All in stock items are on shelf. No drop ship. Call/text 731-607-1502 for questions. Text is our fastest response.
All in stock items are on shelf. No drop ship. Call/text 731-607-1502 for questions. Text is our fastest response.
ATF eForms Almost 2 Years Later
Has it truly improved NFA Transfers?
Your questions answered!
As you are probably aware by now(especially if you like Suppressors & SBR’s), NFA Transfers are now being done mostly online via the ATF Eforms website, and not the old traditional way of paper Form 4’s via snail mail.
The new Eforms website was rolled out in late December 2021, and after many glitches and problems along the way, the website seems to be working much more efficiently than initially expected.
So here are some of the questions we have been getting from you guys on the fairly new website.
Have wait times improved?
This is a question we get daily. And yes, Eforms has most definitely improved wait times. But how much is the real question. Definitely not as much as it should(We were initially told 3 month approvals), but there has been an improvement.
Before Eforms in December 2021, Paper Form 4’s were running about 10-12 months. After Eforms was live, we were seeing 90% of our approvals in 3 months. But once more and more dealers(Silencer Shop included) started to Efile, wait time started to dramatically increase.
Around Fall of 2022, wait times were sitting around 9-10 months, and the hope of 90 day approvals were all but wishful thinking. However, as the ATF Eforms Division in West Virginia settled in, they started to improve the wait time.
Currently, wait times for Eform 4’s are running about 5-8 months. In which most are falling around the 6-7 month mark.
Is filing with a Gun Trust shorter or longer than filing as an individual?
Filing with a Gun Trust has always taken longer than an Individual even before Eforms. The difference is not a considerable difference. But it all depends on how many Responsible Persons you have on your Trust. If you’re the only RP, then the approval time will not be much more than filing as an Individual.
With multiple RP’s, you’re probably looking at about 7-8 months. With just yourself as a RP, you’re looking at around 6-7 months. Of course this can vary. But this is antidotal info we have from our TN customers using Trust.
Note: We always tell our TN customers around 6 months for Individuals, and 7-8 months for Trust. We also advise our TN customers to initially file without any additional RP’s to help shave time off.
What if there is a mistake on our submission. Will the ATF still send a correction letter?
Unfortunately, the ATF is NOT sending correction letters out currently. So, it is you and your dealer’s responsibility to assure that all your info is correct. We have seen/heard of denials for things as small as misspelling your middle name. Denials mean you have to completely resubmit the Eform 4, and start all over. Time wasted!
Denials are literally a gut punch. So we highly advise you to closely go over your submission with your dealer. You will be required to certify your Form before submission anyways. So, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Note: Most of the issues we have seen have been with Trust, and the way the language is set up. The ATF has gotten confused with beneficiaries or Responsible Persons especially if the language is not clear.
Does the Transferee have to have an account set up with eForms to submit an eForm 4?
Yes. You will need to set up an account on Eforms in order for your dealer to submit an Eform 4 for you. It literally takes less than 5 minutes. And once all your general info is set up in your ‘My Profile’, you will need to write down your username and pin. You will need those two things in order to certify your Eform 4.
Will you need to submit the eForm 4 in your eForms account or your dealer's account?
No. Your dealer will prepare the Eform 4 in their account since the serial number is in their Eforms inventory. However, you will still need to sit down with your dealer to certify the Eform 4 by submitting your username and pin.
Before eForms, I would call the ATF to check the status of my submission. Is this still the way to check your status?
Well. Yes and no. You can still call the ATF, but they are only going to give you a pending or approval status. And now, your dealer will be able to access the same info in their Eforms account by logging in and clicking on ‘Submitted Eform 4’s’. However, they are just going to give you the same info as the ATF. Submitted or Approved.
Other than quicker approvals, what is the biggest positives of the new eForms?
Well. This one is pretty easy. Before Eforms, the only option to submit your Form 4 application was through snail mail. Meaning if you ever called the ATF to check your status, and they gave you the great news that your Form 4 was approved, you would get very excited. Only to then find out that it could take up to 45 days for your dealer to receive the application. Why it took the ATF up to 45 days is a question beyond our pay grade. Now with the new Eforms, once you’re approved, you and your dealer will automatically receive an email with the approved Form 4 Stamp. Which on average can shave off at least 3-4 weeks off your wait.
Another huge positive is the now acceptance of EFT FingerPrints. Which is an electronic copy of your prints that your dealer can simply upload into Eforms. This is a huge positive because you can have your prints done once, and have a copy emailed to you in which you can email to your dealer, or upload for an Eform 1.
If you have any further questions, or would like to add some feedback to this blog, we would love to hear from you!
You can email us at info@esilencers.com.
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
