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Get your Federal Permit? How long did it take?


grehorst

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Congrats BVS! Out of curiosity, how long did it take to sort out the bond issues?

Just over 2 weeks. I'm not aging any spirits, so I left "warehouse" off the form (and the amount of the bond). Apparently I still qualify as a warehouseman so I should have included that. We had to execute a new bond under a different surety. Would have been quicker, but somehow USPS lost the package over what amounts to a 45 minute drive. Really only takes a while because the TTB needs physical copies with ink signatures and corporate seals -- the new bond itself was ready in a couple days.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Applied 6/28/12, approved 8/27/12. Went very smoothly. Would have probably been a few weeks faster if I hadn't submitted without the bond!

The State of Hawaii has a much more involved process, sadly. Still hoping to launch my brand early next year, though.

Quick newbie question. Is there any filing I need to do with the TTB once licensed even thought I am not in operation? A form with all zeros, for example?

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Yes, monthly reports are filed online. Be careful with the keyboard when doing so, as pressing "enter" or "return" may immediately file the report. Which means you have to file an amended report in case you weren't actually done.

In the meantime, pour yourself a cold one, as it may be several weeks before your COLAs Online access is granted.

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Jedd is right on the money....

I don't know if anyone else has had this issue, but at the beginning of 2012, I put 2011 on my excise tax returns. A habit, I suppose. The system didn't catch my mistake either, so it was a big hassle. In January of 2012, I put January 2011 and filed it. Then I had to fix it. That meant there were (3) January 2011 filings: the original in Jan 2011, the mistake in January of 2012...filed as January 2011, and the amended January 2011 to fix the mistake. Then I had to do the actual January 2012 filing. Is that clear as mud?

Anyway, be careful when using the online stuff. It's a great deal easier; maybe too easy sometimes.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We just filed our federal permit application using Permits Online. I'll update everyone on our progress!

We're just happy to be taking this step and getting closer to our goal!

A special Thanks to all those people that have given us advice, posted their experiences in this forum, and provided their expertise. We are extremely grateful!

Chris Burnette

Mad Buffalo Distillery

Union, Missouri

Chris Burnette

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

We are 2 1/2 months waiting. Filed online, all paperwork completed and submitted including bond which was also sent snail mail. Turned over to a specialist on Nov. 6th for review and here we sit. Hard to be patient! lol I figure if something was not right they would contact me but nothing at this point. I

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I submitted in September and waited till Nov. 6th when it was turned over to a specialist. Now its just sitting with the specialist under review. I know Chris at Mad Buffalo submitted his after I did by a couple weeks and he received approval several weeks ago. It is frustrating. I've been back through my paperwork several times thinking I did something wrong but nothing pops out. Filed online and according to the online permit website the average time is 67 days to process. I'm way past that.

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If you haven't done so, call the TTB and ask about the status. Sometimes they just get lost track of. Be polite in your query, TTB agents are overworked.

I've been a little hesitant to call but its worth a try. Thanks.

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Just an update- called Tuesday and was transferred to a specialist who they said was reviewing my application. This was not the same person listed online as reviewing my application. I left a message with my record number and that I was inquiring as to the status of my application. Haven't heard anything as of today. The wait continues...

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Well we hit the send button today 12-18-12 for our DSP and filed online. Need to fax a couple of documents (got 15 days, but will do by end of this week) to conclude what I felt we needed for the filing. I'm sure there will be additional information requested. I'll keep a keen eye out on this and post as things transpire. I am definitely proceeding with the mind set of " under promiss and over deliver ". We'll see how long it takes.

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Wanted to give you all an update. I called the TTB regarding my app on Dec 11th and left a message. Also emailed on that Friday. Got a response this Monday Dec 17th with apologies etc.. My application was given to a specialist and I heard from her on Tuesday the 18th with 7 items to address. They included things like what electric company we had and since I had borrowed funds from one of my other companies to fund the distillery she wanted a signed statement from me as to whether my other company had any interest in the distillery. I did it as a loan from the company with a promissory note but they wanted the statement also. The other items were along those lines. Then after everything was satisfied my bond was incorrect. lol This was corrected and my app was processed and forwarded for final disposition. All this took place this week via email with the specialist. The experience with the specialist was excellent and timely. I received notice from her this morning that my app was ready for final review and it should happen within 2 weeks depending on their backlog.

So, looks like we are very close. I wish I would have made contact with them a month ago but didn't want to push and cause myself any grief. I can only guess my application fell through the cracks somewhere as I received a couple of apologies from a couple people and when they got it going the specialist working on it moved very quickly. All in all its been a good experience working with the TTB at this point.

Hope this is helpful to any of you who are in the process.

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Wow. I don't get it. I submitted mid September, had to address a bond issue (one week delay), clear up some drawings and name a coupe of fermenters (this all occured weeks ago) and here I sit at day 100 still waiting. I noticed that the average approval times have raised drastically to 86 for online and 98 for paper, so something must be up. The holidays don't help either, I guess. I do feel for the TTB agents, I know they're slammed and they're really nice folks, but its hard to be paying rent and looking at a cold, idle Still wrapped up in a tarp.

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