Hi! 

I'm not sure if I chose the right section of the forum - if not sorry about that. I played airsoft since 2006y unfortunately, I left my country, few years passed but love to that hobby is still here so time to move my ass ;P 

Due to the fact that in my country there are no legal restrictions on this sport, it is better to ask how is going in Germany. I want to respect the local law (and rules) and not have any problems with it for this reason too. Im not German speaker so its kind hard to get something about it (i saw this pdf document but cant translate it) 
What i know is every AS weapon should have "F", but what about this 0,5J power?  Normally i used to use AR15 with HPA mod ~550FPS and sidearm (my country). 
What should i actually know when i will buy new rifle/pistol? 
Should I have any special permits? What are the rules in German airsoft?

I will be very grateful for any help in returning to the hobby ;)

Hi, the most important thing you already know, Airsoft guns need that F.

Now a few more things to know:

That guns with F  MUST NOT shoot fullauto.

Below 0.5J don't need an F and are allowed to shoot fullauto

hPa/gbb are not allowed without F (theorerically possible but we were discussing that for years and i would not risk it)

Lamps and Lasers are not allowed on guns with F, (gunlights Like x300 with a fixed railmount even are completely forbidden, a standard torch with scopemount is no Problem, you even can use it on a gun below 0.5J because that is only "a toy" but i would not risk that too. )

Best advice ever: connect to English-speaking people in your local area. Selection of trustworthy and well educated/ well informed people is crucial for your hassle-free jump start into airsoft. Click it. Our subpage team search should mark your very first spot to e-visit.

Let me clarify the above statement about tac lights and lasers. Do not bring such devices to Germany since their possesion is exclusively reserved for military and law enforcement agencies. Those devices are called "forbidden object" by regulation authorities. You can easily identify such an object by its intended use. Any target illuminating light emitting appliance which is to be mounted intentionally on a firearm, regardless of its lethality, defines as forbidden object.

Another important fact:

storage and carry outside of your property and the Airsoft playground has to be in a locked bag or case. A small, cheap padlock through the zippers of a bag is sufficient.

You must not open this bag or case outside of an enclosed property. You must not present your guns on the walls of your house.

edit: Last sentence of course means, we are not allowed to have a gunwall in our rooms, unless the guns are contained in locked cabinets with a glassdoor e.g. Although it's as well not allowed, to have the guns mounted on the outsides of our houses obviously. ;)

Also important is when you want to play HpA again you are not allowed to build an AEG into HPA. 

If you want to play HPA buy an HPA Weapon that’s already sold as one. 

There is a way to get a AEG to HPA Legal, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

For this you need to find a person that is allowed to build your AEG to HPA and then it needs to get checked by the law (costs around 200€). 

Maybe do not bomb him with to much information.

Just start simple:

We can suggest @Snajperitto  have no airsoft that is allowed here in germany. So just buy a new one from a trusted shop. You will get a legal airsoft with a valid "F". Also dont even think about ~550FPS. Most airsoft-events allow 400-450fps absolute max!!

Summary of other facts:

• Power < 0,5J: is a "toy". You can buy it if you are 14y and can shoot full-auto.
• Power > 0,5J: You must be at least 18 years old, needs a valid "F" and only can shoot single fire. This has to be a limitation of the airsoft itself, its not enough just to stick with the fire-selector on single-fire. Even when you switch to full-auto the airsoft must not fire full-auto!
• You are not allowed to change the inner barrel length or the engine type. (for example AEG to HPA)
• For transportation you need a locked case or bag. NEVER visible in public.
• Shooting is only allowed on/in your own property. (if you make sure no bb can leave it!) and of cause on special airsoft events.

positive fact:

• here we dont need these ugly orange muzzles 

You can change the barrel length as long as it is an exchange barrel intended for the end user. However, the caliber must not be changed.

In addition to the "F", the importer and the caliber 6mm are legally relevant as markings and must be present accordingly. This closes the circle to the barrel and the caliber designed for it.

Thank you all for the comprehensive answers. It turns out that I just have to have the letter "F" in the pentagon on the body of the rifle. From what I've found out, most of the ASG areas are rather CQB, so I'll probably stay to some green gas replicas (assualt rifles with blowback) or just sniper (spring) rifle.

Rly strange for me is that i cant use my underbarrel pistol flash light that i used just to mount to my pistol for CQB. 

I understand that I can do AEG tuning/upgrade by myself at home? I have a chronometer, so it's a matter of a few tools and I can service/tunning replicas bymyself? Or all replicas in Germany are sealed?

Yes,you can work and upgrade parts on your replicas,but if you want to upgrade a gun with an energy of less than 0.5 Joules you will have to be careful.

It is advised to put a few BBs of 0.2g weight through the chrono whenever you do something on these things.These guns do not NEED an F in a Pentagon,though it is not illegal if they have it.In that case it´s just best to hide it,by taping it over for example.Fully automatic fire is allowed on these guns

With replicas with a muzzle energy(0.2g BB used) of more than 0,5J you do not have to be that careful,considering the upper limits in terms of energy are either 7.5 joules(Good luck reaching that) or the limits the fields you are playing on set. Don´t forget about the mandatory F in a Pentagon on these replicas though.No full auto here

Regarding the forbidden nature of weapon lights(Or to be more precise:Everything that has the intended use of illuminating a target)...we can thank a rather infamous former commander of the Luftwaffe(the third reich one) for that

Just for completeness: Laserpointer also "illuminats" the target. So its also not allowed.

IR (infrared) is forbidden too.

Where do you live in Germany? Our team has a bunch of English speakers and would gladly have you if you're mobile and you're in the area.

Just in case that this didn't come up allready...the "F" in the Pentagon is not to be painted on the gun by you yourself. This is a marking that proves your gun has been checked by an authorized importer or manufacturer to be in line with the german gun laws for permission free weapons. Don't just paint an "F" on your guns. BEFORE you bring your guns to Germany from a foreign country, you need to have them checked by the authorities and then marked accordingly. The best option would be to buy new guns in german stores. 

Please also be aware that any kind of light and laser devices that are designed to be mounted to firearms are illegal to own in germany. Don't bring those to Germany if you allread, own them. That may be a felony.