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Firearm sale contract: what it must contain

Sources checked on 08.10.2026

For many weapons, a private sale does not require a weapon acquisition permit, but a written contract whose content is set by law. An incomplete contract is a problem for both parties: here is what to include, what to attach and what to do after signing.

Key points
  • The contract is mandatory for every transfer of a weapon that does not require a weapon acquisition permit (Art. 11 para. 1 WA).
  • Seller and buyer keep it for at least ten years (Art. 11 para. 1 WA).
  • For firearms, the seller sends a copy to the buyer's reporting office within 30 days (Art. 11 para. 3 WA).
  • No notary is needed: a written document signed by both parties is enough.

1. When a contract is required

A written contract is mandatory when selling, giving away or otherwise transferring a weapon that may be acquired without a weapon acquisition permit (Art. 10 and 11 WA), for example:

  • single-shot and multi-barrel hunting rifles;
  • Swiss service bolt-action rifles (carbine 11, carbine 31, rifle 11) and bolt-action sport rifles;
  • single-shot rabbit slayers and replicas of single-shot muzzle loaders;
  • compressed air and CO2 weapons of at least 7.5 joules or that look real, airsoft and imitation weapons.

For pistols, revolvers and semi-automatic weapons, the buyer instead needs a weapon acquisition permit: see Selling a firearm privately.

2. What it must contain

Art. 11 para. 2 WA lists the mandatory details:

  1. Seller: surname, first name, date of birth, home address and signature.
  2. Buyer: surname, first name, date of birth, home address and signature.
  3. Weapon: type, manufacturer, model, calibre and weapon number.
  4. Date and place of transfer.
  5. Buyer's identity document: type and number of the official identity document; for a firearm, a copy of the document.
  6. For firearms: a reference to the processing of personal data under federal or cantonal data protection provisions.

3. Documents to attach and keep

In addition to the contract, the seller keeps (Art. 18 WO):

  • the copy of the buyer's passport or identity card, mandatory for firearms;
  • the buyer's private criminal record extract, if the seller asked for it because of doubts (issued no more than three months earlier).

4. After signing

  • Each party keeps a signed copy for at least ten years.
  • For a firearm, the seller sends a copy of the contract and documents within 30 days to the reporting office of the buyer's canton of residence (Art. 11 para. 3 and 5 WA, Art. 18 para. 4 WO). Cantons may provide other ways of reporting: ask your cantonal weapons office.
  • For a non-firearm, there is no report: just keep the contract.

5. Where to get the form

The Confederation has drawn up a model "written contract for the transfer of a weapon", which many cantons make available, sometimes also as a fillable version (in German, French and Italian). The safest way to get the current version is to ask the cantonal weapons office of your canton: all addresses are in the official fedpol list (in German).

If you draft the contract yourself, check that it includes all the details from point 2: that is what matters legally.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The law covers any transfer of possession, including gifts: for a weapon that does not require a permit, the written contract is mandatory in every case (Art. 11 WA).

No. Pistols require a permit: the buyer needs a weapon acquisition permit, and the seller sends a copy to the cantonal authority within 30 days (Art. 8 and 9c WA).

No, non-firearms do not have to be reported. The written contract is still mandatory and must be kept for ten years (Art. 11 WA).

The seller, within 30 days of signing, to the reporting office of the buyer's canton of residence (Art. 11 para. 3 and 5 WA).

Official sources

This guide summarises federal law in practical terms and is not legal advice. The legal text and the instructions of the cantonal weapons office of your canton, which may have its own forms and procedures, are authoritative. Swiss legal texts are binding only in German, French and Italian.