Hunting & Licences to Hunt in Italy

Information on hunting in Umbria and Italy: permits, the season, restricted areas.

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, 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 each province applies local rules. Hunting licences (licenza di caccia/venatoria) are allocated and issued at a provincial level and 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 each 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 (Ufficio Caccia) of the provincial administration office (Amministrazione Provinciale).

See contact details below or: Click here

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

A licence applicant must meet the following requirements in order to apply for a hunting licence:

Must be over 18 years of age
Must have a valid medical certificate (certificato medico)
Must provide 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 understanding of how to administer 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 12 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, 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, and payment of the tax (tassa/imposta regionale or imposta locale).

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 local police station (Questura) in their place of residence in Italy. It will outline the procedure and documents needed.

To find a local Questura: Click here

Documents required will probably include:

Valid passport
Valid driver’s licence or ID with current address
Hunting license
Bill of sale for the firearm
Criminal records certificate from the home country police department

Hunting in Umbria

The hunting season in Umbria generally runs from approximately September to early January, with the season varying depending on the type of animal.

Territorial Hunting Offices

Umbria is divided into three hunting areas (Ambito Territoriale di Caccia - ATC) which consist of smaller hunting zones.

ATC 1 covers northern Umbria.

ATC 1
At: Via del Nestore 1/Bis, 06087 Ponte S. Giovanni (PG)
Tel: 075 599 7383
Fax: 075 599 6363
e-mail
Website
For a map and list of comunes included in ATC 1: Click here

ATC 2 covers southeast Umbria.

ATC 2
At: Via Gran Sasso 25, 06034 Foligno (PG)
Tel: 074 226 0108
Fax: 074 232 2411
e-mail
Website
For a map and list of comunes included in ATC 2: Click here

ATC 3 covers southwest Umbria.

ATC 3
At: Via Plinio il Giovane 21, 05100 Terni (TR)
Tel: 074 483 376 / 074 483 377
For a list of comunes included in ATC 3: Click here

Hunting information is also available from the Italian Hunting Federation (Federazione Italiana della Caccia) Umbria branches:

Federcaccia Umbria - Sezione Provinciale di Perugia
At: Via Settevalli 133, 06128 Perugia
Tel: 075 505 6962
Fax: 075 505 6947
e-mail
Federcaccia Umbria - Sezione Provinciale di Terni
At: Via Luigi Lanzi 7/9, 05100 Terni
Tel: 0744 407 138
Fax: 0744 404 259
e-mail
Federcaccia Umbria
Website (in Italian)

Provincial Hunting Offices

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

Perugia Province Hunting Office (Ufficio Caccia)
At: Via M. Angeloni 61, 06124 Perugia (PG)
Tel: 075 504 5450
Fax: 075 504 5567
e-mail
Website
Terni Province Hunting Office (Ufficio Caccia)
At: Via della Stazione 1, 05100 Terni (TR)
e-mail