Hunting & Licences to Hunt in Italy

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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.

The following is required in order to apply for a hunting licence:

• The applicant must be over 18 years old
• Have a valid medical certificate
• Proof of passing the test to demonstrate 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) that will be local to their place of residence in Italy. It will outline the procedure and documents needed. 

• To find the 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 Tuscany

Each of the provinces provides information on the licences and facilities available. Information and regulations on hunting in the Tuscany region is available from the Tuscany Agriculture Department. 

Information is also available from the Italian hunting federation (Federazione Italiana della Caccia) Tuscany branch:

• Federcaccia Toscana
  At: Via dei Banchi 6, 50123 Florence (FI)
  Tel: 055 219 040
  Fax: 055 212 088
  e-mail 
  Website (in Italian)

Provincial Offices

Each of the Tuscany Provincial administration offices provides information on hunting restrictions, facilities and licence applications (note that the websites are in Italian).

• Arezzo
  Ufficio Caccia
  At: Via San Lorentino 25, Palazzo Barbolani, Arezzo (AR)
  Open: Monday to Friday 09:00-13:00, Tuesday and Thursday 15:30-17:30
  Tel: 0575 335 4240
  e-mail 
  Website (in Italian)
• Florence
  Ufficio Caccia
  At: Via Mercadante 42 piano secondo, 50144 Florence (FI)
  Tel: 055 276 0601
  e-mail 
  Website (in Italian)
• Grosseto
  Polizia Provinciale
  At: Via Ambra 28b, 58100 Grosseto (GR)
  Tel: 0564 458 189
  Website (in Italian)
• Livorno
  Ufficio Caccia
  At: Piazza del municipio 4, 57100 Livorno (LI)
  Tel: 0586 257 433
  Website (in Italian)
• Lucca
  Servizio Agricoltura e Risorse Naturali - Corpo di Polizia Provinciale
  At: Via Barsanti e Matteucci 208, 55100 Lucca (LU)
  Tel: 0583 417 509
  Website (in Italian)
• Massa-Carrara
  Uffici Caccia e Pesca
  At: Via Crispi n° 11, 54100 Massa (MS)
  Tel: 0585 816 569
  Open: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 10:00-12:00
  Website (in Italian)
• Pisa
  At: Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 14, 56125 Pisa (PI)
  Tel: (URP Callcentre) 800 062 122
  Website (in Italian)
• Pistoia
  Planificazione Risorse del Territorio
  At: Croso Gramsci 110, Pistoia (PT)
  Tel: 0573 372 438
  Open: Tuesday 09:00-13:00 and 15:00-16:30, Wednesday 09:00-13:00
  Website (in Italian)
• Prato
  Servizio Caccia e Pesca
  At: Palazzo Novellucci, Via Cairoli 25, Prato (PO)
  Tel: 0574 534 418
  Website (in Italian)
• Siena
  Uffici Caccia
  At: Via della Sperandi 47, 53100 Siena (SI)
  Tel: 0577 241 405
  Website (in Italian)

Further Information

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