How to Import a Weapon in Pakistan

Dolphin

This post is for  all those people who want to import a weapon using No Objection certificate given by the Ministry of Commerce to the Defence Forces/Government officers. It is not for commercial purposes, but for personal use in self defense or competition shooting. There is a lot of confusion regarding this issue, and most often people end up going to the Arms dealers who misguide them. I have been through it and I am writing this post after going through the whole laborious procedure of importing a weapon. Believe me, it isn’t simple as simple and straight as it sounds. Well actually nothing is our part of the world. You will need to do a lot of running around, patience and will power in this project which will take at least six months to mature. I hope you benefit from my experience…read on…

 

All Government/Armed Forces officers in Pakistan are allowed to import one Non prohibited weapon of their choice. You need to do the following…

  • Get an NOC from the Ministry of Commerce by applying through your office.
  • Once you get the NOC, you will then have to decide which weapon to import. For small arms like pistols which are less priced, it is difficult, because a Glock for instance won’t export one pistol to you. The cost doesn’t add up, they won’t go through this whole procedure for a $ 500 pistol. Normally they have a minimum number of weapons policy. But for pricier weapons its different.
  • Contact the weapon maker (or in some cases dealers/distributors or retailers also export weapons). The initial few emails are where the weapon specs and other details like price, shipping, duties etc are finalized.
  • Next the exporter (Gun company) will ask for your NOC. You will have to give them a scanned copy of your NOC in pdf in A4 size.
  • The exporter (Gun company) will give give you a build sheet (normally) with details of specs, and breakdown of price, including cost of weapon, export license cost, shipping costs etc. Once these things are finalized you will have to give an advance amount to them, normally 50%. In some cases the dealer etc will first apply for the export license. Basically it depends from dealer to dealer, but generally they so ask for an advance to confirm the order before processing for paperwork.
  • Next is wait time during which your export license will be processed and also the exporter will prepare your weapon.
  • If your NOC is more than six months old then you might have to apply for its re-validation to the Ministry of Commerce. For this send a letter from your office giving all details and asking for re-validation. You will also require a letter from the exporter asking you these details. This normally takes about a month, if all goes well and you do run around a lot Smile
  • The Ministry of Commerce will send a letter to the concerned customs officials to the city for which your permit is valid. Upon confirmation by them that the NOC has not been used they will give you clearance.
  • After this you will send the Ministry of Commerce re-verified letter to the seller. The export processing will begin again. Upon completion of this process the seller will ship you the weapon.
  • The shipment normally takes a week and upon shipment the export agent will send you an invoice with relevant details, you will now have to contact a customs clearance agent who will give you some forms to sign in hard copy. He will then apply for release of weapon from the courier through Customs authorities.
  • They will do an inspection of the weapon, then as assessment of the weapon. Also, now the Ministry of Commerce has written to the Customs authorities to get all NOCs re-verified from them for their authenticity Smile . So there’s one more step to go before you get possession of your weapon. The Customs writes to the Ministry stating that a weapon for this man has arrived, please verify if the NOC is original or not. Once you get the letter you’re good to go.
  • After this the agent will tell you to make Bank Draft for Customs, ETO and demurrage charges (for the courier) in case the weapon is delayed (which it will). Remember you will have to make the Bank Draft for them with your name on it, (something like “on account of Mr. XYZ”) or they will not accept it.
  • Finally the agent will submit these drafts with Customs, ETO and the courier company and your weapon will be handed over to you. Remember, you will have to show original NOC and re-validation to the Customs to get your weapon.
  • Remember never to send your NOC in original (hard copy ) to the seller because they accept scanned copies and you will require the NOC at the place of its arrival for clearance purposes.
I hope it works good for you. This thing normally takes six months (re-validation included). If re-validation is not required, that is your NOC is less than six months old, then it might take less time, around 3 months.

That’s all folks. I hope you get it right Smile

Cheers!

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nmafzal

50 plus….loner……foodie….day dreamer….bibliophile…..gun freak….peace loving….smitten by wanderlust….happy go lucky….tea junkie….coffee lover….once in a while movie goer….laid-back blogger with no interest in politics….Happy reading! :-)

77 thoughts on “How to Import a Weapon in Pakistan”

    1. Although it’s a good write up on the guidelines yet there some informations are missing like wise custom duty, sales tax and other tax levies tariffs. Secondly, I couldn’t see anything related to Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs involvement are any stage whereas I have heard that these two departments are also involved at some stage. Thirdly, is this procedure only for Government/Armed forces individuals or any civilian can also import weapon like shotgun?

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      1. I’ll answer your questions one by one:
        1. Its around 60% generally. GST 17%, CD 20%, IT 11% and WHT 6 or 9%. It is charged on the invoice price.
        2. The procedure I have listed is for NOC based import that has now been discontinued. In that there’s no need for MoI or MoFA approvals. Recently foreign companies have started asking MoFA stamp on Ministry of Commerce NOC.
        3. This procedure is for Government/Armed Forces. Civilians can import according to new SRO.
        Hope this helps. Regards

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      2. AssalamuAlaikum,

        I need you to please address two things for me.

        a) Can you share the civilians import procedure referred by you as “SRO”
        “3. This procedure is for Government/Armed Forces. Civilians can import according to new SRO.”
        b) I already have a Sig in the US sitting with a friend, so it won’t be coming from a dealer/shop,manufacturer. What direction should i go?

        Your help much appreciated in advance!

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      3. WAAS,
        The procedure is very simple on paper. You will contact a dealer in foreign country, giving him a copy (electronic) of this SRO and your license. Based on that he will get an export license for you. It might entail you signing a few documents. Then you make the payment, he ships you the weapon. Finally you get it cleared through Customs by hiring an agent.
        Regrading your Sig, someone having an export dealership license can apply for an export authorization for your pistol, then he can ship it to you. So best would be to ask your friend to contact a dealer. Cheers

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  2. Thank you for such a comprehensive description but I have a question,I applied for MOI license & received the demand note to purchase a Weapon and then I will be issued a license.However on the other hand Ministry of commerce ask for original License for NOC to be issued.How,d that work?I mean i had to purchase a Weapon from Pak to get license.Will that license be used again to import.If so ,than what I have to do with original weapon purchased to get the license issues.
    Hope you got my point

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  3. Bro thanks for this info.
    Please tell me if you know any exporter who can ship a weapon to pakistan from U.S.A. i spoke with so many exporters and none of them is agree to export weapon in pakistan.
    If you know any exporter please tell me.

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    1. My pleasure. I doubt anyone will be able to import just one weapon. Normally pistols are imported in numbers. Better contact a local arms dealer, he might be able to help you. Depending on which city you are located. Cheers

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  4. Salam Bhai,

    Thanks for the information. Can you please share the details of the exporter and country from where you purchased?
    Regards

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  5. Can anyone import into Pakistan?

    What if I have a import carry license?

    If anyone needs to import from the USA let me know. I actually want to start exporting from the USA to Pakistan.

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    1. Import ban has recently been lifted, but the Government is still working on modalities.
      In order to do a commercial import one needs a license form Ministry of Commerce. However, government officers can import one weapon per person on NOC. It is good to know you want to export from US.

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      1. If I may have any of your contact number please do I can talk to you in detail for the procedures and other information thanks.

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  7. Thank you for this information, I still have a question though, what about the import taxes because a glock is much more expensive here in Pak than it is in the USA.

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  8. Nobody is willing to sell Pistols to Pakistanis. I have exchanged lengthy correspondence with Glock. Lastly, Slovak Republic refused to issue export permit. If anyone has a success story, he may share to help others.

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    1. Please share details about discussion with Glock. Was it Glock USA? I am talking about import on permits allotted to government servants. I think Turkey will export but not in small numbers. Thanks

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      1. I also exchanged a lot of emails with Glock. I approached them through ‘contact us’ of the global website of Glock. I was then contacted by Glock Middle East office UAE. They informed me that they look after Pakistan region. I sent them a copy of my import permit too, later they told me that they need permission of US State Dept for exporting and the procedure isn’t sorted out yet. I guess it was a polite way of declining.

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      2. No it’s not. When I imported my rifle from Dolphin UK the bolt was to be shipped from US for which a lot of paper work was required. After many months we decided to use Dolphin bolt and have up the US bolt idea. It’s just that it takes a lot of time. US has become more bureaucratic.

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  9. Pingback: How to import a Glock pistol – My Random Ramblings

    1. Walekum as Salam. Brother you need commercial import license to import parts. These aren’t being issued right now. If you know anyone who holds one he might be able to help you. By parts I mean essential parts used in making a weapon and not just accessories. Hope this helps. Regards

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  11. Very informative discussion. I really appreciate.
    Since the M.O. Commerce has issued an SRO according to which every individual having a legal and valid arm licence can import a gun for himself.
    Can you guide me on how to import a weapon according to the new SRO.
    Your response will be greatly appreciated.
    Regards

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    1. Thanks. Yes in theory the SRO sounds very easy to implement. There are two ways to go about it. But before that I must say I do not know anyone who has so far imported a weapon as per the new SRO. You can talk to a dealer who will do the import for you. OR you know someone in the country from where you want the weapon, he/she will get an export license on your behalf and export it to you, when it arrives here you get it cleared from Custom Authorities. Either way a single weapon is difficult to import because of the low profit margin. For example a Glock which costs like $ 600, might cost you around $1500 plus minus, including the hassle. So the person exporting will make a profit on say 10 pistols but very less money on a single weapon. If its a single weapon it will cost you more. That is exactly what dealers in Pakistan used to do. They would import in bulk, I am talking about the time when only Government officers were allowed to import weapons on NOC, they would collect like 15 or 20 NOCs and then import. It used to take more than a year at least then. Hope this helps.

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    1. According to the new SRO yes. But practically I do not know of anyone who has imported one. The new SRO says that a license holder can import one weapon. But no procedure has been defined.

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      1. Hi,

        Quick question on the topic. What if my brother (living in US) buys a gun and than wants to send it to me. Is that possible ? If so, how ? I have an arms license. Just want to know if this will shorten or simplify the process if possible. I’ve been trying to find out about it. So far no luck.

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      2. Brother, anyone can buy a gun and send it to you from US. They need to have an export authorization. That alone costs like $3500 per year. Apart from this he will need to apply for an export license in your name add $ 200), then find a logistics company that will ship it to you (add $ 500 to weapon cost). In Pakistan you will need to hire a Customs clearance agent (taxes and duties 60% of invoice) , that’s it.
        So why should your brother spend extra $3500? Your best chance is to ask him to find a dealer who can make a single export. Unless its a pricey item and the profit margin is big or you are importing like minimum 10 guns, not many people will be interested in exporting. Example, why should anyone do all this running around for $300 profit margin. That is why most of the gun dealers ask for a minimum of 20 orders. Hope this answers your question. Cheers.

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  13. Salam, I hope everyone is doing well. I am British Pakistani who lives in America. I am planning on moving to Pakistan in the next 2 years and I would like to bring some of my guns with me. If I am only allowed one weapon it would be H&K VP9…can you please help me on this issue.

    Thanks

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    1. Walekum as Salam,
      All is well thanks for asking. From what I have been able to check weapons cannot be brought in to Pakistan as part of relocating. Cheers

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  14. Tried talking to a dealer as well but the process he was telling me was more like a tale than like an actual process.

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  15. Can we ask a dealer in Pakistan to import pistol (of choice) for us and then sell it to us with some additional cost?
    If someone knows of some dealer who may help in importing Croatian made Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm pistol, do share his contact details. Thanks

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    1. Yes it can be done. The problem is economics. No dealer would import a single piece, even if he did the cost would be too big, because of the hassles involved and his profit and additional costs. But if imported in bulk it would make sense.

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  16. Pingback: New SRO for Self Import of Weapons by Government Officials – My Random Ramblings

  17. hi
    first of all I want to say u r doing great job to spread knowledge among people like me.
    now my question is ur article tells a lot of things which confuses me can you plz tell me how to import colt M4 from USA step by step i.e. first I hv to go ministry of commerce then bla bla and then bla bla. It will make easy for lot of people to understand a procedure second do u know any gun exporter in usa if yes please recommend some names ( if u gonna reply me the complete procedure please be sure it is for private individuals not for government officials) .last,do u know in Pakistan any arm dealer who can import M4 bcs in Pakistan buying a colt M4 is quite difficult. thanks

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    1. Thanks for the appreciation. According to the new SRO by GoP there is no Ministry of Commerce NOC. Now anyone can import a weapon (NPB) of their choice, if they have a valid arms license, at least theoretically. Also dealers can make commercial imports without going to Ministry of Commerce.
      The law is clear but the problem arises when a single person wants to import a weapon. First of all no dealer or very few would be willing to export one form any country. It won’t give him a profit on one gun. If it was 200 guns sure enough he would go for it. So you assumption that anyone in USA will be willing to sell you and go through all the trouble of sending you a Colt M4 for $500, forget it. US is a big market, they just won’t to small stuff. Also the dealers over there have a small profit margin, for instance a Glock 17 would fetch him like $60 to $ 100 max, that’s very less money. See the hassles he will have to go through to get a $550 handgun just to make $ 200? Nopes. You can get CQA or other rifles in 223 caliber in Pakistan from local dealers. hope this answers your questions. Cheers

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      1. Salaam NM Afzal, I am a arms dealar from KPK and I would like to import some NPB. Do I need NOC from Ministry of Commerce? If I don’t disturb you, would you like to give me some information about NPB imports from Europe. Thanks

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  18. Hi,

    I am based in the UK, do you think it’s worth contacting a German, Austrian or another EU Country, independent arms dealer, I would really like to import a GLOCK-19 to Pakistan. I can purchase one in Pakistan, but I doubt the authenticity. Very good post by the way.
    Any suggestions? 👽

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  19. You mentioned in your post that you had imported a rifle from dolphin arms. Just curious which rifle was it. Would love to see a review

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  20. Thanks to share useful information. Is it possible if an individual / civilian have valid arm license, can he buy & bring a short gun like glock to book in his checked in baggage from usa / uk to pakistan?

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  21. I have obtained my license ( Armed Forces ) and I wanted to import a Taurus G3C a $300 weapon. However, when I asked my senior, he said after the removal of condition of NOC from MOC, there is no clear guideline as how to process the case now. His own case was returned by MOC. As per SRO, any license holder can now import a weapon of his choice. This means that the exporter just needs a copy of my licensee? Right? Secondly, what I understood was armed forces personnel can import with no custom duties or taxes ? Is that true ? Because as per your post, it says that taxes are still charged from Armed forces Personnel?

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    1. That is correct, there is no elaboration on the SRO. So people are confused. Why import Taurus G3C? It is available here for Rs 160k, when you import a single piece and if someone is willing to do it for you, the price will be high. Duties are not exempted, you still have to pay. These are collected on the invoice price.

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      1. I get it sir. Then what is the point of allowing a govt officer to import a weapon. As per MoD regulations, duty is off and it is very clearly written, however as you said, addition of Sales Tax, Shipping Charges, VAT,, etc will make the pistol costier than original price. My main intention to import a $300 weapon was that I will get it in cheap price from local market due Duty Free import. How much is the duty BTW sir?

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      2. Brother that’s not the problem. The problem is that no one is willing to export a $300 pistol to you. Not one piece. It will not make business sense. He might go to the trouble of doing all export processing for say 10 or 20 pieces, not a single piece. If he does it for a single piece it will cost you a lot of money. Which makes the pistol very expensive. So the only way is to go through a dealer in Pakistan or maybe if you know anyone in say US and you give him like 20 orders. I hope this helps

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      3. Desi’s always try to save a buck. Just buy it locally. I am in the USA and i was going to export to Paksitan until the new administration came and stopped all licenses. If Trump comes back than he will open it back up. New guy is against firearms. Just buy locally thru a dealer. Otherwise don’t.

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  22. Dear Mr.Afzal I read your article and I am very happy to inform you that it has helped a lot of people I am sure. I once got permission to import a shotgun for competition shooting for trap and I now wish to bring it to the country I have settled in what are the relevant procedures as I already have completed the paper work here in the US and believe me it was such a pain as the laws here are a lot more stiffer since the shotgun was purchased in UK a lot of paper work is involved,
    Now the problem is how to export it out of Pakistan I would have sold it and bought another one but since the gun is no longer in production and has now become very hard to get anywhere and since mine is in such a good condition I wanted to bring it.kindly please advice.
    Best regards
    Syed

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  24. Dear Mr.Afzal
    I have import license and looking for information on the procedure to import Non-Prohibited (NPB) bore arms to Pakistan.
    In one of your comment, I read that only license and SRO is needed for the foreign dealer to acquire the export license for Pakistan, But I have contacted one of the dealer and he requested License and EUC.
    Where I can get this SRO and how can I use this SRO as a replacement for EUC.
    If EUC is needed by the dealer how can I obtained one and from which department I need to get this EUC.
    Thanks in advance
    Br,
    Khalid

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  25. Thank you I wrote to them on the pop up mail but since July no response I will ask again today and let you know.

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  26. Salam , sir how about payment to reseller in USA , say I want to export 12 PCs FN, to Pakistan , the payment should be wired from the importer account , or I can pay here from my account. I am visiting usa , a contact of mine in Kpk Wants to import 12 PCs of FN pistols .

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  27. Hi. Very informative write up and to the point replies, kudos. I just wanted to ask if importing gun accessories like muzzle devices for personal use is allowed in Pakistan. I need muzzle devices for my VEPR and Zenitco Clone AK102, both licensed.

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  28. hey, can you please update on this with new SRO last year! as things have changed since you first wrote, kindly do ! will help others! with all updates till NOV 2021! thanks

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  30. Hello nmafzal. Do you know about the procedure of importing weapon parts like hand guards, stocks, grips etc. ?

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