U.S. Customs and Border Protection
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Moving to the U.S. - Personal firearms imported and shipped with household effects
Can I ship personal firearms with household effects into the U.S.?
Your personal firearms are not considered household effects and should be shipped separately to avoid complications when clearing Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Prior to importing firearms, you should contact a federal firearms licensed dealer and have them request a permit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) on your behalf. This importation cannot be for resale. The dealer will submit an ATF Form 6, Part I, indicating your name, address and the purpose of the importation to ATF's Imports Branch for approval.
Some firearm imports do not require a federal firearms licensed dealer to obtain the permit (i.e., sporting type ammunition, firearm parts, and military personnel). To find out if your importation does not require a federal firearms licensed dealer to request the permit, call the ATF Imports Branch (304) 616-4550.
The processing time to receive the Form 6 back and the approved permit Form 6A is 4-6 weeks. After you or the dealer receive the forms, they both must be submitted to CBP along with the bill of lading for Customs to release the shipment.
If you are military personnel, you can submit a Form 6, Part II to ATF for approval. When you receive the Form 6 back and the approved permit Form 6A, you must submit both forms along with the bill of sale to CBP for release.
If the firearm is registered in the U.S., you do not need a permit to bring it back. If you registered it with CBP prior to leaving the U.S., you can present the certificate of registration or valid proof of ownership such as the bill of sale to CBP.
You can obtain the Form 6 here or from the ATF Imports Branch.
To obtain a list of federal firearms licensed dealers, you can do a search on the internet and use the search term "Firearm Dealer".
There are no restictions on the importation of soft body armor.
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Updated 11/12/2015 01:23 PM
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