The short answer is YES, a bulletproof vest is legal to buy and wear for everyone.
For an extended period, there has been an escalating gang conflict in the country's larger cities.
The escalating gang conflict has led the VLAK government to propose that it should henceforth be illegal to wear a bulletproof vest unless one has police permission.
The proposal will not affect doormen and security guards, who, if the proposal is passed, will not need to obtain permission to wear bulletproof vests.
So far, it is completely legal to wear a bulletproof vest wherever you are.
Especially for individuals with ties to biker groups or gangs
By November 14, 2017, a 23-year-old man from Copenhagen NV had his bulletproof vest confiscated by the police. The reason was that the 23-year-old had ties to Bandidos. The 23-year-old has protested the confiscation, and therefore a judge must now decide whether it was justified or not.
The police themselves believe that it falls within the powers granted by the new gang package.
This means that although it is not illegal to wear a bulletproof vest, the police can actually confiscate it if they can prove that you have ties to a gang or biker group. At least until a ruling is made in the case from November 14. After that, it will depend on the outcome of the ruling whether the police have the right to confiscate a bulletproof vest going forward.
The February 14, 2019 ruling regarding the seizure of a bulletproof vest.
Here a ruling is made regarding the confiscation of a bulletproof vest, this means that the police are allowed to confiscate bulletproof and stab-proof vests if one does not meet the following requirements:
You can be penalized if you wear a security vest in publicly accessible places without prior notification.
The notification requirement only applies to security vests that are used to protect against attacks, such as bulletproof and/or stab-proof vests.
Vests that can be used to protect against attacks, but are worn as costumes or similar for example in role-playing, are not covered by the requirement for prior notification.
The requirement for prior notification does not apply to individuals who only use a security vest in connection with the exercise of their profession, including authority figures, licensed doormen, guards, dealers of security vests, and similar.
You can report possession of a bulletproof vest here, and you can request to have your registration deleted here.
There is no requirement for dealers of bulletproof vests to check whether one is registered or otherwise has permission.
You can therefore freely purchase a bulletproof vest or stab-proof vest as a private individual.
Elite Armor treats all transactions 100% confidentially and in accordance with GDPR.