Weapons

Rifle
Recommended calibres for hunting big game in France are: 270 Winchester, 300 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum or any other equivalent calibres. Rifles must be equipped with a scope from x6 to x9 zoom.
As weapons formalities can be demanding, France Safaris can lend you rifles equipped with scopes. A shooting range is available for the adjustment of the rifles.

Other weapons
Hunting using pistol, crossbow, military weapons, weapons with a calibre inferior to 5.6mm and automatic weapons capable of shooting more than three bullets in a row are forbidden.


It is forbidden to import weapons to France except for (allowed, see above) hunting weapons.

For hunters residing in the the European Community
Hunters can come to France to hunt with up to three weapons without any previous authorisation, as long as:

  • The hunter has a European firearm permit mentioning the concerned weapons
  • The hunter can justify that the main goal of his/her trip is hunting
  • The hunters, in possession of a hunting license, are allowed to bring three hunting weapons of the fifth category, or classified in the weapons under the declaration of the seventh category, and 100 ammunitions per weapon

For hunters residing in the French Départements d’Outre Mer (DOM)
The temporary or definitive importation of weapons and ammunitions of the fifth category coming from the DOM is unrestricted.

For hunters residing in any other countries than the European Community
The hunter can temporary import, under the custom legislation of temporary admission, two hunting weapons and up to 100 ammunitions per weapon.

For all weapons importation, an authorisation delivered by the general direction of the customs, office E2, is required.

One of our partners can take care of the formalities of weapons importation. This service is not included in our price. Please contact us for a quote.

You can also contact the French consulate in your country to complete the forms to temporary import your weapons and ammunition to France.

In any case, prior to the trip the hunter must contact the airline to know the transport regulations required during the flight. Each airline has got special requirements.