South Africa Hunting Info

Many outfitters in South Africa have gun rental available. These are generally very good firearms and allows you to avoid the hassle of importing your own firearm. Renting a gun also allows you to easily travel around South Africa or other countries if you are doing any before or after hunt touring.

However, if you are planning on bringing a firearm(s) with you to South Africa, you will need to have the following documentation with you.

1. You will need to complete the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) form 4457 (Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad) at a CBP office, usually located at an airport. An officer will verify the serial number, make, and model before signing and stamping the form. Keep this form with you when travelling because you must present this original signed document to re-import the firearm without hassle when you return.
   • Review the requirements for Transporting Firearms and Ammunition from the TSA. This gives you information about the case, locks, and ammunition allowed.
2. For import into South Africa, you must complete SAPS Form 520 in black ink, but leave it unsigned until you are in front of a police official at the airport. You must have the following documents with your SAPS Form 520:
   • A clear, notarized copy of your passport’s photograph and signature pages. Get this notarized before leaving the US.
   • US CBP Form 4457
   • An official Letter of Invitation from your South African outfitter or Professional Hunter (PH) detailing the dates of the hunt, species being hunted, area of the hunt, and confirming the specific firearms are for hunting purposes.

There are service providers in South Africa that you can hire to help you through this process. The agents generally work with you to get all your paperwork prepared before your arrival, meet you at the airport, and accompany you to the SAPS office to retrieve your firearm(s). They typically run $150-200 per hunter. We can recommend an agent to you if you are interested.

I have used this service in the past, and it was invaluable when my firearms did not arrive in South Africa. He worked with the airlines to find my firearms and kept me updated until they arrived at the SAPS office. My outfitter was two hours outside of Johannesburg, so I wound up renting a rifle for the first couple days of my hunt. Once my firearms arrived in South Africa, I had to personally claim them. Instead of missing hunting time to travel back to Johannesburg to get my rifles, I opted to continue using the outfitter’s rifle, which I really liked. The service met me at the airport when I was going home, took me to the SAPS office and helped me obtain my rifles. He really made it very easy for me to focus on enjoying my hunt, while he handled all the details of finding and retrieving my firearms.