Travelling through Frankfurt with rifles?

Hi!
I hope someone here can help me. My husband and I are going to Namibia this summer to hunt, but want to break up the long flight by stopping in Frankfurt, Germany for a few days going to Namibia and then again for a few days on our way back home.

We haven't been able to find out what we need to do to legally bring two rifles into Germany. I am sure we will need to store them somewhere like a police station or a gun club, but alas, I have no idea how to find this information!

Does anyone here know how to go about this process?

Thanks in advance!

MrsBarbknecht,

Here is the link to an article that should help you through this process: Importation or Transiting Procedures Through Countries with Weapons & Ammunition and look for the section called Germany Weapon / Ammunition Transiting Procedures.


Frankfurt airport has a luggage service for passengers in transit or just wanting to lighten up the load for some time:

Terminal 1
B Concourse, Level 1 (Arrivals)
Open daily 24 hours
Phone: +49 (0) 69 - 690 70786
Between the B and C Concourses on Level 2 (Departures)
Open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Phone: +49 (0) 69 - 690 73277

Terminal 2
D Concourse, Level 2 (Arrivals)
Open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Phone: +49 (0) 69 - 690 72860


For more information go to: Frankfurt Airport | Storage

When we transited Frankfurt en route to Windhoek, I found it a pleasure to work with the Germans. There was a German form we had to fill out prior to leaving the US, we had it, and there was no problem. Our travel agent made sure we did the paperwork properly. It took about five minutes to fill out the form and another five minutes to get through the German authorities.

One thing I can say about the Germans is that they know what the rules are and they follow them. If you have the paperwork done properly, they will be fantastic.

Contrast the idiots at US Air Charlotte NC that took literally one hour to figure out how to put my weapons and ammo on the plane. The first person had no idea what the procedure was. The supervisor was clueless. It was a disgrace. They eventually decided that if I put the German transit papers in the case with my rifles, then everything would be OK. Of course, in the locked weapons case, the papers did no good for anyone. Fortunately, my genius wife had already made multiple copies of the German form in anticipation of some sort stupidity and put a copy in the case, keeping the original for use in Germany.

Sadly, from my experience, I would say that the US airlines will be your most likely source of trouble. If you can imagine trying to get your weapons registered at the Department of Motor Vehicles, you will not be far off. Bring a copy of not only the TSA regulations, but also the airlines' own regulations. While you can easily download the regulations from the airline's website, the unmotivated, undereducated, and self-important airline person will very likely be unable and/or unwilling to do so.