Argentina Implements New Requirements for Hunting Trophy Exports

Hunters who recently hunted in Argentina or are heading that way should be aware of some new requirements to export hunting trophies from that country. These new regulations, which have caused some delays in trophy exports, emerged this year due to a criminal investigation involving a hunting outfitter and the export agent he used to ship clients’ trophies.

Safari Club International (SCI) learned through Ivan Perez of the export company Alfredo P Company (www.alfredopcompany.com), which has emerged as the new leading trophy exporter there, that outfitters and clients must now provide a new list of documents and information designed to prevent the illegal activity the government claims led a 2024 raid that seized more than 3,000 hunting trophies.

That raid included the properties, home and offices of outfitter Jorge Noya and his company Caza Y Safari, as well as the warehouse of exporter Federico Testa of Logistic Solutions. At that time, Testa handled an estimated 80 percent of the trophy exports from Argentina. The raid on his warehouse affected most of Argentina’s hunting outfitters and hundreds of clients whose trophies were awaiting export and had nothing to do with the criminal investigation.

Noya is accused of allegedly violating hunting seasons, concession rights, hunting without licenses, and hunting protected wildlife. Testa was accused of allegedly falsifying export documents.

The new requirements emerging from this situation bring more transparency to the movement of hunting trophies. Some of the new documentation must be submitted by the outfitter and others must be provided by the hunter.

Outfitters must now submit a “transit guide,” requiring information about the hunting location and other details. The guide must be submitted within a specific period in order to transfer trophies with proper accreditation. Hunters should ask for a copy of the guide to ensure their trophies will be allowed to transit from the province they were hunted.

A hunting license for each hunter must also be submitted and have been issued before the hunter entered the hunting concession. Hunters should ask for a copy of their hunting licenses for each province and for the species hunted.

Hunters also need to provide their outfitter with a clear copy of the personal information and signature pages from their passport. Be prepared to forward copies to the shipping agent handling the trophy exportation.

Hunters also need to sign a “hunter’s authorization” along with the hunting reserve manager for the property they hunt. This authorization expressly allows the management and transfer of client trophies.

Lastly, the outfitter must submit copies of clients’ boarding passes (or itinerary), showing their entry and exit dates from Argentina.

Perez says he has seen an uptick in the processing of export documents since this past January, but there is still a backlog waiting for outfitters to provide the missing documents. As for the trophies seized in the raid, progress is very slow. While most of the operators have filed petitions with the court, only a few have succeeded in having clients’ trophies released. This is due to the court’s slow action. Although a handful of hunting operators have refused to assist their clients, most have incurred significant legal fees to recover trophies for their clients.

SCI members with trophies stuck in Argentina may contact Barbara Crown at SCI’s Hunter Information Service ([email protected]) for more information and for assistance.