ATF Form 4 Wait Times.

Same as Johral started the process Today, waiting on dealer and document acceptance from ATF.

Silencer shop is saying:
wait range 1 to 31 days, with a median of 9 days for individual. (Eforms)

55 to 65 months with a median of 60 months (paper form 4's)


@Kwarw1,
what is going on?
I don't know for sure, but it would NOT surprise me any little bit for it simply being what has happened in the past (ten or so decades ago when Eforms was started)... Batch uploads (massive /large files) crashing Eforms creating a DOS for them.
ATF's answer Ok, Fools do paper, we will take Eforms offline until you quit stupid stuff.

Hopefully the industry has learned from the past to break those batch uploads up into segments within so many hours. To prevent a overload on the ATF's Servers (s).

That being said I hope is not the case. Would a six month wait surprise me? No it wouldn't surprise me at all.
So I would think that it would be basically up to how the Dealer submitted. Eforms or paper version.


Update on the actual submission date per ATF on my application. 1/7/2026, the clock begins....
 
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Sgt_Mike said:
Same as Johral started the process Today, waiting on dealer and document acceptance from ATF.

Silencer shop is saying:
wait range 1 to 31 days, with a median of 9 days for individual. (Eforms)

55 to 65 months with a median of 60 months (paper form 4's)


@Kwarw1,
what is going on?
I don't know for sure, but it would NOT surprise me any little bit for it simply being what has happened in the past (ten or so decades ago when Eforms was started)... Batch uploads (massive /large files) crashing Eforms creating a DOS for them.
ATF's answer Ok, Fools do paper, we will take Eforms offline until you quit stupid stuff.

Hopefully the industry has learned from the past to break those batch uploads up into segments within so many hours. To prevent a overload on the ATF's Servers (s).

That being said I hope is not the case. Would a six month wait surprise me? No it wouldn't surprise me at all.
So I would think that it would be basically up to how the Dealer submitted. Eforms or paper version.
Click to expand...

i hope the part in bold is a typo...FIVE YEARS FOR A FORM 4 ??
 
Sgt_Mike said:
Same as Johral started the process Today, waiting on dealer and document acceptance from ATF.

Silencer shop is saying:
wait range 1 to 31 days, with a median of 9 days for individual. (Eforms)

55 to 65 months with a median of 60 months (paper form 4's)


@Kwarw1,
what is going on?
I don't know for sure, but it would NOT surprise me any little bit for it simply being what has happened in the past (ten or so decades ago when Eforms was started)... Batch uploads (massive /large files) crashing Eforms creating a DOS for them.
ATF's answer Ok, Fools do paper, we will take Eforms offline until you quit stupid stuff.

Hopefully the industry has learned from the past to break those batch uploads up into segments within so many hours. To prevent a overload on the ATF's Servers (s).

That being said I hope is not the case. Would a six month wait surprise me? No it wouldn't surprise me at all.
So I would think that it would be basically up to how the Dealer submitted. Eforms or paper version.


Update on the actual submission date per ATF on my application. 1/7/2026, the clock begins....
Click to expand...
Just saw this post SGT Mike.
I asked my dealer about how he submitted the info. He told me it was in the order of sale starting in July. He had 145 at the start. He did each one individually, saying it took 5-10 minutes each. I'm still waiting (4th day) only 2 business days so far.
 
@Kwarw1,
yeah just to compare notes.
The dealer I bought from, had mine submitted on the following day from purchase, which submitted date was the 7th of this month.
Which I got the email from ATF stating the status was "submitted" with the control number on that date.

His process is pretty much Eforms exclusively, and is hooked up via Silencer Shop.
Does that help? IDK if it actually does or doesn't.
The last can I bought from him, which was prior to the tax stamp being lifted took a insane short time, I want to say 3 days.

I'm inclined to think that this one will take a little bit longer than the three days of the earlier purchase (on Eforms). But I expect it to be less than the 18 plus month processing times of my first three cans which was on paper. And a good bit back in timeframe.

I will be pleasantly surprised if I get approval by the ninth business day (20th of Jan) with the tax stamp being lifted.
 
I bought mine November 24TH having them hold the paperwork till after the First. I did the single shot trust as well. I'll be sure to post when I get approved.
 
I've done both Eforms and Paper in the past. Hands down based on personal experience. Electronic (Eforms) is way faster.
But it (Eforms) does contain some faults. One is that the approved form four sits within the dealer's account. Which means I cannot log-in and pull the approved Form 4 from MY account on their system. I've discussed this with the NFA branch outside the obvious answer of it just doesn't transfer. No one is quite sure why.
Did I get a copy of the approved form 4 in e-mail. Yes!
Can I contact my dealer to get them to print or forward it to me? yes !
I did mine just like all of them ... individual.

Here is what I've done with mine I've uploaded all my approved form 4's and form 1's to the silencer shop portal in my account. That way I can go there to pull a copy if need be.

Did they get swamped by applications, per the Agent I talked to yes, she didn't go into great detail. But in our round about conversation it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought it would be. That surprised me. I actually figured that the approval time would immediately jump to 6 months or longer on the 2nd of Jan.

Have I considered transferring all the NFA items to a trust now that the transfer tax is lifted? Yes, but not committed to the idea yet.
I'm suspecting that to be a little bit of a hurdle, as in probably will have to be a paper entry into the system. If I go that route. The only advantage I see is that if I desire to leave a can / SBR with someone in the trust I can. Outside that I really don't see the trust doing anything special from the current registration. Either way they are still inheritable provided the proper form 5 is completed and submitted by the lawful heir's.
 
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Sgt_Mike said:
I've done both Eforms and Paper in the past. Hands down based on personal experience. Electronic (Eforms) is way faster.
But it (Eforms) does contain some faults. One is that the approved form four sits within the dealer's account. Which means I cannot log-in and pull the approved Form 4 from MY account on their system. I've discussed this with the NFA branch outside the obvious answer of it just doesn't transfer. No one is quite sure why.
Did I get a copy of the approved form 4 in e-mail. Yes!
Can I contact my dealer to get them to print or forward it to me? yes !
I did mine just like all of them ... individual.

Here is what I've done with mine I've uploaded all my approved form 4's and form 1's to the silencer shop portal in my account. That way I can go there to pull a copy if need be.

Did they get swamped by applications, per the Agent I talked to yes, she didn't go into great detail. But in our round about conversation it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought it would be. That surprised me. I actually figured that the approval time would immediately jump to 6 months or longer on the 2nd of Jan.
Click to expand...
This is my first. I assumed the ATF would mail me an original since they make such a big deal about the whole procedure. So am I correct in the fact that all I will get is an electronic copy? Glad I got a new printer!
 
LOL, I also took a old phone that email still works on and put digital copies of the approved paperwork on to carry around as proof of compliance. As well as a print out of everything in a binder, for traveling. The only ones that require permission slips to travel with (in my case) is the SBR's/SBS's (which are on form1's) .
Suppressors nope, just a approved copy of form 4. I personally just avoid the states that ban suppressors, when traveling with them.

(my dealer prints out the form for me when I show up to pick up the approved can. Saves ink on my end to a degree although as you can tell I like a bit of redundancy with the approved forms)
 
Kwarw1 said:
I assumed the ATF would mail me an original since they make such a big deal about the whole procedure.
Click to expand...
Yeahhhhh about that .......
on one of the first three suppressors, bear in mind only paper submission gets a mailed copy of the approved form with an actual cancelled tax stamp. And I had one approval get hung up in the mail, although ATF admitted that the can was approved the Dealer could not allow me to take possession UNTIL they got the form from ATF, which in my case was a 3 week delay. And in my case the Dealer handed me the form with a actual stamp on it (for each time, ATF never directly mailed me, IIRC, if they did I've simply forgot they did).

Eforms is a email process with the approved form. For you and the dealer both will get them within minutes of each other depending on the mail servers involved.
Now the dealer usually will have you do some paperwork ( 4473) when receiving the item to show evidence that they did in fact give /transfer it to you once the form 4 is approved. The dealer can elect to process it without another background check as they have approval to transfer to you the item. Actually simple process, it's just a receipt to show for their inspections, doesn't hang-up anything.

In my collection I have some with a tax stamp some without being simply approvals. Only the ones that I actually paid $200.00 on is the ones that got tax stamps. The others nope no tax stamp. But all have the ATF approval on the first page. (My SBR's was tax free, so those don't have a actual stamp). On the newest submittal I'm sure will be the same as the SBR's no stamp but with the approved block checked at the bottom of the page.
 
Sgt_Mike said:
Yeahhhhh about that .......
on one of the first three suppressors, bear in mind only paper submission gets a mailed copy of the approved form with an actual cancelled tax stamp. And I had one approval get hung up in the mail, although ATF admitted that the can was approved the Dealer could not allow me to take possession UNTIL they got the form from ATF, which in my case was a 3 week delay. And in my case the Dealer handed me the form with a actual stamp on it (for each time, ATF never directly mailed me, IIRC, if they did I've simply forgot they did).

Eforms is a email process with the approved form. For you and the dealer both will get them within minutes of each other depending on the mail servers involved.
Now the dealer usually will have you do some paperwork ( 4473) when receiving the item to show evidence that they did in fact give /transfer it to you once the form 4 is approved. The dealer can elect to process it without another background check as they have approval to transfer to you the item. Actually simple process, it's just a receipt to show for their inspections, doesn't hang-up anything.

In my collection I have some with a tax stamp some without being simply approvals. Only the ones that I actually paid $200.00 on is the ones that got tax stamps. The others nope no tax stamp. But all have the ATF approval on the first page. (My SBR's was tax free, so those don't have a actual stamp). On the newest submittal I'm sure will be the same as the SBR's no stamp but with the approved block checked at the bottom of the page.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I have a CWP so I may have to do the 4473 but no call needed.
 
Kwarw1 said:
CWP
Click to expand...
doesn't do anything for NFA items at all, per federal law on NFA.
On the 4473 there "USUALLY" will not be a call UNLESS YOUR state requires it.
Don't sweat it your dealer will NOT drag you through any more paperwork than is required by law.
He wants you in and out as fast as possible ... Happy and willing to buy more items.

You and I live in two differing states hence our buying experience is, or rather may be different, but will echo a bit actually a lot.
The approved form 1 / 4 is the actual background check hence "usually" It will NOT require a call UNLESS your state requires it.
Don't sweat it, it will be seamless, and a easy process. IF you pay attention on 4473 there is a block exempting the call or check to show it is just a record of transfer. It's the same block used for a CWP. I don't have one (CWP) but here it's treated the same for NFA's with approved form 1/2/4/5.

(wish I had a dime for every 4473 I filled out to do a transfer of NFA and Non-NFA items. I might have enough to buy another can. Now I just fill them out to get stuff for me LOL)
 
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LMAO at myself....
Every time I buy a suppressor I already know the wait range.. Yet I count the days knowing it will be approved when it's approved. Just be patient.... I have wore out checking my email the last two days looking for the welcomed "go git your can" email from ATF.
Normally I wear it out to see if someone on here has responded or ask a question.
My last approval while time stamped at 8:23 am (EST) didn't pop into my inbox until about 6 pm (CST). Still faster than the Post Office, that one amused me as to the time it took to find the e-mail server. Honestly I just smiled and said wellll go to the LGS in the morning and did find it amusing with the time stamps.
Honestly it beats the daylights out of the first ones I did (paper) that got boring watching the mail box in the driveway... or waiting for the dealer to call.

Meanwhile Silencer shop spams my inbox with $0 Tax Stamp = $200.00 Saved get your suppressor today messages.

I know everyone does the same things which makes it extremely comfortable in the grand scheme. As it's just not me, but everyone does this.


ETA
Just glanced at the Silencer shop ATF processing page they are now reflecting for Eforms submission:
individual -- wait range 1 to 99 days, with 7 days median
Trust --- wait range 2 to 52 days, with 7 days median

Update:
Approved today 1/20/2026 ... submitted 1/07/2026 , notified by LGS, still waiting on the email for ATF, maybe tomorrow, maybe Friday maybe next month?? whom knows
 
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Just bought my first can
A Dead Air Nomad TiXC
Mine will be a tad different as ill have to have the can shipped from the Shop I bought it at in Fl to my home in Mo then fill the forms out.
Got stranded in FL with the weather we got last weekend and ended up spending money here.
 
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