Game Trophy Import Protocol – Johannesburg International

According to the Department of Veterinary Services the following measures have to be met in order to ensure that trophy shipments are imported into Johannesburg Intl., according to the Veterinary requirements of South Africa.

These requirements are clearly marked on the SA Veterinary Import Permit, which must be obtained prior to import into South Africa.  All hunters must ensure that their Outfitters and Freight Forwarders conform to the Import conditions on the Veterinary Permit.

PROTOCOL – VETERINARY IMPORT CONDITIONS :

1. All skulls must be cleaned, free of meat and fat residue and completely dry
2. All skins must be dry salted and folded properly
3. All trophies, skins and skulls are to be sealed in transparent plastic wrapping with a minimum of 180 microns in thickness

All unprocessed game trophies are subject to Irradiation at 20KGy by Isotron on arrival.

PACKING REQUIREMENTS FOR IMPORT TROPHY SHIPMENTS :

1. All packing must conform to the following sized in order to fit in the irradiation chamber at Isotron.
2. Length of the Box / Crate must not exceed 250cm
3. Width of the Box / Crate must not exceed 94cm
4. Height of the Box / Crate must not exceed 49cm

IN THE EVENT OF PACKING REQUIREMENTS NOT BEING MET :

1. All packages will be re-packed to fit in the Isotron chamber
2. These re-packing charges will be for the Hunter’s account
3. Re-packing will delay the import of the trophies which will result in demurrage charges
4. All charges due to delay because of packing requirements not being met will be for the hunter’s account.

ALL HIPPO TUSKS, MOLARS, IVORY, WARTHOG TUSKS MUST BE PACKED SEPARATELY AND MARKED ACCORDINGLY.  IRRADIATION OF THESE ITEMS WILL DISCOLOR THE TROPHIES !!!!

VETERINARY HEALTH CERTIFICATES :

1. All shipments must be accompanied by the ORIGINAL Veterinary Certificate, obtained by South African Veterinary Services and duly stamped and signed by the Sate Veterinarian of the Government by the Exporting Country, e.g. Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia etc.
2. The Veterinary Health Certificate from the country of Origin, must at ALL TIMES make reference to the Veterinary Import permit number issued by South African Veterinary Services.
3. SA Veterinary Import permits clearly states that all unprocessed trophies must enter Johannesburg International Airport as cargo on commercial flights.
4. All permits that expire prior to the Import into South Africa are invalid and the shipment can be confiscated or returned to point of Origin at the hunter’s expense.

NATURE CONSERVATION IMPORT PERMITS :

1. All Nature conservation Import permits MUST BE in place prior to Import of trophies
2. CITES Permits as well as plains game permits MUST BE VALID at the time of Import
3. If any of these are NOT in place or NOT valid, the shipment can be confiscated or returned to the country of Origin at the hunter’s expense.

CUSTOMS CLEARANCE :

1. All shipments MUST BE ACCOMPANIED by a Taxidermy or Suppliers Invoice in order to obtain Customs release upon import
2. If this requirement is NOT met, Import shipments will be subject to demurrage charges and delay’s, which will be for the hunter’s account.
3. All Taxidermy or Suppliers Invoices are to be clearly marked to the Importer of note in South Africa and must have detailed customs values for each item being imported.
4. These values are to be listed as a trophy fee only and MUST NOT include daily hunting fees, collection fees, skinning fees, accommodation, travel fees and so on.
5. VAT will be charged by SARS (South African Revenue Services) on ALL Imported shipments.
6. If VAT is charged on the Import and the shipment is sent to a South African Taxidermy for mounting, the VAT can be re-funded to the Taxidermy in South Africa upon proof of re-export on the Taxidermies annual VAT return.
7. VAT charged for Import to South Africa, which will not be re-exported cannot be refunded.

SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS :

1. Please MAKE SURE that all shipping Instructions and Import requirements are met before arranging any Import into South Africa
2. All Outfitters and Freight Forwarders MUST COMPLY to all the Import requirements before sending the shipment to South Africa in order to ensure smooth importing of your valued trophies.
3. ALLWAYS address the Airwaybill to Johannesburg International in the correct manor and ALLWAYS make sure the Freight Forwarder notifies us PRIOR to the arrival of the trophies into South Africa by sending us a copy of the Airwaybill and flight details.

HOW TO ADDRESS THE AIRWAYBILL :

1.) Freight Forwarders MUST address the Airwaybill as follows :-

Name of Hunter ……….. e.g.  Mr. John Doe
C/o Taxidermy name ……e.g. Care of : AAA Taxidermy, 12 Jones Street, Pretoria, South Africa.  TEL # 012 999 9999

NOTIFY PARTY AS :

PROFESSIONAL TROPHY EXPORTS PTY LTD
104, 4TH AVENUE
NORTHMEAD
BENONI 1500, SOUTH AFRICA
TEL # + 27 11 979 4036
FAX # +27 11 979 2810
CELL # 082 423 1955

We would like to add with our closing, that we would like to ensure safe arrival of all trophy shipments from our neighboring countries without risking any delay’s, seizures, returns, destroying of trophies or high unnecessary demurrage charges.  All of these can be eliminated by following the above steps and making sure that all parties understand and conform to the protocols stated above.

Trusting this meets all Importers well and please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned at any time should you require any additional information or assistance with this matter.

Yours Sincerely,

Ms. Roelien Vermaak
Director