We are hunting in Mozambique in late June and are finalizing our flights. One option is returning through France (CDG). Has anyone traveled through Charles de Gaulle with rifles? Recommendations?, pros or cons??
Thanks for your input!

I've been through CDG 4 times with rifles coming and going to CAR. No problems per se but sometimes there are questions from the gate agents that are difficult to answer to their satisfaction. Just be sure that when you check in, you have the declaration form in the box and pack your ammo separately. Recommend you get an extra declaration form here in the states when you leave that you can use on the return flight as some African airports don't have them.

Good advice! I had zero problems.

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Originally posted by Pancho:
I've been through CDG 4 times with rifles coming and going to CAR. No problems per se but sometimes there are questions from the gate agents that are difficult to answer to their satisfaction. Just be sure that when you check in, you have the declaration form in the box and pack your ammo separately. Recommend you get an extra declaration form here in the states when you leave that you can use on the return flight as some African airports don't have them.

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Originally posted by Pancho:
Recommend you get an extra declaration form here in the states when you leave that you can use on the return flight as some African airports don't have them.

Not only do they not have them they might not even know you need them. To save yourself some trouble you should insist they be completed even though clueless airport personel may not know they're required.

Expect you have checked with your airline for what it requires in the way of advance notice/approval of firearm and ammo. KLM and Air France both require advance notification and their written approval.

Regards

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KLM and Air France both require advance notification and their written approval.

And, said approval has to specify BOTH the firearm and the ammunition.

I've had no problems. Would just reiterate what everyone else has said about making sure that you have all of the proper approvals in advance.

Thank you all very much for the advice. It's great to have folks with this much experience who are willing to share it!

Not on the subject of rifles; I checked a French 1896 cavalry sabre through on Air France with no problems.

The lady at check in had some trouble with my pronunciation of sabre in French, once I corrected my pronunciation and stressed it was an antique, she made one phone call, it was approved and then she wanted to know how much one could spend on antique sabres.........the range of figures I gave her boggled her mind..........but it arrived safe and sound.

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Originally posted by Grumulkin:

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KLM and Air France both require advance notification and their written approval.

And, said approval has to specify BOTH the firearm and the ammunition.

I will second the importance of this. The only problems I have seen from transit are the fact that the authorizations sometimes only show the rifle and leave off the ammunition. The advance declaration made by the traveller is not the issue. I would have Air France/KLM give you some sort assurance that both approvals are in the system, from point of origin to destination and return. I have seen the situation where the traveller experiences no problem from the USA to Paris but on the next leg the ammo hadn't been put into the system. Problem was solved, but these things do happen.

As for the airport and customs, I've never had an issue.

Haven't flown Air France but with British Air, once I had notified them that I was traveling with a firearm and ammunition I first called back a couple of days later to confirm that the info was in my passenger record and then sent them an email asking to confirm that the info was part of the passenger record.

A response to the email normally takes a week or so but then you have something in writing from the airline that acknowledges you have informed them that you are traveling with firearms and ammo.

All that being said I had no problems with BA.

Jaglav
Good advise for any international travel with guns ,always get conformation in writing from the airlines and all correspondences with anyone you talked with . Have copies of all gun permits necessary for the country you are traveling to. Know the regulations of countries that youare transiting in rout . If you can have permits preissued andhave copies. Fill out and have unsigned permits at airport. Take orginal 4457 and several copies Use travel agent and booking agent that is thourghly familiar with the visiting countrys regulations.
Diffrance between disaster and adventure is prepairdness

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Has anyone traveled through Charles de Gaulle with rifles? Recommendations?, pros or cons??
Thanks for your input!

Historically, the French have a tendency to wave a surrender flag when confronted by foreigners with firearms.

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Originally posted by Bud Meadows:

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Has anyone traveled through Charles de Gaulle with rifles? Recommendations?, pros or cons??
Thanks for your input!

Historically, the French have a tendency to wave a surrender flag when confronted by foreigners with firearms.

Bud,

You should pray at the tomb of the Emperor Napoleon 1 at Les Invalides as penance for that comment.

I will fly through CDG in June.

After speaking to one of the travel agents at SCI there is a possibility that changes in the French firearm policies could occur due to the terrorist attack in France.

I want to restate the word possibility, not anything that is imminent. All good travel agents will keep an eye on it as should all travelers.

Just got back from Burkina last night everything went very easy in Paris on the way out and back home. I am missing one gun on the way home but they found it and it is on the way

I flew through Paris (CDG) on the way home from Zim in August. Two rifles and ammo were held up there for three days. No worries if you live near the "first point of entry" but if not it can be a hassle to get to customs for inspection and release of your property.

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Historically, the French have a tendency to wave a surrender flag when confronted by foreigners with firearms.

Bud,

You should pray at the tomb of the Emperor Napoleon 1 at Les Invalides as penance for that comment. [/QUOTE]

I've already had a beer at the tavern located near the Waterloo battle site in Belgium, where the little guy got his butt kicked by the English. I've actually been to Les Invalides, having stayed a few blocks from there the last time my wife and I were in Paris.

Good on you mate

It's a nice part of town to stay in...........