In January 2022, ATF updated its eForms platform with the goal of modernizing the system to reduce the time and effort required to review and process applications. Included in the update was the relaunch of the electronic Form 4 (eForm 4), or “Application for Tax Paid Transfer and Registration of Firearm.”

Prior to the most recent eForms update, retailers and consumers relied entirely on paper Form 4 applications to complete transactions for NFA items, such as suppressors. However, paper applications were notoriously delayed due to a significant backlog caused by growing silencer popularity, pandemic-driven demand, and government shutdowns. With paper as the only option, processing times ran 12 to 14 months, frustrating both retailers and their anxiously awaiting customers.

When the eForms update launched in January 2022, ATF reported eForm 4 applications would be processed in 90 days ­– three to four times quicker than paper applications at the time. However, by July, the official processing time posted to ATF’s website had risen to 100 days, with some consumers waiting even longer. And by fall, the wait time had doubled the initial goal to 180 days.

Despite initial optimism that the eForm 4 would be significantly faster than paper forms, the reality has proven different. Today, the average ATF processing time for eForm 4 applications is 270 days (9 months) – only 45 days faster than the 315-day (10.5 months) processing time for paper forms. But it’s not just ATF documenting these two trends.

Median eForm 4 wait times from October 2022–February 2023 (Source: r/NFA)

According to Silencer Shop, both the eForm 4 and paper Form 4 currently have a median wait time of 8 months, while user-submitted data collected and compiled by the r/NFA subreddit community depicts a 25% increase in the median eForm 4 wait time since October 2022.

Though the Department of Justice has directed ATF to reduce eForm 4 processing times to 90 days, the upward trend continues. And while electronic approval may not be quicker than paper, eForms remain the easier and more efficient method of submitting Form 4 applications for firearm retailers and consumers. 

So, as we have for the last 13 months, Orchid will continue monitoring ATF eForm 4 wait times and publishing periodic updates. In the meantime, contact us to learn more about NFA firearm serialization, recordkeeping, and inventory management solutions for manufacturing and retail FFLs.