The short answer is YES, a bulletproof vest is legal to buy and wear for everyone.
For a longer 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 you have police permission.
The proposal will not affect doormen and security guards, who, if the proposal is adopted, will not need to obtain permission to wear bulletproof vests.
For now, it is fully legal to wear a bulletproof vest wherever you are.
Especially for persons connected to biker gangs or gangs
Most recently, on November 14, 2017, a 23-year-old man from Copenhagen NV had his bulletproof vest seized by the police. The reason was that the 23-year-old was connected to the Bandidos. The 23-year-old has protested the seizure, 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 even though it is not illegal to wear a bulletproof vest, the police can actually seize it if they can prove that you are connected to a gang or biker group. At least until a verdict is given in the case from November 14. After that, it will depend on the outcome of the verdict whether the police will have the right to seize a bulletproof vest in the future.
On February 14, 2019, a ruling was made regarding the seizure of a bulletproof vest.
Here a judgment was made about confiscation of a bulletproof vest, which means that the police may confiscate bulletproof and Stabproof vests if you do not meet the following requirements:
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You can be punished if you wear a safety vest in publicly accessible places without prior notification.
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The notification requirement applies only to safety vests used to protect against attacks, such as bulletproof and/or Stabproof vests.
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Vests that can be used to protect against attacks but are worn as costumes or similar, for example in role-playing, are not subject to the prior notification requirement.
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The prior notification requirement does not apply to persons who use safety vests solely in connection with their profession, including officials, authorized doormen, guards, dealers of safety vests, and similar.
You can report possession of a bulletproof vest here, and you can request to have your registration deleted here.
There are no requirements for dealers of bulletproof vests to check whether you are registered or otherwise have permission.
You can therefore freely purchase a bulletproof vest or Stabproof vest as a private individual.
Elite Armor handles all transactions 100% confidentially and according to GDPR.