I hear there are much the same requirements as AMS.

I may be faced with going thru Germany on my trip in 2007. Could someone in the know post some details about the gun process and links.

I'm goint Houston-Frankfurt-Windhoek this May. My rifles are checked through to Windhoek, so I won't have to do anything in Frankfurt except enjoy the 11 hour layover.

Terry, get ahold of Matt Norman. I am pretty sure he knows the drill for that route. I think he is doing that route to Namibia this year and spending some time in Germany before going to Gauss Hunting again.

Last year I flew JFK to Frankfurt, had a 12 hour layover and then a flight to JNB. I had no problem checking my firearms and leaving it with Lufthansa for my flight to JNB. I cleared customs, got a cab, went to a hotel, took a shower, a nap in a bed, had a good meal and some beer, and 12 hours later was on my flight. Gun arrived in JNB no problem.

Terry: I went through Frankfurt on my way home right after 9/11. Pretty funny now that I look at it, but the German polizei was more interested in what kind of guns I was using and what animals I shot than in giving me the red ass. You know them though, they had to ask "ver are yur papers!" and all I showed them was my US Customs form and they said "danke herr Kapitain!" and were happy. I even carted them all over the airport like regular luggage with no problems. jorge

Checking your guns through has never been a problem. I guess I was thinking about Matt and was thinking you were asking about staying in Germany a couple days. All the guys I know from Namibia reccomend that route.

I went through FRA in May 05 with no problems.

Flew in on Air Canada, had a 10 hour layover, and connected to JNB on SAA. My luggage and firearms were checked all the way through.

No permits or special permissions were required at the time. I haven't heard if anything has changed.

I found out on arrival at camp in RSA that the German Gestapo had inspected my checked baggage to look at the ammunition. I was carrying my ammo in plastic boxes inside a locked metal cashbox, inside my locked hardsided Samsonite suitcase. Somehow they had neatly picked their way into my suitcase and the cashbox. I had no idea they were in there until I found the inspection slip inside the cashbox. I was very impressed! Every other time my luggage has been inspected, all the contents were thrown back inside the suitcase in an unorganized heap. These guys put it all back just as they found it!

Cheers,
Canuck

I've been thru Frankfurt a couple times, latest being 2002. I encountered no problems and everybody was quite professional. It's a nice airport with a little city underneath it. Wife and I bought makings for lunch in a nice grocery store found there and ate a memorable lunch along with some first rate beer (of course!) The train station under the place is really something and it took us about 20 minutes to organize a nice city tour. They had a "short-term storage" area in a lower level where I stowed my firearm case while going out on the town.

I like the direct flights to Frankfurt then the overnight flight directly to Windhoek. Doing away with the Jo'burg experience suits me just fine.

Be careful of flights to Frankfurt that go through Amsterdam. There seems to be a high instance of hunter's guns/luggage coming up missing/damaged in Amsterdam, (European capital of Greenies?) Gun cases in particular seem to have a lot of accidents there.

My next trip to Africa (Namibia) will be by way of Frankfurt. My wife is from Germany and we plan to spend a couple days there. But, I've made the (hard) decision not to travel with firearms. My contacts in Namibia have first rate rifles for us to use and I've opted to take the easy way out. I must admit I've tired dealing with dip-shit "officials" at the airports and dragging gun cases around the airports for a couple hours.

Not traveling with guns will simplify things by about a factor of ten and in the whole will make for a more enjoyable trip.

The next time I travel on business I think I will put some moderately delicate, but older and innexpensive medical equipment in a gun case. They have no clue what that stuff is worth. It will be fun going into a tirade over a destroyed "cancer chemotherapy infusion unit." I bet they write the check on the spot.
He, he, he.