Firearms, trophy import and CITES
An important notice about what we can and cannot tell you, and where responsibility sits. Last reviewed September 2026.
Read this before you book a CITES-listed species
If you are planning to hunt elephant, lion, leopard, hippo or crocodile, confirm your own country's import position before you commit to the hunt. Rules have changed repeatedly over the last decade and a permit that was routine three years ago may not be obtainable today. This is the single most common avoidable problem in African hunting.
This is general information, not legal advice
Everything we publish about firearm import, trophy export, CITES and related regulation is general guidance, offered in good faith and based on over thirty-five years of doing this. It is not legal advice, it is not a professional opinion, and it is not a guarantee that any particular permit will be issued.
We are hunting outfitters. We are not lawyers, customs brokers or government officials, and we cannot bind any authority to a decision.
Regulations change, and not always with notice
Firearm import rules, calibre minimums, ammunition allowances, hunting quotas, species listings and trophy import restrictions are all set by governments and can change at short notice. They have changed significantly in several of our countries within the last five years.
Anything you read on this website reflects the position as we understood it when the page was last reviewed. Before you travel, confirm the current position with us and, where it matters to you, with the relevant authority directly.
Where responsibility sits
What we do
- Lodge your firearm import application in the country you are hunting
- Issue the invitation letters and supporting documentation you need
- Arrange your hunting licence and, where applicable, quota allocation
- Obtain CITES export permits and veterinary documentation for your trophies
- Introduce you to dip-and-pack facilities and shipping agents we trust
- Tell you honestly where we believe things stand at the time you ask
What remains yours
- Import into your own country. Your national import rules, permits and prohibitions are your responsibility to satisfy. We cannot obtain a US, EU, UK or other import permit on your behalf.
- Export from your own country. Some countries require paperwork to take a firearm abroad and re-import it. Check before you fly.
- Visas and passport validity. Requirements depend on your passport and we cannot advise authoritatively on it.
- Insurance. Cover that explicitly includes hunting and medical evacuation.
- Health precautions. Malaria prophylaxis, vaccinations and any personal medical requirements, on the advice of a qualified travel clinic.
Confirm the specifics with your PH before travel
Details differ between countries, between concessions within a country, and sometimes between seasons — calibre minimums, what you may bring, what clothing is restricted, and what happens on arrival. Before you travel, go through the specifics with your professional hunter or with us directly. A short conversation four weeks out prevents almost every problem that arises at an airport.
Permits are not guaranteed
We submit applications correctly and on time, and the overwhelming majority are granted without incident. But issuing authorities exercise discretion, and no outfitter can guarantee that a permit will be issued or that it will be issued in time. Where a delay or refusal is outside our control, the terms of your written safari agreement govern what happens next.
No liability for regulatory outcomes
To the extent permitted by law, Nhoro Safaris accepts no liability for loss arising from changes in law or regulation, from refusal or delay of any permit by an authority, from confiscation of a firearm or trophy by a customs authority, or from your inability to import a trophy into your own country. Nothing here limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Ask us
None of this is meant to be discouraging. In practice the process works smoothly for the great majority of our clients, precisely because it is started early and taken seriously. If anything here worries you, raise it with us before you book rather than after.
nhorosafaris@aol.com · +1 215 219 0267
See also: rifle and firearm permits by country, trophy shipping and taxidermy, and our terms of use.