Fillable Form ATF 4473

What is Form ATF 4473?

Form ATF 4473, Firearms Transaction Record, is a U.S. Department of Justice form proclaimed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (AFT) to be filled out by individuals purchasing a firearm from a Federal Firearms License (FFL) holder or a gun shop.

The information and certification on this form are designed so that a person licensed under 18 U.S.C. 923 may determine if he or she may lawfully sell or deliver a firearm to the buyer, and alert the buyer of certain restrictions on the receipt and possession of firearms.

The seller of a firearm must determine the lawfulness of the transaction and maintain proper records of the transaction. Consequently, the seller must be familiar with the provisions of 18 U.S.C. 921-931 and the regulations in 27 CFR Parts 478 and 479. In determining the lawfulness of the sale or delivery of a rifle or shotgun to a resident of another State, the seller is presumed to know the applicable State laws and published ordinances in both the seller’s State and the buyer’s State. (See ATF Publication 5300.5, State Laws and Published Ordinances.)

Generally, ATF Form 4473 must be completed at the licensed business premises when a firearm is transferred over the counter. Federal law, 18 U.S.C. 922(c), allows a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to sell a firearm to a non-licensee who does not appear in person at the licensee’s business premises only if the buyer meets certain requirements. These requirements are set forth in section 922(c), 27 CFR 478.96(b), and ATF Procedure 2013-2.

After the transferor or seller has completed the firearms transaction, he or she must make the completed, original ATF Form 4473 (which includes the Notices, General Instructions, and Definitions), and any supporting documents, part of his or her permanent records. Such Forms 4473 must be retained for at least 20 years and after that period may be submitted to ATF.

Forms 4473 for denied or canceled transfers must be retained. If the transfer of a firearm is denied or canceled by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), or if for any other reason the transfer is not completed after a NICS check is initiated, the licensee must retain the ATF Form 4473 in his or her records for at least 5 years.

If the seller or the buyer discovers that Form 4473 ATF is incomplete or improperly completed after the firearm has been transferred, and the seller or the buyer wishes to correct the omissions or errors, photocopy the inaccurate form and make any necessary additions or revisions to the photocopy. The seller should only make changes to Sections B and D. The buyer should only make changes to sections A and C. Whoever made the changes should initial and date the changes. The corrected photocopy should be attached to the original Form 4473 and retained as part of the seller’s permanent records.

How to fill out Form ATF 4473?

Using PDFQuick, you can electronically fill out and download a PDF copy of the ATF 4473 Form in minutes. Fill it out by following the instructions below.

Transferor’s/Seller’s Transaction Serial Number

Enter the transferor’s or seller’s transaction serial number, if any.

Section A – Must Be Completed Personally By Transferee/Buyer

Item 1

Enter your full name, following the format: Last Name (include suffix), First Name, Middle Name.

If your legal name contains an initial only, enter “IO” after the initial. If you have no middle initial or name, enter “NMN”.

Item 2

Enter your current state of residence and address, including number and street address, city, county, state, and ZIP code.

A rural route (RR) may be accepted provided that you live in a State or locality where it is considered a legal residence address. County and Parish are one and the same. 

If you are a member of the Armed Forces on active duty, your State of residence is the State in which your permanent duty station is located. If you are acquiring a firearm in a State where your permanent duty station is located, but you reside in a different State, you must list both your permanent duty station address and your residence address. If you have two States of residence, you should list your current residence address.

Item 3

Enter your place of birth, either fill in the U.S. City and State box or the Foreign Country box, whichever is applicable.

Item 4

Enter your height, both in feet and inches.

Item 5

Enter your weight in pounds.

Item 6

Mark the appropriate box for your sex. You may select:

Item 7

Enter your date of birth following the format: Month, Day, Year.

Item 8

Enter your social security number (SSN).

Item 9

Enter your unique personal identification number (UPIN), if applicable.

For transferees or buyers approved to have information maintained about them in the FBI NICS (Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System) Voluntary Appeal File, NICS will provide them with a UPIN, which the transferee or buyer should record. The licensee should provide the UPIN when conducting background checks through the NICS or the State Point of Contact (POC).

Item 10a

Mark the appropriate box for your ethnicity. You may select:

Ethnicity refers to a person’s heritage. Persons of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race, are considered Hispanic or Latino.

Item 10b

Mark the appropriate box for your race. You may select:

Any other race or ethnicity that does not fall within those indicated, select the closest representation.

Federal regulations (27 CFR 478.124(c)(1)) require licensees to obtain the race of the transferee or buyer. This information helps the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and/or State Point of Contact (POC) make or rule out potential matches during the background check process and can assist with criminal investigations.

Item 11a

Mark the appropriate box if you are an actual transferee or buyer of the firearms listed on this form. You may select:

A person is an actual transferee or buyer if he or she is purchasing the firearm for him or herself or otherwise acquiring the firearm for him or herself. A person is also the actual transferee or buyer if he or she is legitimately purchasing the firearm as a bona fide gift for a third party. A gift is not bona fide if another person offered or gave the person completing this form money, services, or items of value to acquire the firearm for him or her, or if the other person is prohibited by law from receiving or possessing the firearm.

Warning: You are not the actual transferee or buyer if you are acquiring the firearms on behalf of another person. If you are not the actual transferee or buyer, the licensee cannot transfer the firearms to you.

Exception: If you are picking up a repaired firearm for another person, you are not required to answer Item 11a and may proceed to Item 11b.

Item 11b

Mark the appropriate box if you are under indictment or information in any court for a felony or any other crime for which the judge could imprison you for more than one year. You may select:

Generally, 18 U.S.C. 922(g) prohibits the shipment, transportation, receipt, or possession in or affecting interstate commerce of a firearm by one who:

Furthermore, section 922(n) prohibits the shipment, transportation, or receipt in or affecting interstate commerce of a firearm by one who is under indictment or information for a felony in any Federal, State, or local court, or any other crime, punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Information is a formal accusation of a crime verified by a prosecutor.

A member of the Armed Forces must answer “yes” to Item 11b or Item 11c if charged with an offense that was either referred to a General Court Martial or at which the member was convicted.

Item 11c

Mark the appropriate box if you have ever been convicted in any court of a felony, or any other crime for which the judge could have imprisoned you for more than one year, even if you received a shorter sentence including probation. You may select:

Exception: A person who has been convicted of a felony, or any other crime, for which the judge could have imprisoned the person for more than one year, or who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, is not prohibited from purchasing, receiving, or possessing a firearm if:

Item 11d

Mark the appropriate box if you are a fugitive from justice. You may select:

Any person who has fled from any State to avoid prosecution for a felony or a misdemeanor; or any person who leaves the State to avoid giving testimony in any criminal proceeding. The term also includes any person who knows that misdemeanor or felony charges are pending against such person and who leaves the State of prosecution.

Item 11e

Mark the appropriate box if you are an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance. You may select:

Warning: The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.

Item 11f

Mark the appropriate box if you have ever been adjudicated as a mental defective or have you ever been committed to a mental institution. You may select:

A determination by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that a person, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, or mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease:

This term shall include:

A formal commitment of a person to a mental institution by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority. The term includes a commitment to a mental institution involuntarily. The term includes a commitment to mental defectiveness or mental illness. It also includes commitments for other reasons, such as drug use. The term does not include a person in a mental institution for observation or a voluntary admission to a mental institution.

Exception: Under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, a person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution in a State proceeding is not prohibited by the adjudication or commitment if the person has been granted relief by the adjudicating or committing State pursuant to a qualifying mental health relief from disabilities program. Also, a person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution by a department or agency of the Federal Government is not prohibited by the adjudication or commitment if either:

Persons who fall within one of the above exceptions should answer “no” to Item 11f. This exception to adjudication or commitment by a Federal department or agency does not apply to any person who was adjudicated to be not guilty by reason of insanity, or based on lack of mental responsibility, or found incompetent to stand trial, in any criminal case or under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Item 11g

Mark the appropriate box if you have been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions. You may select:

Discharged “under dishonorable conditions” means separation from the Armed Forces resulting from a dishonorable discharge or dismissal adjudged by a General Court-Martial. This term does not include any other discharge or separation from the Armed Forces.

Item 11h

Mark the appropriate box if you are subject to a court order restraining you from harassing, stalking, or threatening your child or an intimate partner or child of such partner. You may select:

Under 18 U.S.C. 922, firearms may not be sold to or received by persons subject to a court order that:

An “intimate partner” of a person is the spouse or former spouse of the person, the parent of a child of the person, or an individual who cohabitates or has cohabitated with the person.

Item 11i

Mark the appropriate box if you have ever been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. You may select:

A Federal, State, local, or tribal offense that is a misdemeanor under Federal, State, or tribal law and has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with, or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.

The term includes all misdemeanors that have as an element the use or attempted use of physical force or the threatened use of a deadly weapon (such as assault and battery), if the offense is committed by one of the defined parties.

See Exception on Item 11c. A person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence also is not prohibited unless:

Persons subject to this exception should answer “no” to Item 11i.

Item 12a

Mark the appropriate box for your country of citizenship. You may select:

Mark more than one box, if applicable. 

Item 12b

Mark the appropriate box if you have ever renounced your United States citizenship. You may select:

Item 12c

Mark the appropriate box if you are an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States. You may select:

Item 12d1

Mark the appropriate box if you are an alien who has been admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa. You may select:

An alien admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa includes, among others, persons visiting the United States temporarily for business or pleasure, persons studying in the United States who maintain a residence abroad, and certain temporary foreign workers. These aliens must answer “yes” to Item 12d1 and provide the additional documentation required under Item 18c.

Permanent resident aliens and aliens legally admitted to the United States pursuant to either the Visa Waiver Program or to regulations otherwise exempting them from visa requirements may answer “no” to Item 12d1 and are not required to submit the additional documentation under Item 18c.

Item 12d2

If you marked “yes” in the preceding item, mark the appropriate box if you fall within any of the exceptions stated in the instructions in Item 12d1.

Item 13

If you are an alien, enter your US-issued alien or admission number.

US-issued alien and admission numbers may be found on the following U.S. Department of Homeland Security documents:

If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. national, you should leave this item blank.

Item 14

By signing, you certify that your answers in Section A are true, correct, and complete. You have read and understood the notices, instructions, and definitions on ATF Form 4473. You understand that answering “yes” to Item 11a if you are not an actual transferee or buyer is a crime punishable as a felony under Federal law, and may also violate State and/or local law.

You understand that answering “yes” to any of the Items 11b through 11i and/or Items 12b through 12c prohibits you from purchasing or receiving a firearm. You understand answering “yes” to Item 12d1 prohibits you from receiving or possessing a firearm unless you answered “yes” to Item 12d2 and provide the documentation required in Item 18c.

You also understand that making any false oral or written statement, or exhibiting any false or misrepresented identification with respect to this transaction, is a crime punishable as a felony under Federal law, and may also violate State and/or local law. You further understand that the repetitive purchase of firearms for the purpose of resale for livelihood and profit without a Federal Firearms License (FFL) is a violation of Federal law. 

Under 18 U.S.C. 922(a)(1), it is unlawful for a person to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. A person is engaged in the business of dealing in firearms if he or she devotes time, attention, and labor to dealing in firearms as a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit through the repetitive purchase and resale of firearms. A license is not required of a person who only makes occasional sales, exchanges, or purchases of firearms for the enhancement of a personal collection or for a hobby, or who sells all or part of his or her personal collection of firearms.

Affix your signature.

Item 15

Enter the date you certified the form.

Section B – Must Be Completed By Transferor/Seller

Item 16

Mark the appropriate boxes for the type of firearms to be transferred. You may select:

“Other” refers to frames, receivers, and other firearms that are neither handguns nor long guns (rifles or shotguns), such as firearms having a pistol grip that expel a shotgun shell, or National Firearms Act (NFA) firearms, including silencers.

If a frame or receiver can only be made into a long gun (rifle or shotgun), it is still a frame or receiver, not a handgun or long gun. However, frames and receivers are still “firearms” by definition, and subject to the same Gun Control Act (GCA) limitations as any other firearms. See Section 921(a)(3)(B).

Section 922(b)(1) makes it unlawful for a licensee to sell any firearm other than a shotgun or rifle to any person under the age of 21. Since a frame or receiver for a firearm, including one that can only be made into a long gun, is a “firearm other than a shotgun or rifle,” it cannot be transferred to anyone under the age of 21, nor can these firearms be transferred to anyone who is not a resident of the State where the transfer is to take place. Also, note that multiple sales forms are not required for frames or receivers of any firearms, or pistol grip shotguns, since they are not “pistols or revolvers” under Section 923(g)(3)(A).

Item 17

If the transfer is at a qualifying gun show or event, enter the name of the function and the city and state where it will be held.

As defined in 27 CFR 478.100, a gun show or event is a function sponsored by any national, State, or local organization, devoted to the collection, competitive use, or other sporting use of firearms, or an organization or association that sponsors functions devoted to the collection, competitive use, or other sporting use of firearms in the community.

Item 18a

Enter the transferee’s or buyer’s issuing authority and type of identification, the number of identification, and the expiration date of identification (if any), following the format: Month, Day, Year.

Before a licensee may sell or deliver a firearm to a non-licensee, the licensee must establish the identity, place of residence, and age of the transferee or buyer. The transferee or buyer must provide a valid government-issued photo identification document to the transferor or seller that contains the transferee’s or buyer’s name, residence address, and date of birth.

A driver’s license or an identification card issued by a State in place of a license is acceptable. Social Security cards are not acceptable because no address, date of birth, or photograph is shown on the cards. A combination of government-issued documents may be provided.

If the transferee or buyer is a member of the Armed Forces on active duty acquiring a firearm in the State where his or her permanent duty station is located, but he or she has a driver’s license from another State, the transferor or seller should list the transferee’s or buyer’s military identification card and official orders showing where his or her permanent duty station is located. Licensees may accept electronic permanent change of station (PCS) orders to establish residency.

Item 18b

Enter the transferee’s or buyer’s supplemental government-issued identification. 

Licensees may accept a combination of valid government-issued documents to satisfy the identification document requirements of the law. The required valid government-issued photo identification document bearing the name, photograph, and date of birth of the transferee or buyer may be supplemented by another valid, government-issued document showing the transferee’s or buyer’s residence address. This supplemental documentation should be recorded, with the issuing authority and the type of identification presented. 

Item 18c

If the transferee or buyer answered “yes” to Item 12d2, he or she must record the type of documentation showing the exception to the prohibition and attach a copy to this ATF Form 4473.

An alien admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa is not prohibited from purchasing, receiving, or possessing a firearm if the alien:

Note: Items 19 through 21 must be completed prior to the transfer of the firearms.

Item 19a

Enter the date the transferee’s or buyer’s identifying information in Section A was transmitted to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or the appropriate State agency, following the format: Month, Day, Year.

Item 19b

Enter the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or State transaction number, if provided.

Item 19c

Mark the appropriate box for the initial response provided by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or the appropriate State agency. You may select:

Enter the date the firearms may be transferred if the State law permits (optional).

If the NICS provides a “proceed” response, the transaction may proceed. If the NICS provides a “canceled” or “denied” response, the transferor or seller is prohibited from transferring the firearm to the transferee or buyer. If the NICS provides a “delayed” response, the transferor or seller is prohibited from transferring the firearm unless 3 business days have elapsed and, before the transfer, the NICS or the State has not advised the transferor or seller that the transferee’s or buyer's receipt or possession of the firearm would be in violation of law. (See 27 CFR 478.102(a) for an example of how to calculate 3 business days.)

If NICS provides a “delayed” response, the NICS also will provide a Missing Disposition Information (MDI) date that calculates the 3 business days and reflects when the firearms can be transferred under Federal law. States may not provide an MDI date. State law may impose a waiting period on transferring firearms.

Item 19d

Mark the appropriate boxes for the following responses later received from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or the appropriate State agency. You may select:

Item 19e

Enter the date the firearm was transferred, following the format: MM/DD/YYYY.

Mark the appropriate box for the response received from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or the appropriate State agency. You may select:

Item 19f

Enter the name and Brady identification number of the NICS examiner.

Item 19g

Enter the name of the Federal Firearms License (FFL) employee completing the NICS check (optional).

Item 20

Mark the box if no NICS check was required because a background check was completed during the National Firearms Act (NFA) approval process on the individual who will receive the NFA firearms, as reflected on the approved NFA application. 

A NICS check is not required if the transfer qualifies for any of the exceptions in 27 CFR 478.102(d). Generally, these include:

If the transfer qualifies for one of these exceptions, the licensee must obtain the documentation required by 27 CFR 478.131. A firearm must not be transferred to any transferee or buyer who fails to provide such documentation.

A NICS check must be conducted if an NFA firearm has been approved for transfer to a trust, or to a legal entity such as a corporation, and no background check was conducted as part of the NFA approval process on the individual who will receive the firearm. Individuals who have undergone a background check during the NFA application process are listed on the approved NFA transfer form.

Item 21

Mark the appropriate box if no NICS check was required because the transferee or buyer has a valid permit from the State where the transfer is to take place, which qualifies as an exemption to the NICS.

Enter the issuing state and permit type, date of issuance (if any) following the format: MM/DD/YYYY, expiration date (if any) following the format: MM/DD/YYYY, and permit number (if any).

Section C – Must Be Completed Personally By Transferee/Buyer

Item 22

If the transfer takes place on a different day from the date that you signed Section A, the licensee must again check your photo identification at the time of the transfer.

By signing, you certify that your answers to the items in Section A of this form are still true, correct, and complete.

Affix your signature.

Item 23

Enter the date you recertified the form following the format: MM/DD/YYYY.

Section D – Must Be Completed By Transferor/Seller

Item 24

Enter the manufacturer and importer of the firearms. 

Item 25

Enter the model of the firearms.

Item 26

Enter the serial number of the firearms.

Should you acquire a firearm that is legally not marked with a serial number, enter “NSN” (No Serial Number), “N/A” or “None”.

Item 27

Enter the type of firearms.

Types of firearms include, but are not limited to: pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, receiver, frame, and other firearms that are neither handguns nor long guns (rifles or shotguns), such as firearms having a pistol grip that expel a shotgun shell (pistol grip firearm) or NFA firearms (machinegun, silencer, short-barreled shotgun, short-barreled rifle, destructive device or “any other weapon”).

Additional firearms purchases by the same transferee or buyer may not be added to the form after the transferor or seller has signed and dated it. A transferee or buyer who wishes to acquire additional firearms after the transferor or seller has signed and dated the form must complete a new ATF Form 4473 and undergo a new NICS check.

Item 28

Enter the caliber or gauge of the firearms.

Note: If more than four firearms are involved in a transaction, the information required by Section D, Items 24 to 28, must be provided for the additional firearms on a separate sheet of paper, which must be attached to this ATF Form 4473.

Item 29

Enter the total number of firearms transferred. Handwrite by printing zero, one, two, three, and others. Do not use numerals.

Item 30

Mark the box if any part of this transaction is a pawn redemption. 

Item 31

This item is for the licensee’s use in recording any information he or she finds necessary to conduct business.

Item 32

Mark the box, or write “Private Party Transfer” in Item 31, if the licensee is facilitating the sale or transfer of a firearm between private unlicensed individuals in accordance with ATF Procedure 2013-1. This will assist the licensee by documenting which transaction records correspond with private party transfers, and why there may be no corresponding A&D entries when the transfer did not proceed because it was denied, delayed, or canceled.

Item 33

Enter the trade or corporate name and address and Federal Firearms License number of the transferor or seller.

Item 34

Enter the printed name of the transferor or seller.

Item 35

By signing, the transferor or seller certifies that they have read and understood the notices, instructions, and definitions on this ATF Form 4473; the information recorded in Sections B and D are true, correct, and complete; and this entire transaction record has been completed at their licensed business premises unless this transaction has met the requirements of 18 U.S.C. 922(c).

Unless this transaction has been denied or canceled, the transferor or seller further certifies on the basis of:

It is the transferor’s or seller’s belief that it is not unlawful for them to sell, deliver, transport, or otherwise dispose of the firearms listed on this form to the person identified in Section A.

Affix the transferor’s or seller’s signature.

Item 36

Enter the transferor’s or seller’s title.

Item 37

Enter the date the firearms were transferred.