All UKARA related enquiries should be made to ukara@gunmanairsoft.co.uk
We get a lot of questions about UKARA, we will try to address them below.
What is UKARA?
First of all, what isn’t: it is NOT a licence – no such thing exists for airsoft replicas, nor is it required for their ownership or use.
UKARA operates a national database of active airsoft players at recognised and insured skirmish sites across the country. This database can be accessed by most major retailers as well as the police and HM Customs. To get an entry on the database a player must meet certain criteria:
- Firstly they must be aged 18 or above, as it is illegal for a minor to buy or sell any kind of imitation firearm, even brightly coloured ones.
- They must have played a minimum of three games over a minimum period of two months at qualifying sites covered by the same public liability insurance policy.
Once these conditions are met, an application is made via the skirmish site and their entry is added to the database. It remains live for a period of one year, after which it becomes inactive unless the player asks for it to be reactivated for a further year. Reactivation can only take place if the player is still attending games at a site covered by the same public liability insurance policy.
Do I need UKARA to buy a RIF?
No. You simply need to be able to prove beyond reasonable doubt to the seller that you meet the exemption criteria. An active UKARA database entry is by far the simplest method of providing this proof however, which is why it is recommended.
Another way is to purchase a RIF from your skirmish site – any approved site will hold records of your attendance which is all that is required to prove exemption.
In theory, a retailer could contact the site which you say you are regular at and take their word for it, in practice however, this is time consuming and may not stand up in court, so most retailers will not do this.
New UKARA entries
If you want to apply for a new UKARA entry with us, you need to have attended at least three events with us spanning a period of at least two months – please specify the dates on your application so we can verify them against our records.
We charge a £10 admin fee to process new entries as well as renewals, we do not charge for address changes. New applications, renewals and change of details can all be done using our online form here