Action:
Revision of a Previously Approved Collection
Purpose:
Persons with an NFA firearm must apply to ATF for approval to transfer and register the firearm as required by the NFA (26 U.S.C. 5812). ATF Form 5320.4 (“Form 4”), is the prescribed means for submitting this application, facilitates and records the firearms transfer, and also serves as proof of registration once approved.
Information Collection (IC) OMB 1140-0014 is being revised to reflect an increase in the number of applicants per year, rising from 123,339 applicants during the last renewal to 546,424, an increase of 423,085. However, there has also been a decrease in the time burden due to changes in technology allowing electronic forms, reducing the number of respondents who must provide fingerprints and reducing the number of copies, allowing electronic fingerprints on-site, reducing respondents who must provide photographs, allowing cell phone photographs, and allowing photocopied identification cards instead, all submitted electronically. In addition, the requirement to complete an extra copy of the form and submit it to local law enforcement is going away, and the fillable forms have made it possible to populate the second copy at the same time as the first copy, both of which reduce the time burden even more. As a result, there has been a corresponding decrease in the burden hours per respondent, from .5 hours to .2 hours each, resulting in a reduction in total annual burden hours from 446,755 to 109,285 (a decrease of 337,470 hours).
The Department is also making the following changes to ATF Form 5320.4 (“Form 4”) due to statutory changes to the transfer tax that was previously required to accompany documents submitted pursuant to this IC. These changes are: removing the $5 box in Item 1, Type of Transfer, and replacing it with a $0 box; revising Instructions 2.b. in the “Preparation of Application section to read: “Transfer Tax Rates. The transfer tax is $200.00 for machineguns and destructive devices. The transfer tax is $0.00 for other types of firearms.”
In addition, the Department is making the following changes to Form 4 in anticipation of upcoming regulatory changes, and to make the form easier to read, correct minor errors, and adjust for updated technology: revising the title to be more clear; removing the photo box on the form to allow the option to attach either a passport-style photo or a copy of a photo identification document; combining race/ethnicity items; allowing additional types of electronic/digital signatures; revising the fillable pdf form to link copy 1 and copy 2 so that copy 2 gets populated as the copy 1 is filled in, except for check boxes and signature; adding references to eForms andpay.gov; adding reference to the refund process; removing the CLEO notification requirement and copy; adding instructions for married couples jointly making, transferring, and registering a firearm, as an `other legal entity'; correcting typographical/grammar items; adding email addresses for different questions:nfa@atf.gov, ipb@atf.gov, & nfafax@atf.gov.
Release Date:
08/08/2025
Comment Period:
08/08/2025 to 10/07/2025
Link to Official Document:
Form :
Effective Date Status:
TBD