Licence for import and export of arms, etc
Section 10 of the Arms Act, 1959 deals with licence for import and export of arms, etc. No person shall bring into, or take out of, India by sea, land or air any arms or ammunition unless he holds in this behalf a licence issued in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder: Provided that-- (a) a person who is entitled by virtue of this Act or any other la The Act came into force on 01 Oct 1962.
(1) No person shall bring into, or take out of, India by sea, land or air any arms or ammunition unless he holds in this behalf a licence issued in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder:
Provided that--
(a) a person who is entitled by virtue of this Act or any other law for the time being in force to have, or is not prohibited by this Act or such other law from having, in his possession any arms or ammunition, may without a licence in this behalf bring into, or take out of, India such arms or ammunition in reasonable quantities for his own private use;
(b) a person being a bona fide tourist belonging to any such country as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify, who is not prohibited by the laws of that country from having in his possession any arms or ammunition, may, without a licence under this section but in accordance with such conditions as may be prescribed, bring with him into India arms and ammunition in reasonable quantities for use by him for purposes only of sport and for no other purpose;
Explanation.-- For purposes of clause (b) of this proviso, the word "tourist" means a person who not being a citizen of India visits India for a period not exceeding six months with no other object than recreation, sight-seeing, or participation in a representative capacity in meetings convened by the Central Government or in international conferences, associations or other bodies.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in the proviso to sub-section (1), where the 1[Commissioner of Customs] or any other officer empowered by the Central Government in this behalf has any doubt as to the applicability of clause (a) or clause (b) of that proviso to any person who claims that such clause is applicable to him, or as to the reasonableness of the quantities of arms or ammunition in the possession of any person referred to in such clause, or as to the use to which such arms or ammunition may be put by such person, may detain the arms or ammunition in the possession of such person until he receives the orders of the Central Government in relation thereto.
(3) Arms and ammunition taken from one part of India to another by sea or air or across any intervening territory not forming part of India, are taken out of, and brought into, India within the meaning of this section.
Section 10, The Arms Act, 1959 (Act 54 of 1959).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… That license authorised the petitioner to manufacture shot guns, hand guns, bolt action rifles including double barrel rifle as well as shotgun cartridges and center fire cartridges. It is also stated to have been granted a manufacturing license for air weapons on 3 April 2018. Section 10 of the Arms Act 1959<sup>4</sup> places a prohibition on the import and export of arms or parts thereof except in accordance with a license which may be issued in that respect by the competent authority. Undisputedly, the power to issue a license for import stood conferred on the <sup>4</sup> the Act  dated 22/05/2018 on Delegation of powers for import of Small Arms.Notification 2018
- S.O. 5607(E) dated 01/11/2018 on Delegation of powers of import and export of Small Arms.Notification 2018
- Arms Rules, 2016Rule 2016
- G.S.R. 701(E) dated 15/07/2019 on Arms Rules 2016Notification 2016
- Arms Rules, 1962Rule 1962
Questions about Section 10
What does Section 10 of the Arms Act deal with?
Section 10 of the Arms Act is headed "Licence for import and export of arms, etc". No person shall bring into, or take out of, India by sea, land or air any arms or ammunition unless he holds in this behalf a licence issued in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder: Provided that-- (a) a person who is entitled by virtue of this Act or any other la
How do I find court cases under Section 10 of the Arms Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Arms Act 10, section 10 Arms Act, section 10 of the Arms Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.
What should I read with Section 10 of the Arms Act, and has it changed?
3 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. The rules and notifications made under it are where it actually bites, and there are 5: most recently S.O. 2049(E) dated 22/05/2018 on Delegation of powers for import of Small Arms. (2018), then S.O. 5607(E) dated 01/11/2018 on Delegation of powers of import and export of Small Arms. (2018), and 3 more.
When did Section 10 of the Arms Act come into force?
Section 10 of the Arms Act, cited as Arms Act 10, came into force on 01 Oct 1962, having been enacted on 23 Dec 1959. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 25. Punishment for certain offences1755 words
- 2. Definitions and interpretation734 words
- 44. Power to make rules681 words
- 24A. Prohibition as to possession of notified arms in disturbed areas, etc618 words
- 17. Variation, suspension and revocation of licences579 words
- 24B. Prohibition as to carrying of notified arms in or through public places in disturbed areas etc560 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.