FBI NICS E-Check Online
The FBI Instant Criminal Background Check Online Service
The Federal Bureau of Investigation operates an online gun background check system called NICS E-Check. It’s made available to Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) buying and selling firearms, explosives, and high-caliber weapons.
The service grew out of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. It’s free for FFL holders and provides instant background checks for gun purchasers, with fast notification of approval or denial through high-speed searches of the FBI’s criminal database.
An FFL enrolls once with NICS, then registers separately for E-Check access. From there, checks can be run from any computer with an internet connection — no special hardware required at the counter.
24/7
E-Check availability
$0
Cost to enroll or run a check
17 hrs
Daily phone-line hours
Getting Set Up
Three steps from enrollment to your first online check
Enroll with NICS. Every FFL completes a one-time enrollment to receive the codes their store uses to identify itself in the system.
Register for E-Check. The store’s primary user completes online registration and can then add credentials for each employee who will run checks — logins aren’t meant to be shared.
Submit the check. After the buyer completes ATF Form 4473, the FFL submits the request through E-Check and receives a proceed, delay, or deny response electronically.
Built Around Security
E-Check lets an FFL initiate an unassisted NICS background check for a firearm transfer over the internet. Security was a priority throughout its development: the system is monitored around the clock for misuse or unauthorized access, and it denies access outright to anyone whose identification it doesn’t recognize.
NICS Section — E-Check Support
Phone
1-877-444-6427 (option 3)
echeck@leo.gov
