NFA WAIT TIME / FORM 3 & 4 APPROVAL TIME FRAMES

 

The data below is drawn from our 42 FFL locations nationwide and reflects current averages. Electronic filing has changed the game: half of our customers now see approvals in a week or less. The other half wait longer when an FBI examiner has to review a background check by hand. Capitol Armory will email you the moment we receive your approval, along with clear instructions for pickup or shipment. Please read this page fully before asking for status updates.

 

Form Type	Typical Approval Time*
Form 3	2–6 days
Electronic Form 4 (Trust or Individual)	7 days or less
Paper Form 4 (Trust or Individual)	Under 3 months

*Half of applicants fall in these windows. Any FBI delay moves you to the “months” column. We cannot guarantee your personal wait time.

SHOCKINGLY FAST FORM 4 APPROVALS

Capitol Armory is the only national dealer that can certify your Form 4 electronically within days—no third-party transfers, no Form 3 hand-offs, no weeks-long queues. If your fingerprints are already on file with us, we submit your eForm 4 in days, not weeks. Many customers now receive an approved Form 4 only a few days after purchase.

Important: Since March 2024 the ATF no longer processes forms first-in-first-out. They approve a Form 4 as soon as the FBI background check clears. That is good news for anyone who gets an instant match.

 

HOW TO GET A QUICK APPROVAL

For individuals or trusts with only one responsible person, an immediate “Proceed” from the FBI usually means an ATF approval in days. Multi-party trusts, or any file that needs a human examiner at the FBI, return to traditional NFA timelines, stretching from weeks to months. As of September 2024, single-party trusts such as the Capitol Armory Trust can clear in about a day or two when the trustee’s background check is automatically approved.

 

WHY TIMES VARY SO MUCH

Every responsible person on the form must pass an FBI NICS check. A computer-generated “Proceed” lets the ATF approve the transfer immediately. A “Delay” parks the file until an FBI examiner reviews it, adding weeks or even months. A “Deny,” though uncommon, stops the transfer outright. Because the application moves as a single packet, a delay for any one person holds up everyone, and manual reviews have lasted as long as twelve months.

 

CHECKING YOUR STATUS

Capitol Armory sends every update by email, so add capitolarmory.com to your safe-sender list. You can also sign in to your account to check your status, which will show as eForm 4 Certified, Form 4 Mailed, or Form 4 Approved. The first two mean we are still waiting on the ATF. When you see Form 4 Approved, look for an email with your next steps. Texas customers may pick up in person or choose direct-to-door shipping; customers in other states complete a short form so we can ship to their residence. Electronic Form 4s never appear in your eForms dashboard, the ATF emails the approved PDF instead.

 

IF YOU ARE STUCK IN DELAY

If your approval lingers past 90 days, call the NFA Branch at 304-616-4500, have your serial number ready (it’s on your receipt and other paperwork), and ask to speak with your examiner. Some customers also reach out to their congressional representative or senator for extra pressure, though results vary.

 

IMPORTANT NOTES

The NFA Branch may take up to 30 days to mail a paper Form 4 after approval, and forms submitted together can land on different examiners’ desks, resulting in staggered approvals. Electronically filed Form 4s are delivered only by email, never through the eForms portal.