Bringing your rifle to Africa

Every country we hunt allows visiting hunters to bring their own rifles. The paperwork is more tedious than it is difficult, and we do most of it for you.

This page is general guidance, not legal advice

Firearm and wildlife regulations change, sometimes at short notice and sometimes without much warning. Everything below reflects how things stood when this page was last reviewed, and it is intended to help you understand the shape of the process. Always confirm the current position with us and with the relevant authority before you travel, and check your own country's export and re-import rules for taking a firearm abroad. See our firearms and CITES notice.

How it works, in short

You book. We confirm dates and issue your invitation letter.
You send us documents. Passport, firearm licence or ownership proof, and the make, model, calibre and serial number of each rifle. Photographs are fine as long as the serial number is legible.
We lodge the application with the relevant authority, typically eight to twelve weeks before you fly.
You travel. Rifle in a lockable hard case, declared at check-in, ammunition in a separate lockable container, in original boxes, in checked baggage.
On arrival you go to the firearms desk, the serial numbers are checked against the paperwork, and the permit is issued. We meet you on the other side.

Country by country

South Africa

Permit: SAPS 520 temporary import permit
Lead time: Submit 8 weeks ahead
Rifles allowed: Two rifles, no two of the same calibre
Ammunition: 200 rounds per rifle
Calibre minimum: No general minimum; .375 for buffalo

The SAPS 520 can be pre-approved before travel, which we strongly recommend — doing it on arrival at O.R. Tambo can take hours. You will need a notarised copy of your passport, proof of firearm ownership and an invitation letter from us. We can also arrange a meet-and-assist agent to walk you through the firearms office.

Zimbabwe

Permit: Temporary Import Permit, issued on arrival against pre-lodged paperwork
Lead time: Submit 8–12 weeks ahead
Rifles allowed: Two rifles, no two of the same calibre
Ammunition: 100 rounds per rifle
Calibre minimum: .375 for elephant, lion and leopard

We lodge your application with the Zimbabwe Republic Police before you travel. You collect the permit at the airport firearms desk on arrival, where the serial numbers are physically checked against your paperwork. Handguns are not permitted for visiting hunters.

Mozambique

Permit: Temporary import authorisation
Lead time: Submit 10–12 weeks ahead
Rifles allowed: Two rifles
Ammunition: 100 rounds per rifle
Calibre minimum: .375 for buffalo and hippo

Mozambique paperwork takes longer than its neighbours and is less forgiving of errors, so we start earlier. Most clients transit through Johannesburg, which means clearing South African firearm formalities in transit as well. We handle both.

Flying with a rifle

Declare the firearm at check-in, never at security. It travels in a lockable hard case in checked baggage, and most airlines require the case to be genuinely lockable rather than a soft bag with a zip tie.

Ammunition travels separately from the rifle, in its original manufacturer packaging, in a lockable container, also checked. Airlines typically cap checked ammunition at five kilograms — roughly 11 lb — regardless of how many rounds that works out to, so weigh it before you pack rather than assuming a round count is fine. Do not put a single round in your hand luggage — it is the most common way hunters get themselves into genuine trouble.

Tell the airline you are travelling with a firearm when you book, not when you arrive. Some carriers require notice, some route firearms through a specific desk, and a few will not carry them at all.

Renting a rifle from us

We rent rifles, and a good number of clients use them rather than deal with the paperwork at all. It is a genuinely sensible option for older clients, for anyone who does not own something suitable for African game, and for anyone who simply does not want the hassle of flying with a firearm.

Rentals are available in the main calibres, including the heavier dangerous game rifles. You will shoot at the range on your first afternoon to get comfortable with the rifle and confirm zero before you hunt anything with it. Rental is charged separately from the daily rate — ask us for the current figure.

A word on dangerous game specifically

For buffalo, elephant, lion and leopard, our honest recommendation is that you bring your own rifle and that you have put enough rounds through it to be genuinely comfortable. Familiarity matters more on dangerous game than on anything else, and the shot that counts is usually taken quickly.

That said, we absolutely accommodate hunters who cannot. Where a client is shooting a rented rifle on dangerous game, we adjust how we hunt: more time on the range beforehand, a closer and more deliberate approach, more patience, and a willingness to sit and wait for a shot that is properly on rather than one that is merely available. It takes longer and it occasionally means walking away from an animal on the first day.

It also works. Our success rate on dangerous game stays close to 100% either way, and we would far rather spend an extra two days getting you into the right position than watch you take a marginal shot with a rifle you met on Monday.

CITES, in plain terms

CITES is the international convention that regulates cross-border trade in protected species. Several of the animals we hunt are listed under it — elephant, leopard, lion, hippo and crocodile among them — which means an export permit from the country of origin and, in many cases, an import permit for your own country.

We arrange the export side as part of your trophy shipping. The import side is your responsibility, and the rules differ by country and have changed repeatedly over the last decade. Check where your country stands before you book a CITES-listed species, not after you have taken one. More on trophy shipping and taxidermy.

We handle the paperwork

Once your safari is confirmed we send you a short document checklist and lodge the applications ourselves. You mostly just need to send us clear photographs of things.

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