Everything you need to leave your footprints in Africa
To enable you to start the firearm import process you will need a “LETTER OF INVITATION”. Once you have completed the “letter of invitation” the necessary steps will be taken to help you with the process.
We make use of clearing agents to assist with the import process. TAKE NOTE that the different clearing agents all work on a “CLEARING FEE” that is payable once all the necessary documentation has been received by the agents. In ZAMBIA ammunition to the value of $1 000.00 is free and $4,00 per round thereafter.
SEE BELOW A LIST OF THE DOCUMENTS NEEDED TO SEND TO THE CLEARING AGENTS.
SOUTH AFRICA:
ZAMBIA:
ZAMBIA:
Please visit the Embassy’s COVID-19 page for more information on COVID-19 in Zambia.
A passport is required to enter Zambia. Passports must be valid for at least six months upon arrival and have at least three blank pages upon each entry. U.S and Mexican passport holders should apply for a visa prior to travelling or may apply upon arrival in Zambia. Clients are advised to obtain a visa prior to traveling to ensure a seamless entry.
Follow the link to apply for a visa: https://www.bestholidaysadvisor.com/travel/plan.php?dest=zambia
You must carry the original or a certified copy of your passport and immigration permit at all times. Certified copies must be obtained from the office that issued the permit. If your passport is lost or stolen, visit the Zambian Department of Immigration to obtain a replacement entry permit before attempting to depart the country.
Departure Tax/Security Charge: U.S. citizens must pay an airport departure tax in local currency. This tax is included in the cost of international flight tickets. For domestic flights, passengers pay a nominal charge in Zambian kwacha prior to entering the departure hall, only for chartered flights
COVID-19 Requirements:
Currently, fully vaccinated passengers arriving in Zambia are exempt from pre-departure COVID-19 testing certification requirements. Passengers must provide proof of a valid vaccination record, i.e. certification of a completed programme of approved vaccination. Passengers will be required to complete a health declaration form upon arrival and will be subject to screening and temperature checks at point of entry.
Arrivals who are not fully vaccinated will need to present a certificate demonstrating a negative COVID-19 PCR test for a sample collected within 72 hours before departure. Tests must be issued by a designated and accredited laboratory in the country of origin. Failure to present such a certificate may result in passengers being denied boarding by the airline or refused immigration clearance in Zambia.
In case of a positive result, self-quarantine at the passenger’s cost will be mandatory in accordance with local health guidelines.
Children under 12 years of age are exempt and will not need to produce a negative COVID-19 test on arrival.
Although malaria has mostly been eradicated in most parts of South Africa, please be aware of the malaria belt. This extends from Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia and some parts of South Africa. Please speak to your general practitioner, and advise him of your travel arrangements before departing on your trip for the necessary precautions to avoid contracting malaria on your trip.
SOUTH AFRICA:
If you want to visit South Africa, you must produce a valid visa before you can enter into the country. A visa will be issued for tourism or business purposes and is valid for a period of 90 days.
Some countries are exempted from visa control, which means that citizens from those countries do not need a visa to visit South Africa.
Visas are not issued at South African ports of entry. If you arrive without a visa, immigration officials are obliged to put you onto a flight back to your home country.
Depending on your intended visit, you can apply for a Visitor’s Visa or a Transit Visa.
Follow the link to see what countries are exempt from visas: http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/immigration-services/exempt-countries
The South African Government announced on June 22, 2022, that the remaining COVID-19 regulations have been repealed. Travelers entering South Africa are no longer required to produce vaccination certificates or recent negative PCR tests.
Below is a list of what we recommend you pack.
We strongly advise that you bring all your specific medication and personal toiletries with from your home country.
Your specific medication might not be available in Africa. If you have any medication that is only available on prescription please arrange that your doctor provide you with all the necessary prescriptions and accompanying documentation to able you to acquire your medication in an African pharmacy. Zambia is tsetse fly country, DEET is one of the few insect repellent that keeps tsetse flies under control, please NOTE that DEET is not available in Africa so we suggest you bring some with you.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU PACK NEUTRAL COLOUR HUNTING CLOTHES (PREFERABLY KHAKI OR DARK GREEN NOT BLUE AS IT ATTRACTS TSETSE FLIES).
* June – August we usually hunt in long pants.
* Laundry is done every other day.
FIELD PREP: Every animal hunted is skinned or caped at the skinning shed. Once the animal is skinned to your specific instructions the cape, scull and horns get tagged with the necessary information required. The tagged trophies are submerged in a saltwater and antibacterial solution for 2 hours before salted and laid out on a salt covered floor. When the capes are cured they are hanged over wooden poles to dry out and then folded. Once dried and folded the capes and the sculls are treated with an insecticide and stored in a rat-proof room.
DROP OFF: Trophies are collected from the hunting area after the safari or dropped off at the taxidermy or shipping agent. All items are tagged with a client specific tag number.
DOCUMENTATION: All hunting documentation will be submitted to the shipping company of choice prior to the pack date for permit applications and verification. All relevant CITES permit applications will also be done at this time.
TAXIDERMY PROCESS: Dip and Ship: All dip and pack items will go into the dipping process upon arrival – sculls and skins are treated according to veterinary specifications before being shipped.
PLEASE NOTE – that all items must remain in South Africa for 3 months for quarantine purposes. All trophies hunted in Zambia will be dropped of at the taxidermy twice a year
PROCESS TIME: Time to shipping approx. 6 – 12 months from date of deposit received.
TROPHY MOUNTS: All mounts and skins go into the process queue as soon as final mounting instructions and deposit is received. Please note that all special requests for mounts needs to be made at this time. Timeline till crating: Approx. 12 – 18 months from date of deposit received.
SHIPPING: Shipping is via air freight, with ocean freight options available to some destinations. All trophies are crated on site by the shipper as soon as all mounting, tanning and preparation has been completed. From here the relevant shipping company handles all aspects of the export including clearances up to the destination port.
It is recommended that a shipping broker be appointed to assist with customs clearance at destination port of entry. Details of recommended brokers are available from the shipping company and are country specific.
CITES is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
Because the trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. CITES was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation. Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs.
CITES is an international agreement to which countries adhere voluntarily. Countries that have agreed to be bound by the Convention (‘joined’ CITES) are known as Parties. Although CITES is legally binding on the parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws. Rather, it provides a framework to be respected by each party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at national level.
How CITES work:
Below is a list of the most common mammals and reptiles as listed in the CITES Appendixes with regards to the hunting industry in Southern Africa. Should you want to hunt ANY of the mentioned species, you will need a Special Hunting Permit for each of the species listed below. We will take out the Hunting Permit PRIOR to you hunting the animal.
This permit needs to have the following details listed: Hunter’s name, hunter’s full physical address (NO POSTAL ADDRESSES), hunting area where activity will take place, period when the activity will take place (usually valid for one month).
The original hunting permit must be signed by the hunter before leaving South Africa. Should this permit not be signed by the specified hunter, the export permit will not be issued. Please make sure all your details; spelling of name, spelling of address, name of town, etc. are correctly captured on this permit. Should this information differ in any way from other documentation, an investigation will be conducted into your hunting safari. This might delay your consignment by anything up to six months!
CITES Appendix I:
Leopard, Black Rhinoceros (no export to USA except with special pre-arranged permit), Black-footed Cat, Cheetah (no export to USA), Ground Pangolin and Scimitar-Horned Oryx.
The client must first apply for a CITES IMPORT Permit from his local authority. This permit can be obtained AFTER the safari upon return to his / her home country. On receipt of the IMPORT Permit, a copy should be forwarded to a taxidermy before application for the CITES EXPORT Permit. Upon receipt of the IMPORT Permit, the taxidermy can apply for an EXPORT Permit. The EXPORT Permit will NOT be issued without a copy of the IMPORT Permit.
EUROPEAN UNION CHANGES: The European Commission has finalized new importation rules for Lion, Elephant and Hippopotamus, which came into effect on 5 February 2015. According to these rules, the client (or his / her clearing agent) must apply for an Import Permit before the consignment may be released for shipping. This basically move the mentioned species up from Appendix II to Appendix I.
CITES Appendix II:
Hippopotamus (except for EU Countries where it is listed under Appendix I), Elephant (except for EU Countries where it is listed under Appendix I), Lion (except for EU Countries where it is listed under Appendix I), Crocodile, Bontebok (except for USA where it is listed under Appendix I), Caracal, Hartmann Zebra, Cape Mountain Zebra (no export to USA), White Rhinoceros, all Monkeys, all Baboons, Blue Duiker, African Wild Cat, Red Lechwe, Giraffe, Serval.
With CITES App. II listed species, the permit application procedure is just the other way round than the CITES App. I species. With App. II species the taxidermy apply directly for the CITES EXPORT Permit. The consignment will then be exported after which the CITES IMPORT Permit will be issued upon arrival of the consignment in your home country.
22 Arend Ave, Thabazimbi, South Africa
tomjr@tomdreyersafaris.com tom@tomdreyersafaris.com
+27 66 097 6023
+27 82 7744 302
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