{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/firearms-amendment-act-1988/section-18",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/firearms-amendment-act-1988/section-18.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1988/45",
  "legislation_title": "Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/firearms-amendment-act-1988",
  "path": "section/18",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "18",
  "heading": "Firearms acquired for export.",
  "text": "(1) A person may, without holding a firearm or shot gun certificate, purchase a firearm from a registered firearms dealer if—\n(a) that person has not been in Great Britain for more than thirty days in the preceding twelve months; and\n(b) the firearm is purchased for the purpose only of being exported from Great Britain without first coming into that person’s possession.\n(1A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(2) A registered firearms dealer who sells a firearm to a person who shows that he is entitled by virtue of subsection (1) above to purchase it without holding a certificate shall within forty-eight hours from the transaction send a notice of the transaction to the chief officer of police in whose register the premises where the transaction took place are entered.\n(3) The notice of a transaction under subsection (2) above shall contain the particulars of the transaction which the dealer is required to enter in the register kept by him under section 40 of the principal Act and every such notice shall be sent by permitted means.\n(4) In the case of a transaction to which subsection (2) above applies the particulars to be entered in the register kept under section 40 of the principal Act (and accordingly contained in a notice under subsection (3) above) shall include the number and place of issue of the purchaser’s passport, if any ....\n(4A) A notice is sent by permitted means for the purposes of subsection (3) if it is sent—\n(a) by registered post;\n(b) by the recorded delivery service; or\n(c) by permitted electronic means (see section 18B).\n(5) It is an offence for a registered firearms dealer to fail to comply with subsection (2) above; and that offence shall be punishable on summary conviction with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or both.\n(6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .",
  "extent": "E+W+S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 18(1A) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Law Enforcement and Security (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/742), regs. 1, 61(4)(a); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 18(3) substituted (1.4.2011) by Firearms (Electronic Communications) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/713), arts. 1(1), 3(2)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 18(4) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Law Enforcement and Security (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/742), regs. 1, 61(4)(b); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "S. 18(4A) inserted (1.4.2011) by Firearms (Electronic Communications) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/713), arts. 1(1), 3(2)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "S. 18(6) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Law Enforcement and Security (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/742), regs. 1, 61(4)(c); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/45/section/18",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:47:43.518640+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}