Apply for a hunting licence: how the process works

What you need first

Anyone who hunts carries a hunting licence in their own name and shows it on request. A first issue requires a passed hunter exam in the area of the Federal Hunting Act. The competent authority at your place of residence issues the licence.

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The hunter exam

The hunter exam has a written part, an oral-practical part and a shooting test. A fail in the shooting test is not offset by other parts. The states may require proof of theoretical and practical training before admission to the exam. A falconry licence also needs the falconry exam.

Application at the authority

After you pass the exam you file the application at the competent authority at your place of residence. You receive an annual licence for up to three hunting years or a day licence for fourteen consecutive days. The issued licence is valid throughout Germany.

Fees for the exam and the licence are set by your federal state. Ask the competent authority at your place of residence for the current fees. You find an overview of costs in the tip on costs and requirements.

PROVIDERS

Youth hunting licence

Anyone who has turned 16 but is not yet 18 receives only a youth hunting licence. You then hunt only with a parent or guardian or with an experienced hunting supervisor appointed in writing. A youth licence does not allow you to join company hunts.

What the authority checks

The authority refuses the licence under the age of 16, without reliability or physical fitness and without hunting liability insurance. The insurance must cover at least 500,000 euros for personal injury and 50,000 euros for property damage. The authority obtains information from the weapons authority under sections 5 and 6 of the Weapons Act.

After withdrawal of the licence or during a ban the authority also refuses issue. The authority may require a public medical or specialist certificate on mental and physical fitness. That is in section 17 of the Federal Hunting Act.