Latest on CBP form 4457

Hyde Hunter said:

... FYI there are only 2 people that can ask for you stamp, one is an agent with the Treasure Dept. and the other is a ATF agent. the reason for this is the Stamp is a Tax stamp and CBP does not have authority to ask for it even if you are stopped the Police or Game Wardens do not have the right to ask....

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Do you have a reference for that you can share?

Tex .416 said:

Do you have a reference for that you can share?

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that was by an ATF agent I was talking ton 3 years ago and he gave me the (26 U.S.C.# 5841)

The agent in Bozeman wouldn’t list my brother in laws two weeks ago.

On my trip in May, I bought (and left) a suppressor in South Africa. I just didn't want to go with the hassle of "maybe yes it is OK and legal, and maybe no it isn't".

That said, I have heard from my friends at the American Suppressor Association that suppressors are in the process of being moved from the US State Department's US Munitions List or ITAR to the Commerce Department's Export Administration Regulations. This should make it easier to travel out of the country with suppressors.

I went and had my 4457 certified 2 or 3 weeks ago in Nashville and they had zero issues signing off on it. They said just make sure you have your Form 4 when you come back into the country. Other than that, zero issues.

I'd be willing to bet money that if you went back and tried to get them certified again and have another CBP agent, there will be zero issues. It's just like checking guns with airlines. Half the time I'm quoting the airlines own rules to the ticket agent and walking them through the process myself because they don't know.

This is a recurring oddity to Atlanta. My friends and I have gone to Greenville, SC and Chattanooga offices to get our forms done. Not because we must have the supressor on the form but because we WANT the supressor on the form.
Atlanta simply won’t do a form with them included but no other office seems to have any issues with them. I was told in Atlanta directly that “it is a form ONLY for the firearm” but that is certainly not what the form says, and I don’t want to wind up with a stickler agent on the return trip who tries to claim that I am bringing back an undeclared item. I don’t want to get caught between the agent who demands it not be included and some agent who demands it is. (I also carry a separate form for my binos and such... the form is for declaring goods of value to verify that you did not purchase them abroad and are trying to bring them in without customs duties.)
So, were my cans checked during my June trip? No…. But I felt better knowing that they were on the form.

I went to Sacramento (SMF) yesterday to get updated 4457’s for 3 of my rifles. I had filled the forms out ahead of time to save the CBP officer the trouble. When I handed him the forms he noted that I did not have the scopes listed. I told him I’ve always been told by other CBP agents to not to bother including the scope. This agent said I needed to have the scope on there for my own benefit and he wrote them in for me. Even doing that for 3 rifles, I was out of there in about 5 minutes.

The CBP agents in Sacramento have always been easy to work with. Good guys, friendly and efficient. You have to make an appointment, no walk-ins, but I’ve never had any issues getting in & out quickly.

Just got back the States yesterday morning. At the firearm retrieval in Atlanta it went very smoothly. They have a sign out front telling you to bring your passport, 4457, and your hunting boots. They disinfect your boots right there and have you unlock your gun case. When they're ready to inspect they have you open the case and check the rifles against the 4457. They will also ask if you have a suppressor and your tax stamp. They compare the serial numbers to the forms and you're done. It was much easier than I expected and faster than when I came back in 2024. Hope this helps anyone travelling in the future through Atlanta.

Went through this In June. Local Customs guy put in on the 4457 but stated that it didnt need to be on it.

Coming back into the US, in Atlanta, the customs guy asked for it, then quickly changed his mind and asked if I had my tax stamp paperwork. I have pictures of the approved forms on my phone and he was happy with that.

We have always taken them with a SEPARATE 4457, copy of tax stamp, and mouth shut. Come November thanks to many like SCI this concern will be a thing of the past. Suppressors will be off ITAR November 20th!

Rider717 said:

Just got back the States yesterday morning. At the firearm retrieval in Atlanta it went very smoothly. They have a sign out front telling you to bring your passport, 4457, and your hunting boots. They disinfect your boots right there and have you unlock your gun case. When they're ready to inspect they have you open the case and check the rifles against the 4457. They will also ask if you have a suppressor and your tax stamp. They compare the serial numbers to the forms and you're done. It was much easier than I expected and faster than when I came back in 2024. Hope this helps anyone travelling in the future through Atlanta.

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Thanks. This is the first I've heard of them asking for suppressors.

375 Ruger Fan said:

Interesting!

When I moved overseas, my Form 4457 had an attachment that ran several pages. Every household item that was packed and shipped overseas was on it. For a CBP official to say you don't need to put a suppressor on the form is interesting. Some people believe, incorrectly, that a Form 4457 is something exclusively for a firearm. It is not.

CBP Form 4457 (Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad) is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection document used to register high-value personal items. It serves as proof that you owned your items in the U.S. before traveling, which prevents you from paying duty taxes upon your return.

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100%. It’s not relevant for a CBP official to tell you what NOT to put on a 4457. It’s about high value items not just guns. I just returned (through ATL) about 3 weeks ago with a suppressor on a 4457 from a trip to RSA. I have separate forms for each gun, suppressor or high value items that have serial numbers. I have not put scopes on 4457 or had issue with that. On this recent trip the ATL CBP official asked me for the tax stamp and the 4457 on the suppressor. I produced that and had no issues or other comments from CBP.

thinchliff said:

I went to RSA in April. Here is what I learned.
1) CBP in Spokane would NOT list the suppressor on the 4457. He said check as accessory, with copy of stamp.
2) The ATF regulations list things like machine guns, destructive devices, etc, requiring a 5320.20, and do not list suppressors as being required, but also did not affirmatively exclude them. I electronically filed for ATF 5320.20 for my suppressor to be safe. It was free and fairly quick.
3) In ATL, I asked the officer checking us. He said all they care about is your tax stamp, to prove you are not bringing home a foreign suppressor. Of course, he does not work for ATF.

On my next trip, I will do the 5320.20 again, unless wording changes so I'm positive I don't need it. If I was in a quick travel scenario, and it wasn't going to be done on time, I would not be afraid to travel with the can as an accessory in the gun case, with copy of tax stamp rubber banded around it.

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On your next trip you won't have to do anything!

Philip Glass said:

Thanks. This is the first I've heard of them asking for suppressors.

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Ditto, they did not mention/check mine in late June

DLSJR said:

I went to Sacramento (SMF) yesterday to get updated 4457’s for 3 of my rifles. I had filled the forms out ahead of time to save the CBP officer the trouble. When I handed him the forms he noted that I did not have the scopes listed. I told him I’ve always been told by other CBP agents to not to bother including the scope. This agent said I needed to have the scope on there for my own benefit and he wrote them in for me. Even doing that for 3 rifles, I was out of there in about 5 minutes.

The CBP agents in Sacramento have always been easy to work with. Good guys, friendly and efficient. You have to make an appointment, no walk-ins, but I’ve never had any issues getting in & out quickly.

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Scopes are ITARs regulated. I found that out on a trip one year and i did have the forms filled out took 3 months to get my stuff back