Coming in from the Netherlands

[Ongemakje]

Hey guys,

New to this forum! so hi there!

I heard this week that I am going probably to migrate to your lovely country in a few months(september). Now, i have been googeling a bit on your laws and they seem to be as tight as our dutch ones. but with a lot more holes and loops.

Now i have a few RIF's (if i understand the term correctly, we don't have to deal with 2 tone guns here) and would like to bring them over to get skirming in a whole new environment.

Here we have a interest association (www.nabv.nl) where every dutch airsofter is being scanned. and only after that scan (and contribution) you receive a ID card and are allowed to handle the airsoft rifle without supervision. with some strict laws on how to move them between home and game-sites, how to store them etc.

Your laws confuse me quite a bit. Can i just come over in a truck with my guns in the hold (gunbag with lock). dump them in my new place and go skirming at a site, or do i need to do the (sh*tty) 3 months of rental guns at 1 specific game site? or is my dutch ID card of the NABV enough as skirmishable defence?

Thanks in advance for your time!

Greets, Ongemakje

 

[Baz JJ]

Welcome to the UK - that about sums us up.

As its not illegal to own RIFs, I cant see the value of UKARA for you.

However, you will need to satisfy HM customs at your port of entry.

I would carry evidence of your Dutch airsofting experience such as photos, site memberships and your ID card and declare yourself at the customs, explaining the situation.

If you are open and honest, you should be okay.

You will eventually need UKARA if you want somebody to sell you more RIFs when you live here.

I think Holland also has lower fps limits ?

Hey guys,

New to this forum! so hi there!

I heard this week that I am going probably to migrate to your lovely country in a few months(september). Now, i have been googeling a bit on your laws and they seem to be as tight as our dutch ones. but with a lot more holes and loops.

Greets, Ongemakje

Click to shrink...

 

[Ongemakje]

Hey Baz,

Thanks for the fast reply. good to know i can keep my guns haha.

I intend to show customs my stuff, just wondering about the need to (if i go to belgium or france to play i dont have to go trough customs to play)

We don't have memberships to specific game sites, we can book a place to play that day and receive a confirmation mail. Which would suffice as proof of play i think.

I don't like photographs of myself in gear that can end up on social media, so i don't have any where you can see the face(full face protection), but i'll make sure to make some next week

How can i proof when i am in the country that i can own these guns? as we have the id card over here that feels a bit strange. what if i am stopped on the road with my gear in the trunk. do i have to say "i got some airsoft guns in the trunk" first thing to the officer stopping me?

so much to do when migrating, this might be one of the most important things

I'm not sure about the FPS limits in the UK (haven't searched that yet) but holland has 360fps for anything not bolt action, 500fps for bolt action, theres a middle step of 450fps for DMR with 2 sec delay. I only have guns under 340fps at the moment so i think i should be fine

Welcome to the UK - that about sums us up.

As its not illegal to own RIFs, I cant see the value of UKARA for you.

However, you will need to satisfy HM customs at your port of entry.

I would carry evidence of your Dutch airsofting experience such as photos, site memberships and your ID card and declare yourself at the customs, explaining the situation.

If you are open and honest, you should be okay.

You will eventually need UKARA if you want somebody to sell you more RIFs when you live here.

I think Holland also has lower fps limits ?

Click to shrink...

 

[Baz JJ]

If you are over 18, you dont need to prove anything about ownership providing guns are kept our of public view, once you are in-country.

I tend to carry a site card when on the way to a game just in case I get stopped by the police, but it has no legal standing and I doubt if the police would take much notice of an unofficial card membership from a site.

Seems a bit amateurish compared to the Netherlands, but it kind of works somehow.

Your fps arent that different. Just check the site limits before you book any games here. I must be thinking of somewhere else with low limits (Belgium perhaps ?).

By the way, the Belgium/France/Dutch border is non existent really. The UK has a potential stop and search border at all ferry ports.