Hunting & Licences to Hunt in Italy

Hunting (la caccia) is legal in Italy and there are around 800,000 registered hunters. About 70 percent of Italian hunters are concentrated in the central and northern area of the country with Tuscany, Umbria and Sardinia being the most popular regions.

There are many different species to hunt: pheasant, quail, hare, partridge, woodcock, fox, deer, stag, moufflon (wild sheep), black grouse and wild boar.

The Law

Law N° 157 of February 1992, regulates hunting in order to protect the fauna. This law acts as a background at a national level, but then each province applies local rules. 

Hunting licences (licenza di caccia/venatoria) are allocated and issued at a provincial level.

Each province sets areas where hunting is permitted. There are different categories of hunting areas, for example, protected areas and private hunting grounds.

The regional authority also decides the hunting season for the current year, the days when hunting is prohibited during the week (usually two per week) and the times when hunting is allowed.

Hunting Licences

Hunting licence applications should be made at the hunting department of the provincial administration office (Amministrazione Provinciale). 

• See contact details below or: Click here

A gun hunter in Italy must have the right to own a gun (porto d’arma) and hold a hunting licence.

In order to apply for a hunting licence, the applicant must:

• be over 18 years old
• have a valid medical certificate
• show proof that they have passed the test demonstrating a basic knowledge of hunting regulations, zoology relating to hunting, guns and munitions, the protection of flora and first aid
• two signed passport photos

Once the criteria have been met, a payment (tassa or imposta locale) is made to the local authority with a marca da bollo (tax stamp available from tobacconists) and the licence is issued.

The licence is valid for six years, however for the first twelve months hunting is only allowed in the presence of another hunter who has had a hunting licence for a minimum of three years and is free from any offence.

All hunters are required to apply for insurance cover.

Should the hunter break the rules and commit an offence, then the license may be suspended, either for a set period of time or indefinitely.

Renewing a licence

The licence is renewed on presentation of an updated medical certificate (certificato medico), and payment of the tax (tassa/imposta regionale).

Besides the licence, hunters are given a card with details of the regional hunting calendar and other relevant local information.

Importing a Hunting Firearm to Italy

Any person wanting to import a firearm to Italy on a permanent basis must first contact the police station (Questura) with jurisdiction over their place of residence in Italy. The police will outline the procedure and documents needed. 

• To find the local Questura: Click here 

Documents required will probably include:

• valid passport 
• valid driver’s license or I.D. with current address 
• hunting license 
• bill of sale for the firearm 
• criminal records certificate from the home country police department 

Hunting in Liguria

Each of the provinces provides information on the licences and facilities available.

• For information from The Italian Hunting Federation (Federazione Italiana della Caccia): Click here (in Italian)

Further Information

• Federazione Italiana della Caccia (Italian Hunting Federation; in Italian)