An official website of the United States government. Here's how you know
Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation
Home • About Us • CJIS • NICS • Appeals • NICS Appeals Process

Appeals Home

National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Appeals

The NICS is a name check system that queries available records in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the Interstate Identification Index (III), and the NICS Index to determine if prospective firearm purchasers are disqualified from receiving or possessing firearms.

A delayed transaction will be purged from the NICS within 88 days from creation. The NICS Section recommends that you wait 30 days from the date initiating the check prior to filing an appeal on a delay to give the NICS Section’s staff time to complete the initial transaction. If your original background check is completed, the Federal Firearm Licensee will be notified with a final status.

Click the links below for available information and features.

The NICS Section’s Appeal Services Team is currently processing appeal cases received in July 2015 and Voluntary Appeal File (VAF) cases received in June 2015.