Selling and storing consumer fireworks

Permits to sell and store fireworks

Do you want to sell fireworks to consumers in the Netherlands? Then you need a sales permit. You can apply for a sales permit to the municipality where you will be selling the fireworks.

Are you going to store fireworks? Then you need an environment and planning permit (omgevingsvergunning). You can apply for an environment and planning permit via the online service counter Omgevingsloket (in Dutch). You can also check which rules apply in your municipality.

Rules for selling fireworks

Consumer fireworks are category F1 and F2 fireworks. The fireworks category is stated on the packaging. Do you sell these types of fireworks? Then you must comply with the following rules, as well as other rules:

• You must have the right permits to store and sell fireworks.
• You may only sell legal fireworks.
• You can only sell category F2 consumer fireworks on 29, 30, and 31 December. If one of these days is a Sunday, you are not allowed to sell fireworks on that day. In that case, you are allowed to sell fireworks on 28 December.
• You are allowed to sell category F1 novelty fireworks (such as sparklers and crackling balls) all year round.
• You are not allowed to sell more than 25 kilos of fireworks to a single customer.
• You may only sell fireworks if you provide protective glasses and a cotton safety wick.
• You must provide information on how to safely set off fireworks.
• You are not allowed to sell any fireworks to children under age 12.

Selling fireworks to minors

Minimum ages apply to the sale of fireworks to minors:

• You are allowed to sell category F1 novelty fireworks (such as sparklers and crackling balls) to minors aged 12 and up.
• You are only allowed to sell category F2 consumer fireworks (such as ground spinners and fountains) to minors aged 16 and up.

Banned consumer fireworks

You are prohibited from selling the following types of fireworks to consumers:

• category F3 and F4 fireworks (you can find the category on the label)
• firecrackers (including strings of firecrackers)
• singleshots and rockets
• roman candles and small rockets

You are not allowed to sell these fireworks to consumers. Likewise, consumers are not allowed to buy or light these types of fireworks.

Rules for your retail space

If you are selling consumer fireworks, you must comply with the following rules for your retail space:

• You are not allowed to store more than 500 kilograms of fireworks at your retail space during opening hours.
• Outside opening hours, you are only allowed to store less than 200 kilograms of category F1 fireworks at your retail space. Outside opening hours, you are not allowed to store category F2 fireworks at your retail space.
• You must make sure the fireworks are not within reach of your customers.
• You must have a sprinkler system.
• You must put the fireworks in a place where the water from the sprinkler system can reach it.
• Your retail space and the sprinkler system must comply with all safety rules (in Dutch).

Rules for storing fireworks

Do you want to store fireworks close to your retail space? You must comply with the rules for storing consumer fireworks (in Dutch). These rules include the following:

• You must apply for an environment and planning permit for the storage of fireworks via the Omgevingsloket (in Dutch).
• The minimum distance between your storage space and your retail space must be 8 meters.
• If you want to store up to 10,000 kilograms of consumer fireworks, you must file a notification via the Omgevingsloket at least 4 weeks in advance.