Gun Importation South AfricaGun importation South Africa does require pre hunt planning. When planning your big game hunting trip to South Africa, you need to obtain a temporary firearm (gun) importation permit, and be sure that you adhere to certain rules. PLEASE NOTE: We are certain you have heard horror stories about the importation of firearms into South Africa, and the length of the following page will add to your trepidation, BUT it is NOT at all difficult. As the hunter all you need to provide, a minimum of 30 days before arrival in South Africa, are:
The rest of the requirements are handled by us and/or the agency. The information listed below is for your information only. Got questions? Ask Us. For a quick link, click on topics of interest below.
Use of An AgencyWe recommend that before you embark on your African hunting safari with Mkhamba Safaris, you have all the necessary requirements for the importation of your guns into South Africa prepared ahead of arrival. To assist with this it is recommended that you use an agent.Mkhamba Safaris will assist you with this, and make recommendations on which agents to use, once your booking with us is confirmed. Here is an idea of the documents etc you will need to facilitate the gun importation South Africa.
The RequirementsIn order to successfully complete your task of gun importation South Africa you need to fulfill the following requirements:q
Completion of Sections D, (Type of Permit – temporary Import or
Export Permit) E 1 to E25.4, G, I and J (After signing BOTH I and J sections) of
the South African Police Service SAPS 520 form –
Click Here
q
Please
complete the SAPS 520 IN BLACK INK No
other colour will be accepted. Along with the completed copy of the SAPS 520 form you will also require the following:
Proof of OwnershipIn order to achieve your gun importation South Africa, you need to proove ownership of your firearms. To do this you must provide: q
An
original notarised copy of proof of ownership of your firearms in the form of: o
A notarised copy of your firearms license OR o
An invoice from the gun shop where you purchased the
firearms OR In
the case of U.S. Citizens o
A letter from your local sheriff in the form of an
affidavit confirming ownership
OR o
The US Customs form 4457 Passport Copyq
An
original notarised copy of your passport, which must have a minimum of four
months validity after the termination of the hunt as well as a minimum of two
free pages. Documentary Proof of Export of Firearmsq An
original notarised copy of documentary proof of export of the firearms, from an
official government institution from the country of origin, written in English.
This can be in the form of: o
For US citizens only, US Customs form 4457 is ESSENTIAL
(one copy is sufficient) o
For GERMAN citizens only, an original notarised copy of the
documentary proof of export of the firearms in the form of INF3 customs
certificate. To obtain this certificate please go to your nearest Customs office
(Zoll Amt) with your firearms and any other documentation the customs house
might request. o
For UK citizens only, an original notarised copy of the
Proof of Ownership and passport must be signed and stamped as true copies of the
original document by a Public Notary.
A Letter of InvitationFor gun importation South Africa you require the following:q
A
letter of invitation from your hunting outfitter on their official letterhead.
It must include: 1.
The Professional Hunter and Outfitters full names 2.
License numbers 3.
Province they are registered in 4.
The type of hunt 5.
The dates of your safari 6.
Where you are hunting 7.
What species you are hunting 8.
What firearms (calibres) the outfitter suggests you bring
that is applicable to your hunt. 9.
The outfitter is also required to inform you the client
that you the hunter/client must be aware of the South African Firearm
Regulations and that you the client/ hunter must adhere to the storage,
transportation, handling and use of the firearms as laid down in the
regulations, namely the Firearms Control Act 2000 (Act 60 of 2000). 10.
This letter must be signed and dated. Firearm/Ammunition Allowances and SpecificationsThe firearms control laws in South Africa are very tight, therefore please take note of the following specifications and allowances for gun importation South Africa: Airline Firearm AllowancesCheck
with your airline as to the number of firearms they allow per passenger as many
airlines are now specifying a maximum of two / three firearms. Your
firearms must arrive on the same flight as you. They may only be signed for by
you and may not be received by any third person. FirearmsYou are allowed a maximum of four firearms, not more than one of the same caliber. (An exception to this may apply in the case of shotguns where more than one of the same caliber may be allowed for bird hunting if an acceptable letter of motivation accompanies it). The
Frame, barrel or action must be marked with a serial number. AmmunitionYou
may only bring ammunition applicable to the firearms that you will be bringing
to South Africa, and may not bring more than 200 rounds per firearm. Semi Automatic Shotguns or HandgunsFor Semi-Automatic shotguns or handguns, you must supply a letter of motivation stating the reason for wanting to bring a semi-automatic/handgun to hunt in South Africa. It must be an original request; with an acceptably good reason otherwise consideration will not be granted. If you wish to bring a Semi-Automatic shotgun for bird shooting, or a custom made handgun the application should arrive 35 days prior to arrival at the Agents office. Handgun HuntingFor handgun applications: The outfitter must supply a letter confirming that the handgun will be used for hunting purposes only. If required by Central Firearms the outfitter must supply a letter of confirmation from the province where you are hunting that Nature Conservation have no objection to you hunting with a handgun. Custom Made FirearmsIn
many cases if the firearm is custom made and it is not on the Central Firearms
computer, you will be requested to obtain from the manufacturer a letter stating
that the firearm is used solely for hunting purposes. Central Firearms may
request pictures of the firearm. In this instance consideration of your
application can take longer then the specified period. In Transit PermitsThese are required to be obtained by any passenger spending the night in South Africa while in transit to a third country. The same pre-requsites apply as to obtain the normal gun importation South Africa permit. Gun importation South Africa is not as daunting as it seems. We assure you that if you follow all these guidelines and employ a clearing agent, it will make the gun importation South Africa easier. |