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TROPHY PROBLEM CHECKLIST FOR U.S
AMENDED OCTOBER 2010
| TAGS: Must be 1) permanently attached 2) through a hole. Ear, eye, mouth, nose, bullet holes are okay, but not around the leg above the foot. Tag number must match that on the permit. 3) in addition to the tag number, the country quota must also be listed. For example: 86/250, or 86 of 250, or 86-250. |
| PERMIT EXPIRATION: Get a faxed copy of the import permit before exporting. Do not ship an Appendix I species without seeing a copy of the import permit to be sure it will not expire before the shipment arrives. Examine the export permit for expiration date and look for date errors. |
| EXPORT PERMIT: Examine for errors of name of permittee and name and number of species, signature and seal by CITES designated officers. The quota year and quota on the permit and tag are the year taken, not the year of export. |
| VALIDATION: Make sure section 14 of export permit is fully completed, i.e. all parts itemized, signed and sealed by designated CITES or Customs officer before the final step of shipment. |
| PURPOSE CODE: If crafted or worked item of trophy parts (feet, tail swish, bracelet, scrimshawed tusks (but only if not elephant ivory), boots, gun cases, clothing, etc.), export permit must be coded "P" for personal instead of "H" for hunting trophy. Note: Worked elephant ivory can't be imported at all due to the AECA but worked elephant bone can be if it is coded "P" and includes an Appendix I export and import permit, import form 3-200-37. "Worked" includes painted, etched, pasted with skins, etc. |
| VALUATION: Understatement of value is the cause of excessive seizures, i.e. forfeiture of $50,000 trophies for a $500 offense. A true representative value should be used, not an understatement. Pro-rated cost of acquisition (cost of the hunt) is best, or insurance value. Note: trophies are not taxed upon entry into the U.S., but they most certainly are seized. The exporter should use the full value from the get-go as import brokers carry it over onto the declarations. Import agents especially heed this with a problem shipment. |
| IN TRANSIT: Transfer through intermediate countries must be immediate, without delay. A hunter traveling with his trophy cannot layover in an intermediate country without appropriate import and re-export permits from that country. |
| POST-SHIPMENT CORRECTIONS: Export authorities must immediately contact and confer with U.S. Law Enforcement Headquarters before issuing a retrospective permit or replacement permit, not months later or after issuing a new permit. Retrospective and replacement permits must be issued immediately, not weeks or months later. The importing agent must set corrective action in motion immediately and use a true value for the trophy on the 3-177 Declaration entry form rather than carry over as the value the export fee or some other incorrect value from the export documents. |
| RE-SHIPMENT: Send trophies back whenever you can, else it is treated as illegal to possess contraband like stolen goods or illegal drugs without any protectable interest at all. |
| RE-SHIPMENT IMPORT PERMITS: When trophies are returned to the exporting country and re-shipped, new, original import permits are required because the originals are marked cancelled. |
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