hunting stand by a natural person holding a permit for the acquisition (possession) of a self-defence short firearm and return to the place of storage shall be permitted on the basis of a temporary weapon certificate issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, in compliance with the procedure for the transfer of civilian firearms established by the legislation of Georgia.

3². The temporary transfer of any of the aforementioned weapons and/or relevant ammunition from the storage place by the holder of a permit for the acquisition (possession) of a sporting short firearm or by a natural person who is the owner of a sporting short pneumatic weapon for the purpose of fulfilling the qualification standards in sporting shooting, participating in a competition and/or repairing the weapon and returning it to the storage place, shall be permitted on the basis of a temporary weapon certificate issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, in compliance with the procedure for the transfer of civilian firearms or the procedure for the transfer of pneumatic weapons established by the legislation of Georgia.

3³. The relevant authorised person shall have the right to temporarily transfer hunting and sporting firearms and hunting and sporting pneumatic weapons admitted to civil circulation and/or relevant ammunition from a storage place and return them to the storage place for the purpose of fulfilling the qualification standards in shooting sports, participating in competitions and/or repairing weapons of a legal entity/individual entrepreneur as determined by paragraph 1(g) of Article 19 of this Law, on the basis of a permit for the transportation-shipping of weapons issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. The aforementioned authorised person shall be obliged to carry the registration certificate of each weapon to be transferred and to comply with the procedure for the transfer of civilian firearms or the procedure for the transfer of pneumatic weapons established by the legislation of Georgia. 

3⁴. Carrying a signal weapon within a 500-meter radius of a populated area and/or its adjacent territory, as well as transporting a signal weapon, shall be permitted only in a special gun-case, in an unloaded condition, separated from cartridges. At the same time, the signal weapon must be incompletely disassembled or the signal weapon must have a safety lock attached so that the use of that weapon without its removal be impossible.

4. Any violation of requirements established by paragraphs 3 and 3⁴ of this article shall result in the imposition of liability as determined by the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia.

Article 21¹ – Procedure for carrying a gas (air) weapon, gas spray device and/or electroshock device, carrying a sound (acoustic) weapon or the procedure for transportation-shipping and sending, and taking out of Georgia a sound (acoustic) weapon, gas spray device and/or electroshock device

1. It shall be prohibited to carry a gas (air) weapon, gas spray device and/or electroshock device openly showing it, as well as to demonstrate it in a public space. Its use for self-defence in a public space shall not be considered as demonstrating a gas (air) weapon, gas spray device and/or electroshock device.

2. Carrying a sound (acoustic) weapon by a natural person shall be prohibited. Carrying a sound (acoustic) weapon shall imply the existence of circumstances where a natural person has this weapon with him/her, holding it in his/her hand, attached it to his/her body or keeping it in his/her clothes.

3. On the basis of the written consent (certificate) from the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, it shall be permitted to purchase, export from Georgia, transport-ship or send sound (acoustic) weapons for the purpose determined by Article 2(q¹) of this Law, only in an unloaded condition, separated from cartridges, which excludes the possibility of its immediate use. The procedure for purchasing, exporting from Georgia, transporting-shipping or sending sound (acoustic) weapons shall be determined by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

4. The procedure for carrying, purchasing, exporting from Georgia, transporting-shipping or sending gas spray devices and/or electroshock devices shall be determined by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

5. Any violation of the requirements established by this article shall result in the imposition of appropriate liability as determined by the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia.

Article 21² – Rules for the transportation-shipping and sending of flint-lock, wick, capsule firearms

1. A natural person shall be prohibited from carrying a flint-lock, wick, capsule firearm. Carrying such a weapon shall imply the existence of circumstances where a natural person has this weapon with him/her, holding it in his/her hand, attached it to his/her body or keeping it in his/her clothes.

2. Transportation-shipping and sending a flint-lock, wick, capsule firearm shall be permitted for the purpose of use in a theatrical performances, film screenings, television shows, historical reconstructions, parades and sporting events, as well as for exhibitions. The procedure for the transportation-shipping and sending of the aforementioned weapons for the purposes provided for by this paragraph and for other purposes shall be established by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

3. Any violation of the requirements provided for by this article shall result in the imposition of liability in accordance with the procedures established by the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia. 

Article 22 – Export, import, re-export and transit of civilian weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges, major elements of ammunition, military equipment, technical documentation and works and services related to the production of weapons

1. The export, import, re-export and transit of civilian weapons, major elements of firearms, ammunition/cartridges, major elements of ammunition, military equipment, technical documentation and works and services related to the production of weapons, shall be carried out on the basis of a relevant permit issued by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia. To obtain a permit, the following documents shall be submitted to the Ministry of Defence of Georgia, together with the documents provided for by paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Article 25 of the Law of Georgia on Licenses and Permits:

a) a relevant agreement or letter of intent/licence agreement, or a copy thereof;

b) a certificate of the origin of goods issued by an authorised body (except for cases determined by a decision of the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia);

c) an import permit or re-export permit issued by an authorised state body of a relevant country;

d) an end-user certificate issued by an authorised state body of a country where the import is being carried out (except for cases where the permit seeker applies for an import permit);

e) a recommendation from the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia;

f) consent (certificate) from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia if a permit is issued for a sound (acoustic) weapon, gas spray device and/or electroshock device.

2. A permit for the export, import, re-export and transit of awarded and collectible weapons and the ammunition for them may be issued without a recommendation from the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

3. A permit seeker (except for a transit permit seeker) as provided for by this article shall have the appropriate license provided for by Articles 16 and 18 of this Law .

4. A permit holder shall submit the originals of a permit and contracts (agreements) issued on the grounds of this Law to the customs authority.

5. The relevant permit fee shall not be paid for issuing a permit for the export, import, re-export and transit of weapons, ammunition/cartridges, military equipment, technical documentation and works and services related to the production of weapons belonging to or intended for the state authorities of Georgia.

6. Pneumatic weapons and flint-lock, wick, capsule firearms permitted for civil circulation under the legislation of Georgia shall not need a permit/license provided for by this article.

Article 22¹ – (Deleted)

Article 24 – Bringing weapons into Georgia and taking weapons out of Georgia

1. Bringing into Georgia or taking out of Georgia civilian weapons, major elements of civilian firearms and/or ammunition/cartridges (except for transit and re-export) by a citizen of Georgia shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, on the basis of a relevant permit issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

1¹. Bringing into Georgia civilian weapons as provided for by Article 19(8¹) of this Law by a citizen of Georgia shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, on the basis of a relevant permit issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. The quantity of civilian weapons provided for by this paragraph to be brought into Georgia at the same time shall be determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia.

2. Bringing into Georgia or temporarily taking out of Georgia and returning to Georgia hunting and/or sporting firearms, their main components and/or ammunition by the Federation and/or its member legal entity/individual entrepreneur (that has opened a closed and/or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range and/or shooting and hunting stand in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia) or by a sports organisation, shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, on the basis of a relevant permit issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

2¹. Bringing into Georgia or temporarily taking out of Georgia and returning to Georgia civilian weapons as provided for by Article 19(8¹) by the Federation and/or its member legal entity/individual entrepreneur (that has opened a closed and/or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range and/or shooting and hunting stand in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia) or by a sports organisation shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, on the basis of a relevant permit issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

3. During the visit of representatives of other state authorities and international organisations, as well as other important persons specified in the register determined by the act of the State Special Protection Service, bringing weapons and ammunition/cartridges into Georgia and taking them out of Georgia shall be carried out with the permit of the State Special Protection Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and the State Security Service of Georgia shall be notified thereof.

4. The Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall issue a permit as provided for by paragraph 1 of this article for bringing into Georgia or taking out of Georgia not more than 5 units at the same time of civilian weapons or major elements of weapons and/or for bringing into Georgia or taking out of Georgia not more than 1,000 units at the same time of ammunition/cartridges (except for signal weapon cartridges).

5. In the case determined by paragraph 1 of this article, if civilian weapons, as well as their major elements, are brought to Georgia, they shall be registered not later than 10 working days after bringing them into Georgia. Registration shall be carried out by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

6. The number of signal weapon cartridges that may be brought into or taken out of Georgia on the basis of a permit issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, provided for by paragraph 1 of this article, shall be determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia.

Article 25 – Using weapons

1. The use of civilian weapons shall be permitted only for defence, hunting, sports, collection and exhibition purposes, in theatrical performances, film screenings, television shows and historical reconstructions, for sending signals and obtaining sound (acoustic) effects, for fishing for scientific research purposes, in accordance with the procedures established by the legislation of Georgia, as well as within the framework of necessary repulsion to protect one’s own or/and another person’s life, health and/or property or in cases of extreme necessity.

2. The rules and conditions for the use of service-staff and military-combat weapons shall be determined by the legislation of Georgia.

3. In all cases of the use of weapons, measures shall be taken to ensure the safety of persons nearby and to provide medical assistance to a victim.

4. In the cases provided for by the legislation of Georgia, the relevant bodies of the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall be notified about the use of weapons.

5. A permit to open a closed and/or semi-closed pipe range, shooting range and/or shooting and hunting stand shall be mandatory for a legal entity/individual entrepreneur who organises shooting from pneumatic weapons of any form (type), except for attractions arranged in public places. 

Article 26 – Purchase, bringing into and taking out of Georgia weapons by aliens

1. An alien shall have the right to purchase civilian firearms, signal weapons and gas (air) weapons in Georgia in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia and/or to take out of Georgia civilian firearms, signal weapons and gas (air) weapons purchased in Georgia on the basis of a relevant permit issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

1¹. Taking out of Georgia firearms received as a award by an alien shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

2. An alien shall have the right to bring into Georgia a hunting firearm or a sporting firearm, ammunition for the said firearm (but not more than 500 cartridges), as well as a signal weapon and/or cartridges for that weapon (not more than the quantity determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia) if there is a corresponding contract (agreement) for hunting or an invitation to a sporting event and a permit from the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, and for an exhibition, a permit from the Ministry of Defence of Georgia. A weapon brought into Georgia shall be taken out of Georgia within the period provided for by the contract (agreement) or invitation.

2¹. An alien shall have the right to bring into Georgia a civilian weapon as provided for by Article 19(8¹) of this Law if grounds as determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia exist.

3. In the case of a violation of the deadlines referred to in paragraph 2 of this article, the weapon shall be temporarily confiscated in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia until the issue is resolved.

4. In the cases determined by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, an alien shall have the right to bring into Georgia and take out of Georgia his/her hunting firearm and/or signal weapon for the purpose of hunting without obtaining the permit provided for by paragraph 2 of this article.

Article 27 – Non-issuance or termination of licenses (permits)

1. The license (permit) provided for by this Law shall be revoked in the following cases:

a) if a license (permit) holder voluntarily refuses a license (permit);

b) if a license (permit) holder violates the terms of a license (permit) and/or the requirements of this Law and the legislation of Georgia related to the circulation of weapons;

c) if a useless weapon is surrendered to the relevant bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia in accordance with the established procedure;

c¹) if a weapon is written-off or alienated at the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia; 

d) if a weapon is used for purposes other than its intended purpose;

d¹) if the license (permit) holder becomes mentally ill and/or his/her health condition makes it impossible for him/her to use that license (permit) and the body issuing the license (permit) becomes aware thereof; 

d²) (deleted – 31.5.2023, No 3100) ; 

d³) if the license (permit) holder systematically violates public order;

d⁴) if the license (permit) holder suffers from alcoholism, drug addiction or solvent abuse and the body issuing the license (permit) has become aware thereof;

d⁵) if a court decision of conviction has entered into legal force against the license (permit) holder. This rule shall not apply to convictions of persons without a criminal record for crimes provided for by Articles 188-191, 192¹, 192², 195¹, 196, 198¹, 199, 201, 202, 203, 204¹, 205, 206-208 and 213, Article 216(1), Articles 217, 219, 220, 220¹ and 276, Article 332(1) and (2), Article 333(1) and (2), and Articles 337, 341 and 342 of the Criminal Code of Georgia; 

d⁶) if the holder of a permit to purchase a civilian firearm (with the right to store and/or carry) has committed an offence provided for by Article 175² of the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia;

d⁷) if the holder of a license (permit) has been imposed the restriction of weapon-related rights as an administrative penalty for committing an administrative offence;

d⁸) if the holder of a license (permit) has had imposed on them the confiscation of the weapon as an administrative penalty for committing an administrative offence (in this case, only the relevant permit (license) for the said weapon shall be revoked); 

e) in cases provided for by an international treaty or agreement;

f) in other cases established by the legislation of Georgia.

2. A license (permit) shall not be issued if:

a) a license (permit) applicant is mentally ill and/or his/her health condition makes it impossible for him/her to obtain the license (permit); 

b) (deleted – 31.5.2023, No 3100) ; 

c) a license (permit) applicant systematically violates public order;

d) a license (permit) applicant suffers from alcoholism, drug addiction or solvent abuse;

e) a license (permit) applicant is accused (except for the case provided for by paragraph 1(d⁵) of this article) or a license (permit) applicant has not had his/her conviction expunged (except for the case provided for paragraph 1(d⁵) of this article) and/or he/she was convicted under Articles 108, 109, 115, 117, 118, 120, 126, 126¹ and 137-139, Article 142¹(2) and (3), Article 142²(2)(c) and (d), Articles 143-143², Article 143³(3)(b) and (4) (in relation to the offence provided for by paragraph 3(b) of the same article), Articles 144-144³, 147, 149-151¹ and 155, Article 156(2), Article 160(2) and (3), Article 161(2), Article 162(2)(a) and (c), Articles 165 and 166, Article 177(3) and (4), Articles 178 and 179, Article 181(2) and (3), Article 187(2)-(4), Article 222(2), Article 222¹(2) and (3), Articles 223-227, Article 227¹(2)-(5), Article 227², Article 227³(2)-(5), Articles 228, 229, 230-239, 250, 252, 253, 255¹, 256, 257, 259² and 259⁵, Chapters XXXIII and XXXVII, Article 322¹(2), Article 322²(2), Chapter XXXVIII (except for Article 331(1)) and Article 331), Article 332(3)(b), Article 333(3)(b), Article 335(2)(a), Article 344(2)(b), Article 344¹(2)(c) and (d) and (3), Article 345(2)(b), Articles 353 and 353¹, Article 360(2), Article 365, Article 372(2)-(4), Articles 378, 378¹, 379, 381¹, 384 and 385, Article 386(2) and (3), Article 389(2), Articles 397 and 403 and Chapter XLVII of the Criminal Code of Georgia, and after the conviction of offences under the above articles, paragraphs and subparagraphs, 4 years have not passed in the case of a less serious crime, 8 years in the case of a serious crime or 12 years in the case of a particularly serious crime. The restriction established by this subparagraph, which is related to the conviction of a person under the norm of the Criminal Code of Georgia referred to in the same subparagraph, shall not apply to the issuance of a license (permit) for hunting firearms and sporting firearms (except for sporting short firearms);

f) the license (permit) applicant has had imposed on them the restriction of weapons related rights as an administrative penalty for committing an administrative offence and the term of that penalty has not expired; 

f¹) a permit applicant to purchase a civilian firearm (with the right to store and/or carry) has committed an offence provided for by Article 175² of the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia and no more than 3 years have passed since the expiration of the period when the person is no longer considered subject to an administrative penalty;

f²) a license (permit) applicant has been deported from another state for committing a crime against human life or health and/or a crime using a weapon and in the event of the commission of this crime in Georgia, any of the circumstances provided for by subparagraph (e) of this paragraph would have existed;

f³) the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has received written information from the competent authority of another state that a license (permit) applicant has committed a crime in another state that, if committed in Georgia, would result in criminal liability for the crime specified in subparagraph (e) of this paragraph, and any of the circumstances provided for by subparagraph (e) of this paragraph would exist with respect to the person who would have committed it;

g) a license (permit) applicant has not reached the age of 18, except for the case provided for by subparagraph (g¹) of this paragraph;

g¹) a permit applicant to purchase (with the right to store and/or carry) a civilian firearm (except for hunting firearms, sporting firearms and signal weapons) or a gas (air) weapon, to bring it into Georgia or to take it out of Georgia (except for transit and re-export) has not reached the age of 21; 

g²) a permit applicant to purchase (with the right to store and/or carry) a civilian firearm or a gas (air) weapon has failed to successfully pass the relevant exam in knowledge of the procedures for the circulation of firearms and gas (air) weapons or has not submitted a certificate of health status;

g³) a license (permit) applicant has not submitted the consent provided for by Article 19(14) of this Law; 

h) a protective, restraining or weapon-related rights restriction order has been issued against a license (permit) applicant, in the cases and for the period specified in that order;

i) submitted documents do not meet requirements established by the legislation of Georgia.

2¹. The Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall issue a permit related to the circulation of weapons without establishing the compliance of the permit applicant health status with the requirements specified in the legislation of Georgia and without submitting documents confirming the absence of the circumstances provided for by paragraph 2(a) and 2(d) of this article, if:

a) a permit applicant has registered a civilian firearm, signal weapon or gas (air) weapon with the right of ownership or use;

b) a permit applicant has been granted the right to drive a motorised vehicle in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

2². The rule established by paragraph 2¹ of this article shall not apply if:

a) an authorised employee of the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has, as a result of visual observation, identified an obvious physical violation of a permit applicant, which makes it impossible for him to obtain a permit;

b) a permit applicant exercises his/her right after restoring the right that was terminated on the grounds of the Law of Georgia on Combating Drug-related Crime and/or the Law of Georgia on Combating Crimes against Sexual Freedom and Inviolability;

c) other circumstances determined by the legislation of Georgia exist.

c) other circumstances determined by a normative act of the Government of Georgia exist.

2³. Paragraph 2(e), (f²) and (f³) of this article shall also apply to the persons specified in Article 16 and Article 18(c), (d.a) and (d.c) of this Law, to the persons specified in Article 9 ¹ (3)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Licenses and Permits and to the permit applicants specified in the Law of Georgia on Control of Military and Dual-Use Goods , except for the persons specified in paragraph 2⁵ of this Article.

2⁴. Permit applicants as provided for by this Law (except for transit permits and permits issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia), as well as the permits provided for by the Law of Georgia on Control of Military and Dual-Use Goods (except for transit permits) shall be obliged to submit to the relevant permit-issuing body certificates on their conviction/deprivation of their rights, their conviction for an offence provided for by paragraph 2(e) of this article, their absence from the drug registry, and their mental state. Applicants for permits issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall be obliged to submit to the permit-issuing body a certificate on their health status. 

2⁵. Paragraph 2(e), (f²) and (f) of this article shall not apply to a resident of a foreign country applying for a transit permit under this Law and the Law of Georgia on Control of Military and Dual-Use Goods .

2⁶. If Article 3 of the Law of Georgia on Combating Drug-related Crime provides for the deprivation of the right of a person who has committed a crime to manufacture, purchase, store or carry weapons for a period longer than that specified in paragraph 2(e) of this article, the relevant norms of Article 3 of the Law of Georgia on Combating Drug-related Crime shall apply.

2⁷. If, in accordance with Article 3 of the Law of Georgia on Combating Crimes against Sexual Freedom and Inviolability, a person who committed a crime is subject to the deprivation of the right to manufacture, purchase, store or carry weapons for a period longer than that specified in paragraph 2(e) of this article, the period established by the court judgement shall apply.

3. In the event of the cancellation of the recommendation of the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia issued to the holder of a relevant license/permit, the issuer of the license/permit shall be obliged to make a decision on the cancellation of the license/permit within 3 days and immediately notify the holder of the license/permit thereof. This paragraph shall apply to the license/permit, one of the grounds for the issuance of which was the recommendation of the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

3¹. If, upon a submission by an authorised person, the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia becomes aware of the circumstances specified in paragraph 1(d⁶)-(d⁸) of this article, this shall be the basis for the automatic cancellation of the relevant permit provided for by this Law.

3². The procedure and conditions for the cancellation of a permit related to the circulation of weapons issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall be determined by the order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

4. If a person who has committed a crime as provided for by paragraph 2(e) of this article commits a crime provided for by the same paragraph again before the conviction is void or expunged, the 4-year, 8-year or 12-year term established for the previously committed crime shall be fully added to the 4-year, 8-year or 12-year term established for the new crime provided for by paragraph 2(e) of this article.

5. If a person who committed a crime provided for by paragraph 2(e) of this article, after the conviction has been expunged or acquitted, commits a crime provided for by paragraph 2(e) of this article again before the expiration of the 4-year, 8-year or 12-year term specified in the same paragraph, the remaining term before the expiration of the aforementioned term shall be added to the 4-year, 8-year or 12-year term specified for the new crime.

5¹. The requirements established by paragraph 1(d⁵)-(d⁷) of this article, as well as paragraph 2(e), (f), (f²) and (f³) of the same article shall not apply to the issuance or revocation of a permit for a signal weapon.

6. The procedure and additional conditions for issuing licenses and permits by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall be determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia.

7. The validity period of the health certificate provided for by this article shall be 1 year.

8. The license (permit) issuing body provided for by this Law shall be obliged to obtain the necessary data from the unified information base to determine the compliance of the health status of a license (permit) applicant with the requirements specified in the legislation of Georgia, as well as to verify the compliance of the health status of a license (permit) holder with requirements specified in the legislation of Georgia through the unified information base.

9. The presumption of veracity shall apply to the data in the unified information base.

10. The procedure for the creation and production of a unified information base, as well as for obtaining data from the unified information base and processing personal data, shall be established by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia.

Article 27¹ – Examination of an applicant for permit  to purchase (with the right to store and/or carry) a civilian firearm and gas (air) weapon

1. An applicant for permit to purchase (with the right to store and/or carry) a civilian firearm and gas (air) weapon shall be examined on the knowledge of the procedures for the circulation of firearms and/or gas (air) weapons at the Legal Entity under Public Law called Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. The types of examination shall be:

a) examination on the knowledge of the procedures for the circulation of defensive firearms and gas (air) weapons; 

b) examination on the knowledge of the procedures for the circulation of hunting firearms;

c) examination on the knowledge of the procedures for the circulation of sporting firearms.

2. An applicant for permit to purchase (with the right to store and/or carry) a civilian firearm or gas (air) weapon shall be obliged to submit a certificate of health to the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

3. The results of the exam are valid indefinitely. For the purposes of obtaining a permit to purchase (with the right to store and/or carry) a civilian firearm or gas (air) weapon, the validity period of the certificate provided for by paragraph 2 of this article shall be one year.

4. The persons specified in Article 9 of this Law who have the right to carry a service-staff weapon, except for persons specified in Article 9(3) of the this Law, shall be exempt from the obligation to pass the examination provided for by this article and submit a certificate of health. The persons specified in Article 9(3) of this Law shall be required to submit only a health certificate. Passing the exam provided for by this article shall not be mandatory in other cases also, as determined by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

5. Instructions for conducting the examination on the knowledge of the procedures for the circulation of civilian firearms and gas (air) weapons, qualification requirements and examination papers shall be approved by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

Article 28 – Confiscation of weapons

1. A weapon shall be confiscated:

a) in the absence of a license (permit) provided for by this Law;

b) upon the revocation of a license (permit);

c) in the event of a violation of the procedures for the circulation of weapons until a final decision is made;

d) in the event of the death of the owner of the civilian weapon, if the compliance of that weapon with the requirements of the legislation of Georgia is not ensured within the period determined by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia ;

e) in cases and for a specific period of time determined by an order on the protective, restraining or weapon-related rights issued to a perpetrator;

e¹) in cases provided for by Article 27² of this Law;

f) in cases provided for by the legislation of Georgia. 

2. In cases as provided for by paragraph 1(d) and 1(e) of this article, as well as in the case of the revocation of a permit to purchase (with the right to store and/or carry) a weapon issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, the procedure for the confiscation of a weapon shall be approved by the Government of Georgia upon the proposal of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

3. In the event of the exitence of circumstances as provided for by paragraph 1(d⁵) of Article 27 of this Law, the Information and Analytical Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall be obliged to notify the relevant territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia thereof.

4. In the case provided by paragraph 3 of this article, the authorised representative of the relevant territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall set a 30-day period for the convicted person to alienate a weapon in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

5. If a convicted person fails to fulfil the obligation provided for by paragraph 4 of this article, a permit to purchase a weapon (with the right to store and/or carry) shall lose its legal force and the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall confiscate a weapon. The confiscated weapon shall become the property of the State in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

6. In the case of a failure to deliver the notification provided for by this Law by mail twice, the rule of publication on the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall apply. The procedure for publication and relevant terms shall be determined by a order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

Article 29 – Controlling the circulation of weapons

1. Control over the trade in weapons, the manufacture, purchase, storage, carrying, use, transport-shipping and sending of weapons without an appropriate license or permit, shall be exercised by the relevant authorised agencies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, and departmental control shall be exercised by the institutions provided for by Article 9 of this Law.

2. For the purpose of controlling the circulation of weapons, a police officer shall have the right to inspect registered weapons at a place of storage with the consent of the owner of a weapon not more than 4 times a year.

3. If the owner of a weapon refuses to allow a police officer to enter the place of storage of a weapon, the police officer shall draw up a protocol thereon. The protocol shall be signed by the police officer carrying out the said measure and the owner of the weapon. If the owner of the weapon refuses to sign the protocol, a corresponding entry shall be made in the protocol.

4. In the case provided for by paragraph 3 of this article, a police officer shall be authorised to request the owner of the weapon to submit the weapon registered in his/her name to the relevant police unit. The owner of the weapon shall be obliged to submit the registered weapon requested by a police officer to the relevant police unit no later than 7 days from the request.

5. The procedure for examining the place of storage of registered weapons or submitting weapons to a police unit for the purpose of controlling the circulation of weapons shall be established by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

6. A failure to fulfil the obligation determined by paragraph 4 of this article shall result in liability in accordance with the procedure established by the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia. 

Article 29¹ – Procedure for Issuing Recommendations of the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia

The list of documents to be submitted to the Commission for issuing recommendations of the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia provided for by this Law, as well as the procedure for making decisions by the Commission and the criteria to be taken into account when making decisions, shall be determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia.

Chapter VI – Rights and Obligations of the Manufacturer, Owner and User of a Weapon

Article 30 – Rights and obligations of a manufacturer

1. A weapon manufacturer shall have the right to:

a) receive income from the sale of manufactured weapons;

b) manufacture weapons in accordance with an obtained license;

c) carry out the sale of weapons in accordance with an obtained license;

d) carry out the structural processing of weapons in accordance with the established procedure.

2. A weapon manufacturer shall be obliged to:

a) conduct testing of manufactured weapons and ensure the compliance of weapons with state standards;

b) mark manufactured weapons with registration numbers and necessary marks;

c) keep the records of manufactured weapons and ammunition/cartridges; 

d) ensure the protection of manufactured weapons, spare parts and ammunition/cartridges.

Law of Georgia No 448 of 4 April 2025 – website, 10.4.2025

Article 31 – Rights and obligations of a weapon owner

1. A weapon owner shall have the right to:

a) possess and dispose of weapons and ammunition/cartridges, use weapons and ammunition/cartridges, while taking into account restrictions on carrying weapons, in accordance with the procedures established by the legislation of Georgia; 

b) receive compensation in the event of the requisition or surrender of weapons, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia;

c) purchase ammunition intended for firing from firearms or gas (air) weapons registered in his/her name, as well as cartridges intended for signal weapons, without the permission of an authorised person.

1¹. Legal entities as defined in paragraph 1(c¹) and 1(c²) of Article 19 of this Law, in addition to the rights provided for by paragraph 1 of this article, shall have the right to temporarily (but not longer than the period determined by the legislation of Georgia) transfer their registered hunting firearms for the purpose of commercial, amateur, sports or scientific hunting, as well as signal weapons for the purpose of carrying out activities provided for by the legislation of Georgia, with the right to use them, to those individuals who have registered other civilian firearms and/or who meet requirements established by the legislation of Georgia. The procedure and conditions for transferring firearms for use to individuals shall be approved by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

1². A legal entity/individual entrepreneur as defined in paragraph 1(f) and 1(g) of Article 19 of this Law, in addition to the rights provided for by paragraph 1 of this article, shall have the right to transfer a registered weapon in its possession for the purpose of firing in the relevant territory in accordance with the procedures established by the legislation of Georgia, with the right of temporary use, to an individual who has registered other civilian firearms and/or who meets the requirements of the legislation of Georgia. In the case provided for by this paragraph, the procedure for transferring a weapon to an individual with the right of temporary use shall be established by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

2. A weapon owner shall be obliged to:

a) register weapons in his/her possession in accordance with the requirements of this Law;

b) register weapons inherited by him/her, except for cases provided for by the legislation of Georgia; 

c) comply with the procedures for the circulation of weapons;

d) ensure the protection of weapons and ammunition/cartridges;

e) ensure the access of a police officer and/or other authorised person to places where weapons are stored in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, and present the relevant documentation; 

f) immediately notify the bodies of internal affairs in the event of the loss of weapons and ammunition;

g) re-register a weapon within 10 working days after the occurrence of grounds determined by the legislation of Georgia;

h) comply with the requirements established by the legislation of Georgia for the storage, use, transportation-shipping and sending of weapons;

i) in the case of exercising the right provided for by paragraph 10 of Article 19 of this Law by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, submit for the purpose of technical inspection a request for a permit to purchase (with the right to store and/or carry) a registered self-defence and/or sporting short firearm with ownership rights;

j) in the case of the loss of a weapon, notify the relevant territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia thereof;

j¹) on the basis of the written consent (certificate) of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, purchase, bring into Georgia, take out of Georgia, transport and ship or send a sound (acoustic) weapon, as well as carry, purchase, bring into Georgia, take out of Georgia, transport and ship or send a gas spray device and/or an electroshock device;

k) upon request by a police officer, present a civilian firearm and/or signal weapon for inspection. 

Article 32 – Rights and obligations of a weapon user

1. A weapon user shall have the right to store and carry a weapon in accordance with the procedures established by the legislation of Georgia.

2. A weapon user shall be obliged to:

a) use a weapon only in accordance with the procedures established by the legislation of Georgia, for its intended purpose;

b) comply with the procedures for the circulation of weapons;

c) ensure the protection of a weapon and ammunition/cartridges; 

d) in the case of the loss of a weapon, notify the relevant territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia thereof;

e) upon request by a police officer, present a civilian firearm and/or signal weapon for inspection. 

Chapter VII – Resolution of disputes related to the circulation of weapons and liability for a violation of the legislation of Georgia on weapons

Article 33 – Resolution of disputes related to the circulation of weapons

Disputes related to the circulation of weapons shall be resolved in court, in accordance with the legislation of Georgia.

Article 34 – Liability for a violation of the legislation of Georgia on weapons

Civil, administrative and criminal liability shall be imposed for a violation of the legislation of Georgia on weapons in accordance with the legislation of Georgia.

Chapter VIII – Transitional provisions

Article 35 – Subordinate acts to be issued

1. ( Deleted – 27.9.2013, No 1360 ).

2. The executive authorities of Georgia shall prepare and issue:

a) (deleted – 31.5.2023, No 3100) ;  

b) the order of the Minister of Labour, Health and Social Protection of Georgia on the Permissible Norms for Health of Traumatic Cartridges, Gas and Electroshock Weapons ;

c) the joint order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia and the Minister of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia on the Rules for the Purchase, Storage and Exhibition of Collectible Weapons.

3. The Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Protection of Georgia and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall ensure the issuance of a joint order on the Approval of Requirements for the Health Condition Required for the Possession of a License/Permit Related to the Circulation of Weapons and Procedures for the Examination of Health Condition. 

4. Before 1 March 2014:

a) Government of Georgia shall approve:

a.a) the procedure for awarding civilian or service-staff weapons ;

a.b) the list of officials who have the right to carry service-staff weapons ;

a.c) the procedure for resolving the issues of export, import, re-export and transit of dual-use goods subject to export control;

a.d) the procedure for the confiscation of a weapon in the cases provided for by paragraph 1(d) and 1(e) of Article 28 of this Law, as well as in the event of the revocation of a permit to purchase (with the right to store and/or carry) weapons issued by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia;

a.e) the procedure for bringing into Georgia and taking out of Georgia weapons and ammunition of persons accompanying the representatives of foreign states and international organisations, as well as other important guests, during their visits ;

b) the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall approve:

b.a) the procedure for taking out of Georgia firearms received as an award by an alien ;

b.b) the procedure for carrying, storing and moving weapons and ammunition in use or possession ;

b.c) the procedure for sending bullets and cartridges fired from service-staff firearms to the bullet and shell archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia .

5. By 1 November 2015, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia shall approve the instructions for conducting the exam on the knowledge of the procedures for the circulation of civilian firearms and gas (air) weapons and examination papers.

6. By 1 January 2027, the Government of Georgia, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia, shall ensure the approval of the technical regulations specified in Article 15(1), Article 16(f), Article 17(1) and Article 18(f) of this Law.

Article 35¹ – Permit fee for the export from Georgia of weapons belonging to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The relevant permit fee shall not be paid when issuing permits for the export from Georgia of weapons, ammunition, military equipment, technical documentation, works and services related to the production of weapons belonging to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation located in the territory of Georgia.

Article 35² – Re-registration of hunting bolt-action weapons registered with the right to store and carry and the registration of weapons owned by a legal entity/individual entrepreneur

1. By 1 February 2024, a person shall be obliged to submit a hunting bolt-action (including combined) firearm registered in his/her name with the right to store and carry until 1 August 2023 to the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, for the purpose of conducting a ballistic examination in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia. That obligation shall not apply to service-staff weapons that are authorised to be carried by the persons specified in Article 9(2) of this Law.

2. If the ballistic examination of a weapon establishes that a weapon submitted in accordance with the procedure established by paragraph 1 of this article is a short weapon, it shall be subject to re-registration in accordance with this Law.

3. A failure to fulfil the obligation provided for by paragraphs 1 and 2 of this article shall result in the imposition of liability on the owner of a weapon in accordance with the procedure established by the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia, including a warning to fulfil the said obligation within the time limit established by the legislation of Georgia.

4. In the case of a failure to fulfil the obligation provided for by paragraph 3 of this article within the time limit established by the legislation of Georgia, the permit to purchase (with the right to store and carry) a weapon, registration and the weapon registration certificate issued as a result of registration, shall be considered to have no legal force.

5. The procedure for paying the fee for ballistic examination of weapons in accordance with this article shall be established by the Law of Georgia on Fees and Terms Established for Services Provided by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, and the procedure for paying the permit fee and fee for re-registration of weapons shall be established by the Law of Georgia on License and Permit Fees and the Law of Georgia on Fees and Terms Established for Services Provided by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

6. In the case provided for by paragraph 2 of this article, an individual who owns a weapon shall be exempted from the obligation to pass the examination provided for by Article 27¹(1)(a) of this Law.

7. A legal entity/individual entrepreneur specified in paragraph 1(c¹), (f) and (g) of Article 19 of this Law shall be obliged to register weapons in its possession/use by 1 February 2024.

8. A failure to fulfil the obligation provided for by paragraph 7 of this article shall result in the imposition of liability on the legal entity/individual entrepreneur in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

9. If necessary, a different deadline from that established by paragraphs 1 and 7 of this article for the fulfilment of the relevant obligation may be determined by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 

Article 35³ – Temporary procedure for the registration of a signal weapon with the right to store and carry

1. By 1 September 2025, a person shall be obliged to submit a signal weapon existing in his/her possession or use until 1 July 2025 to the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, for the purpose of registering it with the right to store and carry it in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

2. A failure to fulfil the obligation provided for by paragraph 1 of this article shall result in the imposition of liability on the owner of a signal weapon in accordance with the procedure established by the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia, including a warning to fulfil the said obligation within the time limit determined by the legislation of Georgia.

3. The procedure for paying the fee for ballistic examination of signal weapons in accordance with this article shall be established by the Law of Georgia on Fees and Terms Established for Services Provided by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, and the procedure for paying the permit fee and fee for registration of signal weapons shall be established by the Law of Georgia on License and Permit Fees and the Law of Georgia on Fees and Terms Established for Services Provided by the Legal Entity under Public Law called the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

4. If necessary, a different deadline from that established by paragraph 1 of this article may be determined by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia for the fulfilment of the relevant obligation. 

Article 35⁴ – Temporary procedure for obtaining a license/permit for the manufacture (production), repair, import, export, re-export or transit of a signal weapon and/or cartridges intended for it, or a license for trade in such weapons and/or cartridges

A natural person/legal entity that carried out the manufacture (production), repair, import, export, re-export or transit of a signal weapon and/or cartridges intended for it, or traded in such weapons and/or cartridges until 1 July 2025, shall be obliged to ensure the compliance of its activities with this Law, and to obtain from the Ministry of Defence of Georgia a license/permit for the manufacture (production), repair, import, export, re-export or transit of a signal weapon and/or cartridges intended for it, or a permit to trade in such weapons and/or cartridges, in accordance with the legislation of Georgia by 1 September 2025.

Article 35⁵ – Temporary regulation of the compliance of premises with technical safety standards

Prior to the entry into force of the technical regulations specified in Article 15(1), Article 16(f), Article 17(1) and Article 18(f) of this Law, licenses as provided for by Article 15(1), Article 16(f), Article 17(1) and Article 18(f) this Law shall be issued if premises where the relevant activities are carried out comply with the established standards (if any). 

Chapter IX – Final Provisions

Article 36 – Invalidated normative acts

Upon the entry of this Law into force, the Law of Georgia On Firearms shall be declared invalid.

Article 37 – Entry into force of this Law

This Law shall enter into force from 1 July 2003.

President of Georgia                                 Eduard Shevardnadze

 Tbilisi,

8 May 2003

No 2264-II ს