There are some considerations specific to exporting to the USA – these do not apply for Europe.
- This only applies to non-antiques.
- Always confirm that what you want to send there is importable – the ATF in the US limits what can be imported quite harshly (imports@atf.gov) Most semi-automatic rifles and shotguns with any tactical features cannot be imported which means most prohibited rifles. Same for Chinese or Russian made guns or small handguns.
- Firearms imported for resale must be engraved with the name and address of the importer. The location of the engraving must be visible without disassembling the gun. Engraving decreases the value of the gun
- Firearms imported for personal use do not have to be engraved. So if you are also a US resident or have family or friends or even a buyer you found already you want to send your guns to, you can avoid this.
- For a personal type import any FFL can apply for a Form 6 permanent import on the end-user’s behalf
- For C&R eligible firearms a C&R license holder can apply himself.
- Once the form 6 is approved, you _yourself_ can apply for an export permit – this is free if you do it yourself (or we can help)
- If your counterpart wants to receive the firearms rather than have an employee of the FFL do it they should get a letter from the FFL authorizing them to act on their behalf.
- There are many different ways you can go through the actual export process. The paperwork part is the easiest, it’s the logistics that are complicated.
- Apply for and receive an ATT to a border crossing, transport there yourself and meet your counterpart. They will be submitting the import paperwork to US customs and paying the duties. then they transport to their FFL for final processing. This is the cheapest way.
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The firearms can be shipped air cargo to the nearest airport for the recipient. Same deal as above – customs will process the paperwork but there will be an additional cost for the flight and a terminal fee collected. Not all airlines accept firearms for shipping from individuals, but we can take care of that part.
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There’s also an option to ship to a broker who will clear and forward the rest of the way to the FFL with UPS but costs go up significantly – this only becomes worthwhile for larger collections with high value.
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If you do not care about the engraving on your firearms we can refer you to a different importer who will take care of the entire process for a single fee/percentage of value
- You may want to consider selling your firearms (especially if not admissible to the US) to a European dealer for a fixed payout
- You may want to consider selling your firearms to a Canadian business (ranges will buy handguns for rental use, others may buy something rare and collectible for their reference collections and museums). This is where you are likely to generate the highest payout if there is interest in your particular model as there would be no export or import expenses for both sides of the deal.Feel free to contact us with your questions!
