Frequently Asked Questions

According to the FBI, NICS is a national database containing records of persons who are disqualified from receiving firearms. The system’s computer and analysis center is in West Virginia, with the FBI running its operation.

It’s designed to handle most checks within about two minutes, at a rate of roughly 150 transactions a minute. It’s open 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time, seven days a week, closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

See the FBI’s NICS regulations →

Access depends on the state where the dealer does business. In some states, the dealer contacts a designated state point of contact (POC) for all transfers. In others, the dealer contacts the NICS Operation Center directly. In a third group of states, the dealer contacts the state POC for handgun transfers and the NICS Operation Center for long gun transfers.

The ATF is responsible for establishing the regulations around Brady Act implementation, including how dealers should contact NICS and how permit-exemption questions are resolved. Dealers reach NICS either directly — by a toll-free call or online — or through their local point of contact.

No. The FBI does not charge the dealer or the state agency to check the NICS system.

When a dealer contacts NICS by phone, they call a toll-free number and confirm their identity along with their FFL number and dealer-selected password, then provide the buyer’s name, date of birth, sex, and race, plus whether the transfer is a handgun or a long gun. A buyer with a common name can optionally provide a Social Security number to speed up the check.

The system checks that information against its database of prohibited persons. No match means the sale is approved, and the system issues a NICS Transaction Number (NTN) that the dealer logs on Form 4473 before the transfer proceeds. If a sale is denied, the FFL is required to keep the partially completed Form 4473 on file.

A “hit” triggers a delay instead: an analyst reviews the record further and typically calls the dealer back within a few hours. By law the FBI has up to three business days to respond, though the agency says nearly every delay is resolved within a day; more complex cases can take up to 72 hours to end in a proceed or deny.

Buyers who believe they were denied in error can appeal — see our Denial Appeals Process page.

You’ll complete ATF Form 4473, and the dealer will call the number the state provides. The state office contacts NICS, checks your name against the database of disqualified persons, and passes a NICS Transaction Number back to the dealer to record on the form. The transfer can proceed only if no matching record turns up. Once Part B of the 4473 is completed, the transfer is complete and you take possession of the firearm. Your state may also require additional forms or assign its own state transaction number.

A permit that meets ATF’s criteria exempts its holder from a NICS check at the point of sale, and a qualifying handgun permit can also cover long gun purchases. New buyers without a permit still need a NICS check, and every “permit state” is required to build a NICS check into its permit application process. Renewing a permit also triggers a NICS check.

The exemption only applies if the permit was issued within the last five years and the permit process confirmed the holder doesn’t violate federal or state law. A permit older than five years, or a new applicant, still needs a NICS check.

NICS goes beyond criminal records and criminal history. It also includes Department of Defense records on dishonorable discharges, State Department records on renounced citizenship, and other information that a typical criminal background check wouldn’t surface.

Firearms subject to the National Firearms Act — machine guns, destructive devices, and similar items — are exempt once approved for transfer under 27 CFR Part 179. Transfers are also exempt where the Secretary of the Treasury has determined that a NICS check is impractical, based on a low ratio of law enforcement officers to land area (fewer than 25 officers per 10,000 square miles) combined with a lack of telecommunications facilities.

A single NICS check is valid for 30 days and can cover more than one firearm, as long as the additional firearms are part of the same transaction. A transaction is considered complete once Part B of Form 4473 is executed and the customer takes possession of the firearm.

No. In either case — a gunsmith returning a repaired firearm, or a manufacturer returning one after modification — no NICS check is required.

Under federal law, firearms that meet the legal definition of an antique aren’t classified as “firearms” at all. A licensed curio-and-relic collector selling from their own private collection doesn’t need a NICS check, and holders of a BATF collector’s license are exempt when transferring curio or relic firearms. But if that licensed dealer sells a curio or relic to a member of the public, a NICS check is required.

If a dealer isn’t notified of a denial within three business days, the transfer may proceed. If a state POC network specifically fails, the dealer should contact NICS directly instead.

If your state’s permit qualifies as an alternative under the NICS system, the permit holder is exempt from a NICS background check for that purchase.