Permitting of trophies

At Safari Taxidermy, the export process can only begin once all the required paperwork accompanies the collected trophies. When documents are missing or incomplete, it unfortunately holds up the permit applications. Because export permits form a crucial part of our scheduling and production planning, any delay in receiving documentation can impact the overall timeline — something that lies outside of our control.

As soon as we have received every supporting document from the outfitter, and once the client has confirmed all listed species and trophy components, our team immediately proceeds with the export permit applications. These permits are submitted to the relevant authorities in the client’s destination country to ensure a smooth and compliant export process.

Required Documentation for Export Processing

To ensure a smooth and compliant export process, several important documents must accompany your trophies when they arrive at Safari Taxidermy. These form the foundation of the export permit application and are essential for meeting our timelines. Depending on the species and the province where the hunt took place, the required documents may include:

  • A completed and signed PH Register (South African Professional Hunter Register and Trophy Export Application), signed by the client, the professional hunter, and the outfitter.
  • A valid Hunting Permit for the species harvested, signed by the client.
  • A CITES Import Permit for any species listed under CITES Appendix I (when applicable).
  • A Nature Conservation Exemption Permit or CAE Certificate (Certificate of Adequate Enclosure).
  • Transfer of Hunting Rights from the landowner to the outfitter (if the hunt occurred on land not owned by the outfitter).
  • A TOPS Hunting Permit for TOPS-listed species, signed by the client (where required).

Impact of Missing Documentation

Our standard export preparation timeline is 99 days but if we do not receive all required documents together with the trophies on the day of collection, we cannot commit to our standard export preparation timeline — although we will always strive to meet it.

Our permit-issuing authorities typically require 30 working days (± six weeks) to process applications. While permits are often approved sooner, there are times when authorities use the full period or even extend beyond it. These delays are unfortunately outside our control.

Importance of Signed Originals

Recent regulatory changes require that the original hunting permit, complete with the client’s original signature, must be submitted as part of the export application.

If any permit or document is not signed correctly, it will need to be couriered to the client for signature and then returned to us before we may proceed with the application.

This creates a significant and avoidable delay, which directly impacts the overall timeline for export readiness.

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