SOUTH AFRICA - CUSTOMS and IMMIGRATIONS

SOUTH AFRICA
CUSTOMS & IMMIGRATION

All visitors to South Africa are required to carry a passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the intended length of stay. There should be sufficient blank pages (a minimum of 2) 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 a 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 520 that will be discussed below.

**Arriving Johannesburg Airport**
After deplaning you will proceed to Passport Control.	Leaving Passport Control there is a sign that tells you which baggage carousel your luggage will arrive on (There are 10). Grab a cart (they are free) and retrieve your checked luggage.	If you arrive on a South African Airways flight your will arrive in Terminal A2. Your rifles will be delivered to an office in front of baggage carousel #8. You will show your baggage claim ticket for your rifle case and sign for it there. Your rifle case will then be delivered by them to the South African Police Office. Currently if you arrive on any other airline in Terminal A1 you will not have to sign for your rifle case as it will be delivered to the SAPS office.	After you sign for your rifle proceed to the Customs Green Line (nothing to declare). You will declare your rifle at the SAPS office later.
Continue down the green corridor until you find yourself on the inside of a large glassed are. You will be looking at the general meeting area on the other side of the glass. This is where you will be met by our staff.	This is a picture of the general meeting area where the staff is waiting for your arrival. You will enter this area through the doors that are on the center right of this photo.	This is the view inside Terminal A2 as you walk out of the general meeting area towards the SAPS office and the exit.. Currency exchange offices are located along the left and a shop where you can rent a cell phone is located to the right.	Currency Exchange offices
Phone rental stores	As you walk down the hall from the previous picture this is what you will see. When you pass this restaurant you will turn right to go to the South African Police office.	The entrance to the new South African Police office in Terminal A2 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:

Sign for your firearms in the area just to the right of where you walk into the baggage claim area (see picture above). After collecting your luggage you will then proceed through the Red Corridor (line) area of customs, as you must declare your firearms (even though they will not be with you at this point as they have been delivered to the South African Police Office).
Depart the customs area straight ahead and proceed out to the general meeting area (see 6th & 7th picture above). The rest of the above pictures show the route to the SAPS office.
Enter this office with all of the paperwork that is required and tell them that you are going to be hunting and you need to claim your firearms and obtain a temporary firearm import permit.
You need to show proof that the rifle belongs to you. The U.S. customs registration Form 4457 you obtained prior to departure can be used for this. Completion of Form SAP 520 will then take place. This form details your address, rifle make, type and serial numbers as well as the amount of ammunition imported.

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 your Temporary Import Permit 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".

Picture in SAPS office

Cruiser 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 VIP MEET AND ASSIST. You can contact them through this link http://www.vipgunpermits.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.