ATF eForms FAQs: Your Top 10 Questions Answered!
Last Updated December 2, 2022
It’s been nearly a year since the ATF relaunched eForms, and we’re recapping and updating your Top 10 most asked questions about the electronic filing method to get your ATF tax stamp for your suppressor, short barreled rifles (SBR), or other NFA item.
1. How do I buy a suppressor with eForms?
Silencer Shop is the easiest way to get your suppressor. You simply order your preferred silencers at our online store.
- At silencershop.com, choose your suppressor (or nfa firearms) and tax stamp.
- If you haven’t already, visit a Silencer Shop kiosk. Locate a Silencer Shop kiosk near you. In a five-minute visit, your fingerprints and demographic information will be incorporated into your Silencer Shop account. Best of all: your kiosk visit is once and done, when you complete your visit, you don’t need to visit the kiosk again for your next NFA item.
Snap a selfie using Silencer Shop’s mobile app, and your photo will be included in your profile. You can also email your picture to photos@silencershop.com. - You’ll get an email from Silencer Shop with a DocuSign. Please review and electronically sign it.
- From your computer, create an ATF eForms account. Keep the username and password handy. Note: Silencer Shop will never ask you for this info.
- Ready To Certify, ATF Submission and Approval: You’ll receive an email from Silencer Shop that says your application is “Ready To Certify.” Please contact your dealer, and you can remotely certify and submit your application to the ATF. Then, the ATF will send an email to you that your application is "submitted." After their review, you'll receive another email with a status change and when it's "approved", please contact your dealer to pick up your new NFA item.
2. How do I use eForms? Do I need an eForm account?
Using eForms by the ATF is easy when done with Silencer Shop. To use eForms, you will need an ATF eForms account. When creating your ATF eForms login, please use the same email address as your Silencer Shop account.
3. What is the latest on ATF wait times for NFA paperwork?
In Q4 of 2022, ATF said Paper Form 4s averaged 12 months and eForm 4s averaged 180 days. Silencer Shop is here for you, and you may be wondering: how long does it take to get a suppressor in 2022? Silencer Shop provides you with a weekly average of our customer approvals.
In January 2022, the ATF set forth “a processing goal of 90 days” and you can see NFA transfer times for both eForms and paper submissions here.
4. When did ATF eForms launch?
Powered by Silencer Shop dealers have been submitting eForm 4 since mid-January 2022, which was a few weeks after the ATF eForms launch on Dec 23, 2021.
5. Does Silencer Shop Do eForm 4?
Yes, Silencer Shop and its nationwide network of over 4,000 Powered By Silencer Shop dealers are facilitating your ATF eForm 4 application! You can order your suppressor online or locate your nearest dealer!
6. Will Silencer Shop be able to assist with submitting an eForm 1?
Updates about Silencer Shop’s eForm 1 will be sent via email: Sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates.
7. How does the Silencer Shop Kiosk fit into the new eForms system?
The Silencer Shop Kiosk works perfectly with the ATF eForm 4. Our kiosks provide FBI-approved scanning technology that will be included in your application to the ATF. It’s simple with Silencer Shop, and you will NOT need to complete the FD-258 fingerprint card for your tax stamp. The Silencer Shop kiosk makes your eForm 4 application even easier, and best of all, there is only one visit to the kiosk for your entire lifetime.
8. Can a Silencer Shop gun trust be used with eForms?
Absolutely! All Silencer Shop Gun Trusts can be used with eForms. This includes Single Shot Trusts, Single Shot Unlimited, Single Shot NFA Gun Trusts, and NFA Gun Trusts.
9. Does Silencer Shop still do paper forms?
Yes, even though eForm 4s Powered by Silencer Shop has been approved throughout 2022, we can still process the classic paper NFA Form 4. If you would prefer to go the traditional route with a paper submission, log into your Silencer Shop account and in your dashboard, toggle the setting to ‘paper’.
10. How do I check the status of my ATF Form 4?
When your eForm 4 is submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, you’ll receive an email from that with the status of “submitted.” Thereafter, you can contact the ATF for status updates. The NFA branch of the ATF can be reached at (304) 616-4500.
Silencer Shop is a resource of information for firearms news, and we aim to read all of your comments on Silencer Shop’s social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube. As well as your questions at support@silencershop.com.
Staying in touch with Silencer Shop is central to what we do, and we’re here for the firearms community and answering your most-asked questions about eForms.