With the new firearms law, which has been in force since the beginning of the year, a nationwide weapons amnesty has begun in the Czech Republic. At the same time, a new generation of the Central Weapons Register has been launched.
With the entry into force of the new firearms law on 1 January 2026, a nationwide weapons amnesty started simultaneously in the Czech Republic. It is already the sixth of its kind and runs until 30 June 2026. The aim is to remove illegal weapons and ammunition from circulation and legalise them.
The weapons amnesty – legally referred to as the expiry of criminal liability for unauthorised possession of weapons – gives citizens six months to hand in such items without penalty at any police station in the Czech Republic. The police issue a confirmation of receipt.
The surrendered weapons and ammunition are then examined by specialists. Checks are carried out to determine whether they are linked to a criminal offence or listed as wanted. If this is not the case, the person handing them in may apply within six months for the necessary documents to legally possess the weapon. This requires that all statutory requirements are met and that the appropriate firearms permit is granted.
During the amnesty, police officers do not ask about the origin of the surrendered items. Only if a weapon is listed as wanted or has demonstrably been used in a criminal offence will the circumstances be examined more closely.
The number of weapons surrendered during previous amnesties varied considerably:
- 1996: 3,704 weapons
- 2003: 4,192 weapons
- 2009: 7,897 weapons
- 2014: 5,877 weapons
- 2021: 3,820 weapons
Caution with ammunition and explosive devices
The amnesty applies not only to firearms and ammunition, but also to explosives and explosive devices. However, the police explicitly point out that found ammunition, grenades, mines, detonators or similar dangerous objects must not be moved or transported. In such cases, the emergency number 158 must be contacted immediately. Further action is decided by an explosives expert who is called in and, if necessary, renders the object safe on site or arranges for its secure removal.
New weapons register launched in 2026
Alongside the legislative amendment, a completely new generation of the Central Weapons Register (CRZ) went into operation on 1 January 2026. It is the most technically extensive information system the police have operated to date. The new register fully reflects current legislation and fundamentally modernises the administration of weapons, firearms licences and permits.
“The commissioning of a system of this scale represents a technological milestone for the police in the Czech Republic, which we have implemented with the utmost responsibility,” said Police President Martin Vondrášek at the launch of the new system. Given the high level of interest in the new online functions, the system was subjected to extensive stress testing. Nevertheless, the police ask the public for patience should there be short-term overloads when accessing the Citizen Portal (Portálu občana), which serves as the central identification point for users. In the coming weeks, live operation will be closely monitored and individual supplementary areas will be gradually optimised.
