Botswana - Transfer of Ownership of a Firearm

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Procedure

Apply In-Person

1. To apply for Transfer of Ownership of a Firearm, you should submit your completed application file to the Licensing office at the police station in the parish you are residing in. (view address details mentioned under ‘office location and contacts’ section below).
2. The firearm license owner should first, write a letter to the Commissioner of Police requesting permission to transfer ownership and submit it together with the recipient acceptance letter, at the nearest police station for approval.
   • Note: In a case of inheritance, all interested parties or individuals must consent in writing to the Commissioner of Police.
3. The Commissioner of Police office will conduct due diligence for the reasons for the transfer of ownership firearm and if the recipient complies with the selection criteria for the transfer, and the commissioner will then decide if to approve or deny the transfer request for processing.
4. If transfer application processing is approved by the Commissioner of Police office, the applicant and the recipient, will be issued with the following forms, Application form for permit to acquire firearms (change of ownership) and Application form for registration certificate, available at the police station inquired desk; or use this links to download;

   • (application form for permit to acquire firearms (change of ownership).
   • (application form for registration certificate)

5. Submit the completed forms, along with the attachments (mentioned below under the ‘Required Documents’ section) to the licensing office at the nearest police station for processing and approval, applicant will then be issued with an acknowledgment letter containing details of the application.
6. On receipt of the application file for transfer ownership of the firearms, the licensing officer shall, as soon as practicable, forward the application, together with his recommendation thereon, to the Central Arms Registry: Provided that, where the applicant is an individual, a licensing officer shall not recommend the transfer of a permit unless he/she has personally interviewed the applicant and is satisfied that the recipient;

   • has good reason for the transfer the firearms;
   • is of sound mind, temperate habits and of good character without any serious criminal conviction, and would use the arms applied for without danger to the public safety or peace; and
   • is not less than 18 years of age;

7. Upon receipt of the licensing office recommendation and the application file, the Central Arms Registry office will further assessment, processing and considerations, if the authorized official/registrar approves the transfer, the recipient of the firearm will be registered by the Central Arms Registry office, and the firearm license/permit will be drawn-up/signed and stamped by the licensing office, once notified by the Central Arms Registry office.
8. The firearm permit/license will then be made available for withdrawal by the recipient at the specific licensing office, where the application was lodged, upon payment of the required permit fee and against his/her identification document and the acknowledgment letter.

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Required Documents

• Valid identification documents
• In case of inheritance attach copies of relevant documents such as; Arm License
  • Marriage certificate (If the recipients is a spouse of the deceased owner)
  • Firearm certificate
• For first-time firearm ownership, the applicant should provide a police clearance report

Office Locations & Contacts

Central Arms Registry
Botswana Police Headquarters

Physical Address:
Lot 4, Government Enclave

Postal address: Private Bag 0012
Gaborone
Botswana
Tel. (+267) 3622000
Fax. (+267) 3973723
Email: [email protected]

Botswana Police Service
Postal Address:
Public Relations Officer
P/Bag 0012, Gaborone

Physical Address: CBD, Gaborone
Zambezi Towers Floor 3
Tel: +267 399 3815 / 19 / 20/ 21 / 74 / 78
Fax: +267 397 2404
Email: [email protected]

Botswana police service contact details link:Link

Eligibility

• The registered owner of a firearm, who wish to transfer ownership of the firearm to another party.

Fees

• Application processing fee BWP 20.00

Validity

• Firearm license/permit is valid for one year from the date when it was granted or last renewed

Documents to Use

• Link (application form for permit to acquire firearms (change of ownership).
• Link (application form for registration certificate)

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• The processing time is within 14 working days

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

Required Information

Details of the owner and recipient of the firearm

• Full name/age
• Nationality
• Conduct details (residential address/ postal address/telephone/email/mobile number/fax)
• Occupation
• Employer's name and address
• Arms for which permit is required (type/calibre/maker name/serial number)
• Registration Certificate Number
• Reasons for requiring arms (if for stock protection, state number of stock, ranches, and boreholes owned)
• Applicant declaration (signature/thumb print)

Need for the Document

• Transfer of ownership of a firearm is the process that involves the transferring of ownership of a firearm from a registered owner to another person and should be approved and registered by the Central Arms Registry office.
• The firearms license allows the licensee to buy, own, possess or carry a firearm. It is often subject to several conditions or restrictions, especially concerning storage requirements or the completion of a firearms safety course, as well as background checks.

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Government service portal:Link

Others

More information which might help people.