 HuntingReport.com |
All airline passengers transiting through the Netherlands with firearms must obtain a special consent form issued by the Customs office in Groningen or face having their guns confiscated.
The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, DC, has confirmed that this new form is required to avoid denied transportation at check-in and/or confiscation of the weapons in Amsterdam. Check-in agents for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and their American partner, Northwest Airlines, will be requesting the approval form at check-in. Importantly, this consent form is required even if you are not flying Northwest or KLM but are merely transiting through the Netherlands.
Travelers must submit a completed consent form application to the Douane Noord Office in Groningen (Tel. 011-31-45-574-3031. Fax 011-31-88-151-3182.) for each transit through the Netherlands. That means many travelers will need two applications for a roundtrip - one for the flight to Africa and one for the return flight back through Amsterdam.
The completed consent form application must be faxed to Douane Noord together with a copy of the information page of your passport (make sure it is a clean copy and that all details are readable) and a copy of a firearms license.
Americans may submit a US Customs form 4457 (Registration of Personal Affects Taken Abroad) in lieu of a firearms license, or secure a letter from their local sheriff/police department confirming they are the legal owner of the firearms.
Approval will take a minimum of three weeks to process and a copy of the approved consent form will be faxed to you. If time permits the original consent form will be mailed; otherwise, the original form will be sent to Customs at Schiphol Airport.
To download an application form, and see examples of a completed form and the approved consent form, click on the following:
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