Import of Firearms into Namibia

[Dr Ray]

What are you paying fees for??

Government revenue that's what.

 

[geoff rath]

.... and control... thank your lucky stars you're not living in the "Land Down Under". Some here (media? and greenies/antigunners) love to point the finger at us, regardless of how law abiding we may be..... Only recently have the "modern" returned veterans been given much recognition....

 

[GuttormG]

Jaha, again; what fee are you paying for the SAPS520-permit?

The permit is issued free of charge; https://www.saps.gov.za/services/flash/firearms/importation.php

 

[Therack]

Paying for a permit agent to handle the pre approved permit and meet and greet service. Does a meet and greet service and permit agents even exist in Namibia? I haven't heard of it.

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Phillip is correct, the RSA paperwork is a joke. In addition to everything he mentioned I also had to take a day off of work (unpaid) to get a new form 4457 with an updated stamp, that the SAPS now requires. With all the SAPS fees, permit service fees and unpaid time from work, fuel to drive 8 hours to get the new 4457 I will spend nearly $1000.00 for my RSA gun permits. You say the SAPS system "is a breeze if done correctly", the problem is that it is very time consuming and expensive.

With all due respect Tally-Ho, spend your time lobbying to make the system better in RSA instead of telling hunters they are wrong and the system is so great.

Fees????
There are no fees???
Im just telling the truth
I bring about 20 clients from europe through o r tambo
Never had an issue with SAPS
Never paid a fee????

Regards

 

[BRICKBURN]

Fees????
....

I think he is referencing pre-arranged permits through a private service. They charge a fee.

The time and PIA to meet the current SAPS demand for a 4457 is universal for my US compatriots.
Bureaucracy at its best.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Paying for a permit agent to handle the pre approved permit and meet and greet service. Does a meet and greet service and permit agents even exist in Namibia? I haven't heard of it.

I have never heard of one. How would the guy make money?

• Hunters won't be transiting to fly onward, no rush required and thus no panic.
• It's a small airport.
• Line up? What line up
• The form is ONE page in English.

 

[BRICKBURN]

What are you paying fees for??

The fees anyone is paying is for a private service that processes your rifle permit for you.

THERE ARE NO GOVERNMENT FEES in RSA or Namibia.
There are other countries that charge a fee for permits and taxes on ammunition.

 

[Therack]

Thanks Brickburn for the clarification.
Tally-Ho your right, I don't pay a fee to SAPS, I paid (or lost) $1000.00 obtaining my most recent SAPS 520. You are correct in that picking up clients at the airport and checking a serial number on a gun is easy, that's the only part of the process that you see. What you don't see is the 10 hours I had to spend in obtaining the right paperwork to get to that point.

1. Notarized copy of my passport. (Because the passport itself isn't good enough)
That's a trip somewhere to obtain.
2. Updated form 4457. SAPS now requires me to get a new one for every trip. 8 hours of driving to a customs office, unpaid vacation day and fuel. $900 lost
3. Letter of invitation from my PH
4. Prepaid SAPS 520 and meet and greet service. $100
5. Compile all documents then copy/scan or fax back to Africa.

The whole process is 10 hours of my time and $1000 lost, I consider that a "fee".
That's one less animal a client will shoot at Tally-Ho Safaris.
The point of this thread was to show that Namibia has streamlined all of this into a one page document. Go Namibia!!!

 

[Hank2211]

Fees????
There are no fees???
Im just telling the truth
I bring about 20 clients from europe through o r tambo
Never had an issue with SAPS
Never paid a fee????

Regards

I am glad you've never had an issue with SAPS. I've had a few issues - once, the ammo was lost, and that took a long time, and on three other occasions, the serial number on the permit was off by one number. Not impossible that it's a mistake, but when they look at you and say, "we have a problem", I've always solved it by "encouraging" the officer to fix it. And when I do that, the others all come out and ask for some "encouragement" as well. So on about 8 visits to the Firearms Office, it's gone smoothly about 50% of the time. But that's just my experience.

As someone said, about the only thing that can go wrong in Namibia is the time it takes to find the policeman, but this isn't a big airport, so the problem, if it arises, is usually quickly solved. Form is one page, can be filled out in whatever colour ink you happen to have on you, and doesn't require any other paperwork. What's not to like?

 

[GuttormG]

Amazing..

 

[geoff rath]

Ok, I'm convinced; Kowas are emailing me again..... It's gonna happen...

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Thanks Brickburn for the clarification.
Tally-Ho your right, I don't pay a fee to SAPS, I paid (or lost) $1000.00 obtaining my most recent SAPS 520. You are correct in that picking up clients at the airport and checking a serial number on a gun is easy, that's the only part of the process that you see. What you don't see is the 10 hours I had to spend in obtaining the right paperwork to get to that point.

1. Notarized copy of my passport. (Because the passport itself isn't good enough)
That's a trip somewhere to obtain.
2. Updated form 4457. SAPS now requires me to get a new one for every trip. 8 hours of driving to a customs office, unpaid vacation day and fuel. $900 lost
3. Letter of invitation from my PH
4. Prepaid SAPS 520 and meet and greet service. $100
5. Compile all documents then copy/scan or fax back to Africa.

The whole process is 10 hours of my time and $1000 lost, I consider that a "fee".
That's one less animal a client will shoot at Tally-Ho Safaris.
The point of this thread was to show that Namibia has streamlined all of this into a one page document. Go Namibia!!!

Hi there

agreed it may be simpler in Namibia, only quicker if there is no other people to get weapons
i have been there once with weapons, and out of 3 of us 1 weapon was lost it turned up about 4 hours later
there were about ten guys to get weapons so we waited at least 45 mins to get our weapons
so my experience wasnt that good
in South Africa i have never needed a notarized copy of passport, they usually make the copy right there, they are the police so they can notarise it
never once encouraged anyone there either with coffee or cash
i dont believe the $100 fee is worth it, at best it saves you 25-30 mins???
the SAPS 520 is not such a big deal, yes its 8 pages, but you only have certain parts of the 8 pages to fill in
the letter from outfitter is standard in most countries

the big problem is that different countries have different systems and if we want to hunt with our own weapons we have to comply

regards

 

[postoak]

My experience in Namibia wasn't as carefree as some. I was the only one on the plane with a firearm and when I went to the police office to pick it up, there was no one there! I had to wait about 15 minutes for someone to come. Then I had to fill out a form and go through the rigmarole of opening my case and having the serial number checked, etc. It probably took 45 minutes.

Flying in to Tambo from the U.S. I had done the pre-aproval through Afton House and we picked up my rifle pretty quickly so it was worth the money.

 

[GuttormG]

I find it kind of funny; US guys seeing it as a hassle to fill in an easy form, show a serial number and wait a bit.

Try going to US as visitor for business..... Or even worse, getting a stupid US visa allowing one to go from a seaport to an international airport.
Or better do not; I just flat out refuse to do that anymore.

 

[geoff rath]

Or, as I'm doing, importing a rifle from the US to Australia. (SCI Ruger No 1); two lots of paperwork and four months if I'm lucky. That doesn't include getting it on my license through my State Police weapons licensing branch.
It involves utilising a bloke who specialises in the business. Final cost? Double what I paid for it. Worth it? You betcha!!

 

[gebo824]

I just sent the forms off for my Buffalo/Hippo/Elephant hunt in September. I'll report back on how the process goes.

Did you get a response in short order that your paperwork was received? Today's the 1st & I fly out the 10th, arriving in Windhoek the 11th. I'm wondering if I even have time now for this to work or if I should even bother. My outfitter said don't bother, it's easy. My only concern is that I arrive in the evening about 8:25pm & wondering if anyone will be there to do the paperwork. I stay in a guesthouse that evening & have a ride arranged, but not by the PH who won't come get me until the next morning. Anyone else arrive in the evening & had issues or not???

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I haven't heard anything yet.

 

[cagkt3]

I find it kind of funny; US guys seeing it as a hassle to fill in an easy form, show a serial number and wait a bit.

Try going to US as visitor for business..... Or even worse, getting a stupid US visa allowing one to go from a seaport to an international airport.
Or better do not; I just flat out refuse to do that anymore.

I find it funny that you find it funny . It's all about perspective, isn't it? To get the visa I'm assuming you have to fill out a form, pay a fee, and wait for a bit. Isn't that what some have said is a hassle in RSA? Not being smart, just think everything is about perspective. In case you didn't know, to get a US 4457 form you actually have to go to a US Customs office - easy for some who live close to a large airport, but a long a$$ drive for others. Plus as gebo824 said, I will also arrive somewhat later in the evening to a foreign country I've never been to with firearms - so I'd rather pay a little bit to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Regardless, I'm sure we all agree Namibia is making it much easier for hunters which is fantastic!

 

[Graham Hunter]

1st time SA 1HR and 50 bucks and cigarettes. Return 5 mins. 2nd time Zimbabwe 100 bucks with a nod to the border agent. Return 5 mins. 3rd time SA pre approved PHSA papers 5 mins return 5 mins. ARGENTINA 6 TIMES anywhere from half hour to 1.5 hours with pre approved papers. Permits went from 50 to 150.