Before you apply for a permit to import non-prohibited firearms (including specially dangerous airguns) and parts of a non-prohibited firearm, you must have a New Zealand firearms licence.

Non-prohibited firearm is defined in:

Arms Act 1983, section 2 – Interpretation | New Zealand Legislation website

Before you apply for a permit to import restricted weapons or any part of a restricted weapon, you must have an endorsement on your licence for restricted weapons, in one of the following capacities.

• As a bona fide collector of firearms.
• As a person for whom the item has special significance as a memento or heirloom.
• As an employee or approved member (including theatrical armourers) of:
  • a broadcaster or theatre company or society
  • a cinematic or television film production company
  • a video recording production company.
• As a director or curator of a bona fide museum.
• As a licensed dealer.

You must also provide a special reason why the item should be allowed into New Zealand.

Restricted weapons are defined in:

Arms (Restricted Weapons and Specially Dangerous Airguns) Order 1984 – Schedule, Weapons declared restricted weapons | New Zealand Legislation website

To apply for a permit to import restricted airguns, you must be aged 18 or over. You do not need a firearms licence.

You must have a firearms licence to apply for a permit to import restricted airguns if you are aged 16 or 17.

You must also provide a special reason why the item should be allowed into New Zealand.

Restricted airguns are defined in:

Arms Act 1983, section 2 – Interpretation | New Zealand Legislation website

Before you apply for a permit to import a pistol or any part of a pistol, you must have an endorsement on your licence for pistols in one of the following capacities.

• As a member of a pistol target shooting club.
• As a bona fide collector of firearms.
• As a person for whom the item has special significance as a memento or heirloom.
• As an employee or approved member (including theatrical armourers) of:
  • a broadcaster or theatre company or society
  • a cinematic or television film production company
  • a video recording production company.
• As a director or curator of a bona fide museum.
• As a licensed dealer.

You must also provide a special reason why the item should be allowed into New Zealand.

Pistols are defined in:

Arms Act 1983, section 2 – Interpretation | New Zealand Legislation website

Before you apply for a permit to import a pistol carbine conversion kit (PCCK), you must have an endorsement on your licence for pistols and/or restricted weapons in one of the following capacities.

• As a member of a pistol target shooting club.
• As a bona fide collector of firearms.
• As a person for whom the item has special significance as a memento or heirloom.
• As an employee or approved member (including theatrical armourers) of:
  • a broadcaster or theatre company or society
  • a cinematic or television film production company
  • a video recording production company.
• As a director or curator of a bona fide museum.
• As a licensed dealer.

You must also provide a special reason why the item should be allowed into New Zealand.

Pistol carbine conversion kits (PCCKs) are defined in:

Arms Act 1983, section 2 – Interpretation | New Zealand Legislation website

If you are importing in your capacity as a member of a pistol target shooting club

You must show that the PCCK enables a pistol to be fired from the shoulder and that the pistol:  

• has an overall length of no more than 400 millimetres  
• can fire specified ammunition at a muzzle velocity of 1,600 feet per second or less. Specified ammunition is ammunition used on pistol shooting ranges the Commissioner has approved and specified in the rules of target shooting pistol disciplines administered by Pistol NZ.

Te Tari Pūreke must be satisfied:  

• you have the right pistol for the PCCK
• the PCCK does not modify the pistol in any other way. 

Before you apply for a permit to import prohibited firearms, prohibited magazines or prohibited parts, you must have an endorsement on your firearms licence for prohibited firearms and/or prohibited magazines in one of the following capacities.

• As a pest controller who:
  • is employed or engaged by the Department of Conservation and involved in operations for the purpose of controlling wild animals or animal pests in accordance with a specified Act (subject to prescribed limits, if any)
  • is the holder of a concession granted by the Minister of Conservation to undertake wild animal recovery operations in accordance with a specified Act (subject to prescribed limits, if any)
  • is employed or engaged by a management agency as defined in section 100 of the Biosecurity Act 1993 and involved in operations for the purpose of controlling wild animals or animal pests in accordance with that Act (subject to prescribed limits, if any)
  • is a person whose sole business, or a substantial part of whose business, is providing services to control any prescribed wild animals or animal pests, or a person employed or engaged by that person for that purpose (subject to prescribed limits, if any)
  • is a person who is the owner or manager, or is an employee, of an agricultural, a horticultural, or a silvicultural business, if there is a real possibility that the commercial viability of the business would be detrimentally affected to a significant extent by the presence of prescribed wild animals or animal pests on any land used for that business (subject to prescribed limits, if any).
• As a bona fide collector of firearms.
• As a person to whom the item as special significance as a memento or heirloom.
• As a director or curator of a bona fide museum.
• As an employee or approved member (including theatrical armourers) of:
  • a broadcaster or theatre company or society
  • a cinematic or television film production company
  • a video recording production company.
• As a licensed dealer.

You must also provide a special reason why the item should be allowed into New Zealand.

Prohibited firearms are defined in:

Arms Act 1983, section 2A – Meaning of prohibited firearm | New Zealand Legislation website

Prohibited part is defined in:

Arms act 1983, section 2C – Meaning of prohibited part | New Zealand Legislation website

Prohibited magazine is defined in:

Arms Act 1983, section 2B – Meaning of prohibited magazine | New Zealand Legislation website

Although you need a permit to import an air pistol carbine conversion kit, you do not need a firearms licence.

However, you must:

• be a member of an airsoft or paintball club affiliated with a national airsoft or paintball organisation
• satisfy Te Tari Pūreke that you will use the kit for airsoft or paintball as a member of that club.

Air pistol carbine conversion kit is defined in:

Arms Act 1983, section 2 – Interpretation | New Zealand Legislation website

Although you need a permit to import these items, you do not need a firearms licence:

• antique firearms
• blank firing guns
• bolt guns or stud guns  
• deer net guns  
• dog-training dummy launchers  
• flare pistols  
• humane killers  
• improvised explosive device disrupters  
• miniature cannons  
• pistols that are part of rocket or line-throwing equipment  
• stock-marking pistols  
• tranquilliser guns  
• underwater spear guns that operate by way of explosive and discharge a projectile.

If you want to import an antique pistol, or if you're unsure if you need a permit, please email PermitFirearms@police.govt.nz