A while back we were talking about exporting a rifle from the U.S. to S.A., something that I was attempting to do myself. Well, I am now finished with the process of obtaining the legal documentation to do just that. I will be exporting a 458 Lott to S.A. this summer and giving it to my PH.

The hardest part was initially contacting the right person in the U.S. Department of State to get details on the process. It is not easy to find phone numbers and it is really not easy to get someone to pick up a phone there. Mostly you get voice mail.

Step one is to download government form DSP-5. A downloader is needed for this which can be obtained from the same website as the form. Also a ten page booklet on how to fill out the DSP-5 can be downloaded at the same time.

Step two is to fill in all the info and then print out the form.

Step three is to get whom ever is going to receive the rifle in S.A. to obtain an import form from S.A. stating they can import the rifle and have them send the form to you.

Step four is to mail the DSP-5, the S.A. import document, and a letter explaining in detail why you want to export the rifle and who will receive the rifle and for what purpose to the State Department. You are actually requesting a one time exemption from regestering as an arms dealer inorder to export one rifle one time.

Step five is you wait for the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls U.S. Department of State to review your request and sent the DSP-5 form back with an approval stamp and number.

I received mine back yesterday approved. The entire process took me about three months.

Hey Muletrain,

We are currently in progress of exporting one for a PH friend of ours in Moz through SA and it's a pain but not as bad as I expected.

One thing you left out is that unless you want to pay the annual $2500 dollar fee for exporting firearms you need to ask for a one time exemption.

But, I will have to commend the people at the Department of State. They are the single most helpful and knowledgeable government agency I have ever dealt with. They went out of their way to make sure I had the right forms and they were filled out correctly.

James

Please re-read step four. I did not leave anything out.

State Department DTrade webpage.
http://www.pmddtc.state.gov/index.html

Instructions for downloading the DSP-5
The DSP-5 can be obtained from the D-Trade Information Center at (www.pmddtc.state.gov/DTRADE/index.html).

In the gray box on the right, the third grouping, D-Trade Forms and Viewer, contains the current forms and viewer. The Pure Edge Forms Viewer v6.5 will need to be installed on your computer before you can download the forms. Simply click on the link and tell the program to Run. It is best to allow it to install itself where it needs to be. Just follow the install wizard to finish. Once this program is in place, go back to the Information Center page and right click on the DSP-5 v2.3 and select Save Target As. This will allow you to save a blank copy of the form to your computer to fill in at your own pace. You will be able to submit from this copy also.

If you have any further questions, please contact the Help Desk at 202-663-2838.

Sorry,I missed it when I read through it.

Mule train,

Not sure it it aplies from the states but I was told that from the UK we can take a rifle into RSA on a temporary impport permit and sell it to a registered firearms dealer in RSA. From there the south african citizen can "buy" the riflr from the dealer in the same way they ordinarilly would.

Not sure if this is exactly true but we're looing itno it as am ate out there wants a 223 and hey may well be cheaper in the UK

FB

FB,

Whoever told you that is mistaken. I recently checked with the SA Central Firearm Register and was told that if you bring in a firearm into RSA on a temporary import, you're breaking RSA law by leaving the country without it.

On a more general note, the further steps of importing the firearm into RSA, paying relevent duties and getting the firearm onto the SA resident's firearms permit haven't been addressed........ and unfortunately it's a very loooong, complicated and expensive process.

FB - There is a very long list of things that are condisered by the U.S. Govt. to be defense products, including a rifle scope, cammo clothing, one bullet, any firearm, a fighter jet, or a surface to air missle defense system. They all fall under the same laws. To be legal you must go through the DTrade department of the State Department to export any of this stuff to a forign country.

shakari - Very true. The receiving person in S.A. must obtain a firearms permit to take possession of the rifle. Until that happens it will be stored with a firearms dealer.

There's also the import tax and VAT to consider.

Steve
I think you are right on this one.
Clayton just finsihed importing a model 70 .375 from England. The problem lies not in the foreign paperwork but in the application of the import permit in SA. His took 18 months to come through, he then brought the rifle in at which point it went to a gun dealer who is now storing it while he applies for the SA Gun License under the new laws. This also requires that he first be issued with his competency before being granted the license.
I looked at doing this with a Merkel .500 Nitro double from one of the guys on the board. We eventually gave up after 4 months of going back and forth.
Good luck
Ian

Yup, it's a bastard huh!

I was just offered a very nice (new) custom made double 500NE from an English manufacturer at an incredible (cost) price but when I looked at the time, hassle and cost of importing it into RSA it stil wasn't a viable proposition.

The only way the finances woud have worked out, would have been if they'd given me the rifle for free and I'd just paid the transport and duty and even then, the ultimate cost would have been no cheaper than buying a used double of similar cost here......... and doing it that way would have meant a hell of a lot less paperwork and related hassles.

/

Karibu Africa!