Customs and Immigrations Information for safari hunting the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

All visitors to South Africa are required to carry a passport that is valid for six months beyond the intended length of stay. There should be sufficient blank pages for entry stamps upon arrival. Visas are not required for citizens from USA, UK, Canada, France, Germany and Spain. Visitors can stay for a maximum of 90 days. You may be requested to show a return ticket.

You are entitled to import into South Africa a personal allowance of 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 9 ounces of pipe tobacco, 2 liters of wine, 1 liter of alcohol, other gifts up to a value of R500 and any amount of foreign currency as long as you declare amounts over $20,000 to customs upon arrival.

Sporting firearms may be readily imported into South Africa. You may bring up to 3 firearms per hunter (however most airlines limit you to 2) and 200 rounds of ammo per firearm but again airline regulations allow only 5 kgs or 11 lbs of ammo per passenger. The average weight of factory loaded ammo boxes of 20 shells per box runs from 1 lb 4 ounces to 2 lbs.

Prior to the day of your flight you will need to take a trip down to the local Customs Office (usually located at all international airports) and get a Form 4457 (Certificate of Registration of Personal Effects Taken Abroad). For photo of Form 4457, click HERE. These Custom Offices are normally open 9 - 5, Monday - Friday, but it would be best to call before you go to ensure that there will be somebody available to assist you. When you go take the guns that you will be taking to Africa with you. This is a very easy procedure. They will sign a customs form that includes the manufacturer, model and serial number of each firearm. The reason for this form is to show the US Customs people when you return to the USA that you owned the guns prior to your departure and that you are bringing back the same guns that you took out of the country. Be sure to have that form available on your return. Since the United States does not require your sporting rifles to be registered you must have this form to show the South African police. This will suffice as proof of ownership for the required SAP Form 311 that will be discussed below.

After you leave Passport control you will enter the baggage claim area. Immediately off to your right is the old location of the SAPS office. Your firearms will arrive here first and you must sign for them and they will be delivered to the new SAPS office. In this picture you can see the cart with the firearm cases on it and the security personal with the bright green vests on are the ones that will do the paperwork for this.

Click the picture above for an enlarged view of the Baggage Claim Area at the Johannesburg Airport. Your luggage will arrive on the conveyor belt at the left of the picture. Once inside, grab a cart, they're free.

This picture shows Terminal A2 and the route you follow from your arriving SAA aircraft to the South African Police Office, where you will obtain your Temporary Firearms Permit. Follow the red line from the top left of the picture.

View inside Terminal 2 as you walk out of Customs. Currency exchange offices are located along the right and the route to the new South African Police office is all of the way down and then to your right.

The new South African Police office in Terminal 2 of Johannesburg airport.

A view inside the new South African police office. At this counter is where you will be issued your temporary firearm import permit.

Upon arrival in South Africa you must have filled out a SAP Form 520 (click HERE for the form) for the South African Police in order for a temporary firearm import permit to be issued to you. A step-by step guide for you to follow upon arrival in Johannesburg is included below:

They will then issue you a Temporary Import Permit. You must retain a signed copy of this permit and it must be in your possession while you are hunting.

You will need to present this copy on your departure from South Africa. There is no charge for doing any of this, although we have heard of visitors who were asked to pay. If you ask for a receipt for this charge you will probably be told, "The receipt book is full, so this time there is no charge".

African Cape Trophy Safaris provides all of the necessary forms required for obtaining your temporary firearms permit. Anyone can go through this procedure on their own upon arrival in South Africa and there is no cost for doing this. Some people may be uncomfortable in doing this on their own and there are some companies that are available for assistance in obtaining your permit. One of these companies that we recommend is Riflepermits.com. You can contact them through this link http://www.riflepermits.com There is a charge for their services and if you decide to use them, allow plenty of time before your safari in order to send them the necessary paperwork that they require.

Further information is available from the central firearm registry, South Africa Police Services; telephone number 27-12-3536057, fax number 27-12-3536041. All firearms brought into the country must be taken out with the visitor when they depart. It is illegal to leave any firearm behind.