paint ball weapon export regulations

Question
I want to export a paint ball weapon from the United States to Germany, do you know if a license is required?

Your prompt reply would be highly appreciated.

Answer
Elisabeth,

Despite the fact that the firearms experts are generally lumped into the Paintball category (I have no idea why), most of us know very little about paintball.

From what I have been able to determine from my research, Germany is more restrictive than the US regarding Paintball guns.  There appears to be a requirement for what is called an "F Stamp" on all paintball guns which certifies that the gun is operating at a muzzle velocity of less than 214 feet per second.  Since the "F Stamp" has to be on any gun imported into Germany, you may have a problem bringing your gun in.

If you are in the US Military and will be deployed into Germany, you may want to speak with your transportation officer and see if they have any suggestions.  There is also some discussion surrounding the fact that you can send things to an APO address that are not subject to normal customs.  If you have an APO address and will be residing on a military base, that may work fine.

Once you get there, the German paintball stores apparent have license to import and provide the "F Stamp" on the guns, so you might be able to have your gun modified and approved once you are actually there, assuming you can bring it in via one of the military routes I have referenced.

From what I've seen, having a paintball gun without an 'F-Stamp' is a criminal offense that the Germans do prosecute.  They can confiscate your gun and fine you.  I have seen references to fines of 200 Euros for such an offense.

Not great news I know, but that about all the information I have on this.

Best regards,

Doug