When you're thinking about getting a federal firearms license (FFL), one of the things you may wonder about is how long it's going to take the ATF to approve your FFL application, and give you a federal firearms license.

The ATF portion of the FFL application process takes no more than 60 days after the Federal Firearms Licensing Center receives your properly completed application. ATF must provide an answer (approve or deny) for Form 7 applications.

However, the total time to get an FFL can be longer because there are things you'll need to do before submitting your application. This is especially true if you try to do this on your own and piece together random and conflicting advice online. You'll not only spend the time researching, you'll very likely spend more time fixing mistakes and issues such as an incomplete application, local requirements, or problems with your proposed business location can cause delays.

Below, we'll break down the complete timeline from preparing to apply through your ATF interview and receiving your FFL.

FFL Application Timeline at a Glance

Although ATF is required to process your application within 60 days, the total process can take longer depending on how prepared you are before applying.

Stage	Typical Time
Prepare to Apply	A few days to several weeks
Complete Form 7 & Supporting Documents	A few hours to a few days
ATF Application Processing	About 60 days
Background Checks	Completed during ATF processing
ATF IOI Interview	Completed during ATF processing
Final Decision / FFL Issued	Generally within the 60-day ATF process

Bottom line: If you're prepared before you apply, you can reasonably expect the entire process to take about two months after ATF receives your properly completed application. Problems with your application, business location, zoning, or other state and local requirements can cause delays.

How Long Does it Take to Get an FFL?

So, how long does it take to get an FFL? It takes 2 months to get an FFL (assuming certain things, which I'll explain further down).

To be clear, The BATF only has 2 months to approve or deny your application (I'll explain more below). However, the ATF might be faster, and/or you might be slow on your part - yes, you have a part in becoming an FFL holder.

From this point on, assuming you haven't already signed up for, and are working through, our How to Get an FFL course (because this is covered in the course), you have three different phases that will each have their own time commitment before you can be a firearms dealer or manufacturer (or even a home-based FFL).

• Phase 1 - Preparing to Apply
• Phase 2 - Completing the FFL Application
• Phase 3 - ATF Application Review

Preparing to Apply

Before completing your application, you'll need to determine which FFL type you need, decide how your business will be structured, identify your licensed premises, and make sure your planned business activities comply with applicable state and local laws (including zoning), determined who the Responsible Persons (RPs) will be on your license, and determined what other registrations you may need (e.g. SOT, ITAR, FAET, etc).

For someone who already has these decisions made, or who understands all of the requirements and how they apply to their particular scenario, this may take only a few hours. If you need to research all of this and then figure out how to establish a business, find a location, or resolve zoning issues, it could take several weeks or longer.

Completing and Submitting Your FFL Application

Once you're prepared, you'll complete ATF Form 7 and submit the required supporting information for yourself and any other Responsible Persons associated with the FFL. One packet of information will go to the ATF and another packet (with different information) will go to your local CLEO.

The application itself shouldn't take very long if you've done the preparation beforehand. The important part is making sure it is complete and accurate before submitting it, because errors or missing information can delay the process and can cause serious trouble with the ATF down-the-road.

ATF Review and Approval

By law, the ATF has 2 months to approve or deny your application.

Assuming everything is correct with your application (which it should certainly be if you followed along in our course), you've met each FFL requirement, you (or any other potential responsible person) aren't a prohibited person, you've filled out each copy of the ATF Form 7 properly, etc. etc., then you will likely be a Federal Firearms Licensee within 2 months.

What Can Delay an FFL Application?

ATF currently lists approximately 60 days as the processing time for a properly completed FFL application. However, certain issues can slow down the process.

Common causes of delays include:

• Incomplete or inaccurate applications – Missing information or errors on Form 7 may need to be corrected before ATF can complete its review.
• Missing fingerprints, photographs, or Responsible Person information – Required supporting documents must be submitted for each Responsible Person.
• Background check issues – Anything requiring additional investigation can delay processing.
• Zoning or local-law problems – Your proposed FFL business must comply with applicable state and local requirements.
• Problems with the licensed premises – ATF must be satisfied that you have a qualifying location from which you intend to conduct your licensed activities.
• Scheduling the ATF interview – Your application is referred to a local ATF field office and an Industry Operations Investigator must complete the required interview and review.
• Application corrections – If the IOI discovers an issue with your application or proposed business during the interview, you may need to correct it before the application can be approved.

The best way to avoid unnecessary delays is to make sure your application, business structure, location, and local requirements are in order before you submit Form 7.

FFL Application Timing FAQs