First Time with ATF eForms
If this is your first time going through the ATF’s eForms process, please make sure you have read this entire page. Then, click here to go back to the NFA page: Link
There’s so much conflicting information and I can’t figure out what to do! It’s so overwhelming, there’s no way this will be worth it in the end.
We know the NFA process is daunting at first, but it’s absolutely worth it. And don’t worry, cutting through the bullshit is why this page exists. Follow the instructions here, and you’ll be on your way to NFA ownership in no time! Many of these steps only have to be performed one time. After your first NFA transfer, future transfers will be even easier!
The initial step is to decide on the exact NFA item you want, and place the order. If you're having a hard time deciding, assistance with this choice is available!
If you purchase your NFA item directly from Detroit Armament, there will be no transfer fee. If you purchase your NFA item elsewhere and have it shipped to Detroit Armament for transfer, there is a $75 transfer fee.
An ATF Form 3 will have to be filed by the FFL who is shipping it, for approval to transfer the item to Detroit Armament. Once the Form 3 is approved (can take 1-3 weeks depending on ATF processing volume at the time) it will be shipped.
You can still complete Steps 3-6 before your NFA item has arrived, so don't delay!
Make an account on the ATF’s eForms website (if you don’t already have one). The website will auto-generate the username for you, you’ll have to specify a 4-digit PIN number. Write both of these down and bring them when you come to do the form. The form can’t be submitted if you don’t know what they are. Don’t plan on being able to go back in your email and find it, lest you tempt Murphy's Law!
Do not use auto-fill to create your eForms account. Your account information MUST reflect the information on your ID.
A “passport-style” photo of you has to be submitted with each eForm 4 (yes, even if you've already turned one in). Stand in front of any white background (a white wall works great) with good lighting and no hat or other head covering (unless religious). Take a selfie from the shoulders up, and send it to Detroit Armament via email or text.
You'll have to provide a set of fingerprints. Fingerprints have to be submitted with EVERY tax stamp application. It doesn’t matter how many other times the government has fingerprinted you. If you are using physical ink fingerprint cards, leave them at home, you’ll be given instructions on how to send them in after the eForm 4 is submitted. If you are using EFT prints, email them to Detroit Armament.
For more details on your options for providing fingerprints, see the "Fingerprints" section below.
If you are not using a trust, skip this step!
You will need to provide a copy of your trust, and an additional form called the Responsible Persons Questionnaire (RPQ) will have to be submitted for each person on the trust. Guidance for filling out the RPQ will be provided AFTER the NFA item has arrived at Detroit Armament.
Once all the other steps are complete, and your NFA item has arrived, schedule an appointment to file your eForm 4! Payment of the $200 tax stamp and applicable transfer fees (if any) will be due at this time as well.
Fingerprints
Fingerprints have to be submitted with every single tax stamp application. It doesn’t matter how many other times the government has fingerprinted you.
For fingerprint format, you’ve got two options. You can mail in physical fingerprint cards, or you can get them done electronically by a service that will give you the digital file, which is a “.eft” file type. Just because a fingerprinting service uses an electronic scanner does not mean they will give you the file! Ask beforehand.
Physical cards can be cheaper up-front, but having to get them re-done professionally for future NFA purchases will add to the hassle, money wasted, and time wasted. You can also buy an inkpad and blank fingerprint cards to do them yourself, which is cheaper than getting them done professionally. Physical cards can’t be mailed until after the eForm is submitted, but they must arrive within 10 days of submission. If the envelope is lost in the mail, or misplaced in the shuffle after being received, the form will be denied and you’ll have to re-submit both the eForm AND the fingerprints.
Getting your EFT file can be more expensive up-front, but once you have the file, you can save it, and re-use that file for every single submission. EFT fingerprints attach directly to the eForm, so there is no chance they get lost. The same file can be re-used over and over for any future Form 4s, and you can also re-use it for any future Form 1s you might want to do.
If you’ve decided to do EFT fingerprints, PrintScan is the recommended service. They have kiosks at a handful of UPS stores in the metro area. PrintScan’s website has a location finder. If you’ve found a convenient location, you can save money by purchasing PrintScan’s EFT service through Detroit Armament rather than through the PrintScan website.
One other option for obtaining an EFT, if there’s not a PrintScan location convenient to you, is to have a physical fingerprint card converted into an EFT via mail-order. This is also available through PrintScan and you can once again purchase through Detroit Armament to save money.
Compare FD258 vs EFT Fingerprints
Considering a Trust?
There are a lot of myths that have been perpetuated about NFA Trusts. Unfortunately, some companies that sell NFA trust services use misleading marketing to convince people who don’t have all the facts. Using a trust has some disadvantages, including additional paperwork, a longer wait time (ATF has admitted they process tax stamps for trusts slower than individuals), and having multiple people on the trust means each of them have to be fingerprinted, photographed, and submit a completed RPQ, for every submission.
Mythbusting Trusts
This is emphatically wrong. Although years ago, using a trust made the process easier, this has not been true in over a decade. Here’s a look at how using a trust actually makes the process more difficult:
- Adds the requirement to submit Responsible Persons Questionnaires for everyone on the trust
- Adds the requirement to submit fingerprints for everyone on the trust
- Increases ATF’s processing time
The person who’s actually running the trust often ends up pulling their hair out trying to get everyone to do their photo, fingerprints, and get the RPQs filled out and signed with each new submission.
This is true whether you use a trust or not. The person who inherits your NFA items will not have to pay for a tax stamp regardless of trust status. Inherited NFA items are transferred on an ATF Form 5, which is a tax-free transfer, meaning there is no tax stamp paid.
This is untrue in so many ways, but still constantly gets circulated.
From what???
This is a sad attempt at using a fear tactic to sell trusts to people who don’t know better. Vague yet ominous promises of protection from an abstract and unnamed boogeyman-esque threat is commonplace, but never is there specific articulation of what you are protected from. That’s because a there are not unique risks to owning an NFA item, and there are no special protections gained from a trust.