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.

Silencer Shop is the easiest way to get your suppressor. You simply order your preferred silencers at our online store.

1. At silencershop.com, choose your suppressor (or nfa firearms) and tax stamp.
2. 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.
3. You’ll get an email from Silencer Shop with a DocuSign. Please review and electronically sign it.
4. From your computer, create an ATF eForms account. Keep the username and password handy. Note: Silencer Shop will never ask you for this info.
5. 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.

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.

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..

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.

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!

Updates about Silencer Shop’s eForm 1 will be sent via email: Sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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. Learn more about your Gun Trust choices here!

You can place your Silencer Shop order now! All orders from December 4th, 2021 will be processed through eForms.

Silencer Shop supports your right to bear arms and how you want to file your application. The new electronic Form 4 or the classic paperwork are both in our areas of expertise. Yes, Silencer Shop can still mail NFA paper forms. 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’.

Silencer Shop is here for you and you may be wondering: how long does it take to get a suppressor in 2022? ATF eForms are expected to be approved in 90 days, Silencer Shop customers have been approved in as quickly as 7 daIf you want to know more about ATF processing times, that information is and will continue to be at NFAtracker.com. You can compare, in real-time, the NFA transfer times for both eForms and paper submissions. 

Yes, the new ATF eForms system is different and improved. ATF has updated and upgraded their older eForms—and Silencer Shop has custom-tailored our processes to their new system. By submitting your application with us, we’ll continue to make silencer ownership, simplified.

You will need a local FFL to submit an eForm 4. As the leader in the NFA industry, Silencer Shop is the gold standard with an accuracy rate of 99.5%. For comparison, the industry average is approximately 60%. We are here as a resource for gun owners and will have more information to come about how exactly to file an eForm 4. 

Based on our exposure to the ATF’s eForms system, Silencer Shop believes their new platform’s infrastructure now is far more advanced than last time. We’re optimistic it will easily handle short barrel rifles (SBR), short barrel shotguns (SBS), suppressors, and all other NFA items.

The difference between a paper Form 4 and an eForm 4 is similar to the difference between mailing a letter (paper form 4) or sending an email (eForm 4). When you choose to eForm 4 a suppressor, SBR, or SBS you electronically file your application with the ATF instead of mailing it. Less paperwork, less time. 

Texas-made suppressors are subject to federal law even after the June 15th, 2021 Texas firearm legislation (HB 957 also known as the “Suppressor Freedom Law”), signed by Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX). Per the ATF's "Open Letter to All Texas Federal Firearms Licensees" (July 26, 2021) "All provisions of the Gun Control Act (GCA) and the National Firearms Act (NFA), including their corresponding regulations, continue to apply to FFLs and other persons in Texas." Silencers are still regulated by the NFA and every NFA item requires a tax stamp. As a central Texas gun company, Silencer Shop is proud to be a resource to second amendment enthusiasts nationwide. Thank you to the nearly 24,000 reviews on TrustPilot for trusting us with an average ranking of 4.9 out of 5 stars for Silencer Shop.

eForms can be utilized for a variety of Forms: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10.