Traveling to Spain with Firearms
Spain has a strict system for firearms, but if you follow these steps, it will be a seamless process:
a. Contact the Consulate of Spain of your jurisdiction and inform them about your hunting trip in Spain. They will provide you with an application to fill-out. The contents of the application will require:
- Personal data
- Firearms’ info.
- The dates and locations of your hunt, (we will provide you this info)
- An enclose, notarized copy of your passport
- An original or notarized copy of any valid American hunting licenses (to prove you are permitted to hunt in your own country)
- Notarized photocopy of your drivers’ license.
- A copy of your flight schedule
- Self-addressed envelope.
- Money order of $50.
With the correct and completed information above, the Consulate of Spain will provide you with a certificate allowing you to travel to Spain with your firearm to use for hunting applications.
b. Once you get the certificate, please, send us a copy of it so we can begin the permitting procedures here in Spain. We will apply for your gun authorization at the Police Dept at the airport, and once they issue it, we will email you a copy that you will print twice: once copy goes inside the rifle case, and the second copy you will have it handy, to be able to show the police. Make sure you inform us about your flight schedule as well as the number of rounds of ammo you are flying with.
c. Once you land in Spain, do not expect your firearm to show-up at the baggage claim. The Police will take it directly off the plane and transfer it to their office at the airport. Once you collect your other baggage and process through immigration and customs, you will walk through the black sliding doors and if you hire the Gun Clearence Service, a Trophy Hunting Spain representative will be waiting for you.
d. From there, we will escort you to the Police Department to retrieve your firearm. When we arrive, we will present the gun premit that I emailed you, and your original passport,. After this, they will double check if the serial number on your gun matches with the number on your document, and you will be be good to go!
e. Leaving Spain: You should call your airline and make sure they know you are travelling with a firearm. Also, you need to inform us about your flight schedule as well as how many rounds of ammo you are flying with, to be able to declare it in the application. We will provide you the Police authorization for your way out of the country: make sure you print 2 copies, include one copy inside the rifle case, and keep the other one handy, to show the airline agent. Then, you will proceed to check in with your airline directly, there is no need to go through the Police Dept again. After checking your luggage, an Airline official will take your firearm and ammunition case to the plane.
Spanish law requires the Police to put a blaze colored tape around your case to show that it contains a firearm. Please note: before leaving Spain, you will need to pack you ammunition in an independent container (the metallic or plastic box you brought with you from the United States), separate from your other luggage. Spanish law prohibits ammunition to be packed with other luggage. However, this box will not count as a piece of your luggage for the airline, so you will not be required to pay for an additional piece (except if you fly through London). Please make a note of this, as some airlines forget to mention this.
VERY IMPORTANT: If you are considering using one of our firearms, you will still need to contact the Spanish Consulate and make application for the appropriate permits/certification (see points a & b).
Supressors are NOT ALLOWED in Spain, so make sure you leave them at home and rezero your rifle before you travel to Spain.
Airlines
You should be able to fly directly to Barcelona or Madrid on Delta, American, United and/or Iberian. You can also connect through any major European city such as: London, Paris, Zurich, etc.
We do not suggest flying with KLM or through Amsterdam. If you decide to do so, be sure you have acquired the appropriate permissions to travel with your firearm both ways, and that said permissions are issued to you at least 15 days prior to the flight.
Immigration, Customs & Vaccines
As of yet, no vaccines are required to travel to Spain, However, please check for up-to-date travel advisories with your State Department as well as the Spanish Consult before traveling. We also recommend having an up-to-date Tetanus shot since we will be hunting and hiking in wilderness areas.
In Spain, the Customs and Immigration officials are generally friendly and reasonable people.
No visas are required for entry into Spain for American, Mexican, Canadian, and European citizens.
We will provide a voucher in case these requirements change.
Upon your arrival, we will be waiting to greet and assist you with the firearms procedures as soon as you pass through Customs. As mentioned above, please do not expect to collect your firearms at the baggage carousel. Generally, the Police will pick it up at the plane and transfer it to the Police Department, where we will go to retrieve it after filling out a small amount of paperwork.
Weather
Being virtually surrounded by the Mediterranean and Atlantic, the weather in Spain can vary from one area to another depending upon oceanic and other conditions.
The internet and/or weather apps are the best way to stay informed about weather patterns and/or potential hazards in Spain.
We recommend www.aemet.es (Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia). In the upper right corner click on Welcome and search by location, then enter the appropriate location for our hunt as detailed on your itinerary.
About Spain
Spain (España, in Spanish) is located in Southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Spaniards are very friendly people, open to foreign visitors (the Tourism business in Spain is about 15% of the Gross Domestic Product). It’s a very safe country, and very rich in history & culture, and for being a small country (195,124 square miles), it has a big variety in landscapes, architecrture & culture, making it a great destination for hunters and their companions.
Trophy Shipment
Trophy handling is an important and delicate part of the hunt. This is why we personally prepare and oversee this process, freezing the hides and transferring them to our local taxidermist with haste.
Our seasoned taxidermists wet-tan the hides and completely clean and treat the skulls. When this process is completed (around 6 months after the hunt), we pack it (one box per hunter), and deliver it to the Customs Broker warehouse in Madrid with all the necessary paperwork (original and copies of the permits, veterinary certificate, taxidermy certificate, and your data).
Once the Broker informs us about the cost of shipment, we will send you an invoice for it. As soon as we receive the funds from you, we will initiate payment to the Customs Broker, who will then proceed to ship your box, which usually leaves the country between 1 and 2 weeks later. In total, the process usually takes around 7-8 months from the time of your kill until the animal reaches you.
In order to expedite this process, we ask that you download the enclosed form, fill it out and send it to us prior to your hunt. We also have an option for you have your trophy mounted here in Spain. The taxidermy we use is first class, clean, reasonably priced and expeditious in delivering the trophies. Please feel free to contact us for further details.
