NFA WAIT TIME / FORM 3 & 4 APPROVAL TIME FRAMES
Please keep in mind forms are not returned in the order they are sent. These dates should only be used as a guide, and in many cases, the dates on this page will not reflect your approval date or when your form will be returned to Capitol Armory. We will notify you as soon as we receive your approval from the ATF. Please read this page in its entirety before contacting Capitol Armory.
We are currently receiving approvals for forms submitted on the following dates:
| Currently Receiving Approvals From: | |
|---|---|
| Form 3 | 2-10 days from submission |
| Paper Form 4 Trust/Corp | 6/1/17 - 2/3/18 |
| Paper Form Individual | 07/1/17-2/3/18 |
| Electronic Form 4 | E-filing is not available for Form 4/1s |
Last updated on 09/20/2018.
WHY THE LARGE TIME FRAME?
Each responsible party (co-Trustees or Individuals) must undergo a background check at the FBI. Your background check may be instantly approved, denied or delayed. A delay at the FBI is not the same as a delay at your local gun store. A delay at the FBI requires a manual review performed by a FBI employee. We've seen delays take up to eight months to complete. Further, the system between the ATF and FBI is not updated frequently. If your form is on the later end of the time frame, either you or a responsible party received a delay at the FBI.
HOW TO CHECK YOUR STATUS?
Capitol Armory will notify you via email the moment we receive your form. We suggest you white list our domain to ensure you receive our emails correctly. At anytime, you may log into your account using the email address and password established when you ordered. Each order will show: Processing, Form 4 mailed, Form 4 approved, etc. If the status of your order is Form 4 mailed, it simply means we are waiting on the ATF to approve your paperwork. If the status of your order is Form 4 approved, you have been notified via email and you can pickup or prepare the paperwork to have your suppressor shipped.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Forms are not considered "late" until the submission date falls a few weeks outside of the dates posted above. We monitor the progress of all ATF forms to ensure forms are not misplaced at the ATF/NFA Branch. Recently, we've seen a small percentage of forms exceed the current average wait time. In every case, a responsible party of the transfer has had their background check at the FBI delayed. Details are not provided to Capitol Armory, but if you believe your background check may have been delayed, please contact the NFA Branch (304-616-4500) and ask to speak with the examiner for your form. You will need your serial number available when you call. The serial number can be found on your order confirmation email or in your account order details.
- The NFA branch may take up to 30 days to mail your approved form to us. Capitol Armory will notify you as soon as we receive your approval.
- If your Form 4 was submitted on or around the date range listed above and you have not been notified of an approval, please be patient as each assigned examiner works at a different pace.
- Orders with multiple Form 4s submitted to the ATF at the same time may be assigned to different examiners and approvals may return to us a few weeks apart. We will notify you via email when each form is approved as well as when the entire order is approved.
- The dates above are the dates the forms were mailed to the ATF. These dates are not the "pending" dates.