For Immediate Release
Contact: Jim Crandall
(202) 927-8500
February 21, 2002
FY-02-05

New Requirements for Import Permits for Nonimmigrant Aliens
Bringing Firearms and Ammunition Into the United States
Washington, DC — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)
and the United States Customs
Service (Customs) announce new regulations affecting the purchase,
possession, and importation of firearms and
ammunition by nonimmigrant aliens entering the United States. The
rules serve to implement the provisions of
Public Law 105-277, passed by Congress in 1998 to amend the Gun
Control Act of 1968.

Among other provisions relating to domestic sales of firearms and
ammunition, the new regulations require
nonimmigrant aliens who bring firearms or ammunition into the
United States for hunting or sporting purposes to
obtain an approved import permit from ATF prior to entering the
U.S. The regulations are effective February 19,
2002.

In order to obtain an import permit, a nonimmigrant alien must file
an ATF Form 6. The February 2002 revision of
the form is currently available on the ATF internet web site at:
www.atf.treas.gov. The form will also be available
from any ATF field office, and the ATF Imports Branch (650
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20226) in the near future. Background information and filing
instructions are attached to each form. A
nonimmigrant alien applying for an import permit must submit the
Form 6 accompanied by documentation (such as
a valid hunting license or permit lawfully issued in the United
States or an invitation to a shooting match) which
establishes that he falls within an exception to the general
prohibition on nonimmigrant aliens possessing or
receiving firearms or ammunition.

Upon receiving the Form 6, ATF’s Firearms Import Branch in
Washington, DC, examines it, and either approves
the permit application or denies it. If the contemplated
importation is approved, the permit is valid for 12 months
from the date of approval. ATF then returns the approved permit and
attached documentation to the applicant,
along with a restriction stating that the specified firearm or
ammunition must be taken out of the United States
when the individual leave this country.

The ATF Form 6 and any other necessary documents must then be
presented to Customs at the time of entry into
the U.S. The Customs officer handling the importation will
determine whether the entry is in order, and will then
allow the nonimmigrant alien to bring the firearms into the U.S.

For further information, contact the ATF web site for the full text
of TD-ATF-471 (the rule establishing the
regulation changes), for Questions and Answers on the new rules,
and for copies of revised Forms 6. Interested
persons may also contact Customs at www.customs.gov or your nearest
port of entry.