Traveling with a Handgun to South Africa

Any Advice on getting a handgun into SA? I would like to take my .460 S&W with me when I go in May.

Handguns are allowed for hunting purposes in some provinces of South Africa, check with your hunting outfitter if permitted where you will be hunting.

Any hunter wanting to bring in a handgun in this regard must submit a letter of intent with their SAPS 520 Form stating the handgun will be used only for hunting purposes. Hunter also needs to produce a letter from a registered association of his/her country of origin, stating that he/she is a registered member of the association and that the handgun will be used exclusively for hunting purposes. The application has to be submitted to the Central Firearms Control Register before arriving in South Africa as it needs to be pre-approved. Your application must be logged by the Central Firearms Control Register at least 21 days prior to your arrival in South Africa to enable the South African Police Service sufficient time to process the application and to submit the permit to the applicant to an address outside the borders of the Republic of South Africa.

The issuing of the SAPS 520 is a free service and the South African Police Service in an effort to control bribery asks hunters NOT to pay anybody involved in handling firearms from the time of arrival in South Africa right through until you receive your firearms and permit from the SAPS. Please note however that there may be a handling fee charged by airlines and/or security companies for the handling of handguns, and some airlines have started charging a handling fee for all firearms. We suggest checking with your airline with regard to any official fees that may be required.

Please make sure to not only look at the procedures for importation into the country in Africa where you will be hunting but it is also very important to look at the countries that you may be transiting through as they have their own laws, regulations and procedures that you will have to adhere to.

For further information check out: Importation or Transiting Procedures Through Countries with Weapons & Ammunition

Tom, buy a very large bottle of Tylenol to help control your headache!