4457 Update

[Areaonereal]

Any new ruling or enforcement of the issue date (within 6 m0nths?) of travel and any enforcement on the expiration dates on the 4457. Not sure why that date of expiration and issue dates are so important to SA, since the 4457 is for US Customs proof of ownership prior to daepartue and return to the US.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Cause it's Africa and someone saw the word expiration/expired and wanted to flex some reading skills.

Like Customs officers anywhere, it's a lottery whom you get to deal with when you arrive.

 

[Areaonereal]

Been there 4 times, truly understand the flexing the reading skills comment. just too much overload of information subject to interpretation. Local customs office does not understand the importance of the expiration date to anyone in SA, nor why it must be reissued every year to satisfy SAPS, when it is for use and proof to US Customs only.

 

[rookhawk]

Hypothetically, you could remove the writing on the edge that has the OMB expiration on it to avoid customs issues all over the world that think that expiration invalidates the form?

Hypothetically of course.

Or you can try to explain that expiration means nothing and the US uses expired forms all the time, including the ones presently available.

 

[Areaonereal]

Think I will pass on the expired means nothing explanation. Just curious as to what was being enforced in any recent activity that anyone has had.

 

[rookhawk]

I would think any form that Customs in US chooses to sign and stamp is great.

I think modifying or cropping any form after being signed would be a very, very bad decision in general, hypothetically.

 

[Red Leg]

Hypothetically, you could remove the writing on the edge that has the OMB expiration on it to avoid customs issues all over the world that think that expiration invalidates the form?

Hypothetically of course.

Or you can try to explain that expiration means nothing and the US uses expired forms all the time, including the ones presently available.

And carry a couple of twenties in your pocket.

 

[BRICKBURN]

And carry a couple of twenties in your pocket.

Picking up the lost money on the floor!
I have never lost a twenty myself, but you guys carrying too many in your pockets had better be careful about inflation for the rest of us.

 

[rookhawk]

They are getting wise to this. They now know how much they can put your ass in a sling. I thought $5s and $20s would do.

A PH and local native had to pay a gigantic sum to release my rifles because they knew they had us by the balls. If a seasoned, internationally recognized PH that speaks the local language and knows the area has to pay a giant gratuity, you know it's bad.

 

[Mekaniks]

Last year when I got my 4457 the first thing I did was down load the blank for from the CBP web site and it had an expiration date on it. After hearing some of the stories on AH I decided not to use that form and just ask about the date when I got to CBP office with my gun. Turns out that the form they used in the CBP office did not have an expiration date on it.

 

[lwaters]

They were telling me onetime at Tambo my rifle may not make the next flight to Namibia. I just said they could just keep it. I am glad on this trip I am not taking one. It would suck to have to deal with it while touring Cape Town.

 

[Divernhunter]

We toured Cape Town and around it with our rifles without any problems. The hotel locked them up for us.

 

[lwaters]

The last time I was there I had my rifle permit but guess what they closed the police station in Richards Bay so Liam had to pick me up in Durbin. I found out though if you wear old clothes and leave your teeth out they don't expect to much.

 

[Buckdog]

I dropped a couple of $20s in the "lost and found" hand, oh I meant bin, on my way home and it helped see that my guns were not "lost in JNB and found there way home to ATL" just fine

 

[IdaRam]

Went to Customs and Border Protection office today for some 4457's. As seems to be the norm for C&BP the officer on duty was a really good guy. Complimented me on my guns, a .375 H&H and a .44 Mag revolver, and wished me good luck on my upcoming trip. He seemed pretty up to speed on recent "issues" with 4457 in some African countries and commented that he didn't know why they even put an expiration date on them because they don't expire. He did stamp an issue date on both of them and mentioned that he had heard of people having problems if they didn't have the newest form with an issue date.

 

[Philip Glass]

Good news!

 

[Tanks]

Yep, no date now. For my Argentina hunt I was going to take a shotgun. While at CBP office I will take a bunch of rifles that had the old forms with the date and update them all.

 

[JimP]

You better call ahead to see what forums they are using if you play on using their forms.

I doubt that they will just throw away all the old forms that have the date on them.

It is still better to just download the new form without the date and take it in.

 

[Tanks]

I always download the form and type in the information and then take it in.

 

[JimP]

I always download the form and type in the information and then take it in.

I have a customs office withing 4 miles of me that will not accept that copy or you typing in the information. The first time I went into them they took the form that I had typed the information into and verified the serial numbers, they then went into their office and hand wrote that information onto a official 4457.

The office that I used 10 months ago that was 140 miles away accepted the pre filled out form.