A Form 3, also known as a Dealer Transfer, is a form submitted to the ATF for approval to transfer an NFA item from one Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) to another FFL.
Form 3 approval serves as an administrative step to ensure compliance with ATF regulations before an item can be shipped. This is handled between Silencer Shop and your local dealer, and there is no action required by the customer at this stage.
This process is required for each order containing an NFA item and must be approved by the ATF before the item can be shipped to your selected dealer.
Note that no notification is sent to the customer when Form 3 is approved.
Once the Form 3 is approved, Silencer Shop will send the NFA item to your chosen Powered By Silencer Shop dealer. Once the item and paperwork arrive at your dealer, you’ll complete your Form 4 submission with them. It may take your dealer a few days to get your order ready to certify, so please be patient.
To view current average Form 3 processing times, visit our ATF Wait Times page.
Once the item arrives at the dealer, customers will be notified by email, and further actions are required to complete the Form 4 submission process. These steps include certifying the application on your ATF eForms account by digitally signing the Form 4 with your PIN and allowing the dealer to co-sign. After submission, the Form 4 undergoes ATF approval, and customers must wait for this notification before picking up their item. Upon ATF approval, customers will receive another email, signaling that they can coordinate with their dealer for item pickup.