Sport-hunted trophies exempt from new U.S. import tariffs

The American Government has confirmed that personal sport-hunted trophies shipped to the U.S. are exempt from the new raft of tariffs recently imposed by President Trump.

The clarification came in the 2025 Harmonized Tariff Schedule recently released by the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Safari Club International (SCI) advised hunters with pending trophy shipments to contact their shipping agents to inform them of the tariff exemption on trophy imports. SCI also warned that purchased trophies that had not been personally hunted may not be exempt from tariffs.

Author and firearms expert Diggory Hadoke told ST: “Whatever Trump’s motivation, I think it will be a relief to many safari operators who do excellent conservation work and rely on American hunters for the bulk of their business. That business in turn is crucial to protect at-risk environments from poaching and encroachment.

“We must, however, look at recent US developments as a whole. Trump’s recent de-funding of USAID has put countless conservation and anti-poaching initiatives from South America to Africa at risk. That will have a far more negative impact on conservation than the withdrawal of import tariffs on hunted trophies will have a positive one.”