C&R License Rules: Record-Keeping, Inspections and Shipping
A Type 03 license is simple to get and easy to misuse by accident. Licensed collectors must keep a record of what they acquire and dispose of, may be inspected by the ATF, and must follow specific steps when guns arrive or leave. This guide covers the federal rules that matter day to day. It pairs with our guides on applying for a C&R license and what qualifies as a curio or relic, and the general overview in our complete C&R guide.
Reviewed against 27 CFR Part 478 and ATF.gov in October 2026. General information, not legal advice. Regulations are amended; confirm current requirements with the ATF.
The acquisition and disposition record
Under 27 CFR 478.125(f), each licensed collector must enter into a record each receipt and disposition of firearms that are curios or relics. Two deadlines are the ones to remember:
- Acquisitions must be recorded no later than the close of the next business day after you acquire the firearm.
- Sales or other dispositions must be recorded no later than seven days after the transaction.
The regulation prescribes the information the record has to contain. It includes a description of the firearm (manufacturer or importer, model, serial number, type and caliber or gauge), the date of the transaction, and the name and address of the person you got it from or gave it to, or that person's license number when they hold one. Read the current text of 478.125(f) and use its table as your checklist.
The same section lets you hold a commercial record, such as a dealer's invoice that contains all the required acquisition details, for up to seven days before you transfer the information into your bound record, provided you keep it separate from other documents and available for inspection. The Director of Industry Operations can also authorize alternate records that accurately and readily disclose the required information, so ask your ATF field office before you build your own system.
Keep your record where the regulations require it and keep the records for as long as 27 CFR 478.129 requires. Check that section for current retention periods rather than relying on a figure from a forum.
Buying a curio or relic
When you order from a dealer or another licensee, send the seller a copy of your license so they can ship to your licensed address. A licensed dealer who transfers a curio or relic to a licensee who has shown a copy of the license does not complete a Form 4473 or run a background check for that transfer, because you are a licensee. Record the receipt in your book by the next business day.
A private seller who is not a licensee can sell you a curio or relic across state lines because you are a licensed collector, but ask the seller to confirm that they are following the law in their own state. Know your state's law as well, because some states require a background check, a permit or a transfer through a dealer regardless of your federal license.
Selling or transferring a curio or relic
You may dispose of curios and relics from your collection, but a collector's license does not allow you to be in the business of dealing. Frequent, repeated sales to make a profit risk crossing that line. The ATF looks at whether you devote time and effort to buying and selling firearms as a regular course of trade to earn a livelihood and profit. Record every disposition within seven days, and follow your state's rules on buyer checks and residency.
Shipping
A licensed collector can have curios and relics shipped to their licensed address by a seller or carrier. Several practical rules apply:
- Provide the shipper a copy of your license.
- Carriers and the Postal Service have their own rules for shipping firearms, and they differ for handguns and long guns. Confirm the carrier's current policy before you ship or accept a package.
- Interstate shipment of a curio or relic to you as a licensee does not need to pass through a local dealer, but state law may still require it.
- If you are shipping a firearm to someone who is not a licensee in another state, it must go to a licensed dealer in that state.
ATF inspections
Federal law limits warrantless inspection of licensed collectors. Under 18 U.S.C. 923(g)(1), the ATF may inspect a collector's inventory and records to ensure compliance with record-keeping requirements no more than once in any twelve-month period, or at any time when the inspection is needed to determine the disposition of particular firearms in a bona fide criminal investigation. In practice, being ready means your record is complete, in order and available, and the firearms listed in it can be accounted for.
Common violations
- Missing the next-business-day entry for an acquisition, or the seven-day entry for a sale.
- Incomplete entries, such as a missing serial number or a missing seller identification.
- Treating the license as authority to deal, or buying modern firearms as if they were C&R.
- Letting the license expire and then buying curios and relics as a licensee.
- Ignoring state law on transfers.
Violations can lead to warning letters, a hearing on revocation, civil action or criminal penalties depending on the facts. For a broader view of ATF enforcement, see ATF compliance for FFL holders.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Form 4473 when I buy from a dealer as a C&R licensee? Not for a transfer to a licensee where you have supplied a copy of your license, but you must record the acquisition.
How long do I have to record a purchase? By the close of the next business day.
How long do I have to record a sale? Within seven days.
Can ATF inspect me whenever it wants? For record-keeping compliance, no more than once in twelve months, with the criminal-investigation exception above.
Can I sell guns to make money? No. The license does not authorize dealing.