How to Fill Out the LEOSA Application (HR 218) for Retired Officers

There is no single form to fill out for the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. To carry under LEOSA (18 U.S.C. § 926C, often called HR 218), a retired officer needs two separate documents: a photographic identification card issued by the former agency, and a firearms qualification certificate obtained within the last 12 months. The application process for the ID card is run by each agency individually, and the qualification is something you arrange and pay for yourself. This guide walks through both steps and the eligibility check that comes before them.¹

Confirm You Qualify Before You Apply

Section 926C defines a “qualified retired law enforcement officer” through conditions that must all be true. Work through them before you spend time on paperwork:

You separated from a public agency in good standing. You were not fired for misconduct and did not resign under investigation.
Before separating, you held a position with statutory powers of arrest and were authorized to investigate or prosecute violations of law.
You have at least ten aggregate years of law enforcement service. Time at multiple agencies counts toward the total. The only exception is separation because of a service-connected disability, in which case you qualify if you completed your probationary period.
You are not under the influence of alcohol or any intoxicating substance when you carry.
You have not been officially found by a qualified medical professional employed by the agency to be unqualified for mental-health reasons.
You are not prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm. A felony conviction, a domestic-violence misdemeanor, or an active protective order disqualifies you regardless of your service record.¹

Former military police and civilian Department of Defense police officers qualify under the same terms, with arrest authority tied to Article 7(b) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Each branch runs its own program with additional filters. The Marine Corps, for example, limits eligibility to specific military occupational specialties (5803, 5811, 5805, 5821) and civilian job series (0083 and 1811), and requires that the applicant’s last law enforcement assignment was with the Marine Corps.²

Step 1: Apply to Your Former Agency for the Photo ID

Contact the human resources or personnel office of the agency you retired from. There is no federal portal. Some agencies accept applications by email with password-protected attachments. Others require you to appear in person or mail a physical packet. Many state and local applications route through the sheriff’s office or the state Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) commission.

Federal civilian agencies each issue LEOSA cards through their own internal programs. Customs and Border Protection accepts applications starting 30 days before separation and requires CBP Form 79, a passport-style photo, your most recent SF-50 or DD-214, and a self-obtained FBI Identity History Summary Check.³ The Air Force Office of Special Investigations uses OSI Form 108.⁴ The Diplomatic Security Service and the DoD Office of Inspector General run their own processes as well.

Documents You Will Typically Need

A photocopy of your driver’s license or government-issued ID as proof of identity.
Proof of service: your retirement certificate, a formal letter from the agency head, or your most recent SF-50 for federal retirees. If your ten-year total combines multiple agencies, you need a letter from each one verifying your dates of service and departure in good standing.⁵
A recent passport-style photograph. CBP specifies a white or off-white background, no glasses, no uniform, and no filters or AI alterations.³
The agency’s specific application form. CBP uses Form 79, the Air Force OSI uses Form 108, and many state and local agencies have their own paperwork.

Fees and Timing

Fees vary. Some agencies charge nothing. Maryland State Police charges $8.⁶ Others charge more. Ask up front. Processing times also range widely; the DoD Office of Inspector General estimates about 30 days after receiving all required materials.⁷

One thing the statute does not do: give you a federal right to force your former agency to issue the ID. If an agency refuses or delays, there is no federal remedy. Retirees whose former agencies have been dissolved or reorganized sometimes have real trouble getting credentials, and the only workaround is documenting your service through whatever successor agency or records office exists.

What the Card Must Say

The photographic ID must identify you as a current or former law enforcement officer of the issuing agency. A standard retirement badge, a military retiree card, or a Common Access Card does not satisfy the statute. The card has to specifically reference your law enforcement status.

Step 2: Complete the Annual Firearms Qualification

Your LEOSA authority is only as current as your last qualification. The statute requires you to have passed a firearms proficiency test within the most recent 12-month period, at your own expense. Let that window lapse, even by a day, and you lose the federal exemption until you requalify.¹

Who Can Administer the Test

You do not have to go back to your former agency. The qualification can be conducted by:

Your former agency, if it runs a retiree qualification program.
Your state of residence, through its POST commission or a state-approved program.
Any law enforcement agency in your state of residence, if the state itself has not set qualification standards.
A certified firearms instructor qualified to conduct qualification tests for active-duty officers in your state.⁵

Going through an independent certified instructor is often the simplest path, especially if you have moved far from your former agency.

What the Course of Fire Looks Like

The specific course varies because the statute ties the standard to what active-duty officers in your area must pass. A typical qualification runs 25 rounds at distances from 3 to 15 yards, with timed strings that include strong-hand-only and support-hand-only shooting. Most require a minimum score of around 70 percent on a standard silhouette target. Your instructor or qualifying agency will tell you their exact course before you shoot.

The statute uses the word “type” of firearm, and that means handgun versus long gun, not a specific make, model, or caliber. If you qualify with any semi-automatic pistol, you can carry any semi-automatic pistol. The certificate does not need a serial number for a specific weapon, even if a particular agency asks for one.

What You Must Carry Every Time

LEOSA’s legal protection kicks in only when you have both required documents physically on you. The State Department’s guidance is direct: retired officers “must have their LEOSA photographic identification card and their current annual state firearms test certification in their possession at all times when carrying a concealed firearm under LEOSA authority.”⁵ Missing either one is the same as having neither.

Where LEOSA Still Doesn’t Let You Carry

The statute preserves two categories of state authority. States can enforce laws that let private property owners prohibit concealed firearms on their premises, including bars, private clubs, amusement parks, and any business posting a “no firearms” sign. States can also restrict firearms on state or local government property, including courthouses, government buildings, and state parks.¹

LEOSA also does not override federal law. Under 18 U.S.C. § 930, carrying into a federal building where federal employees work is a criminal offense punishable by up to one year in prison, and the exception for officers on official duty does not cover a retiree carrying under LEOSA.⁸ Post offices, federal courthouses, VA hospitals, Social Security offices, and visitor centers inside national parks are off limits, and so are commercial aircraft.⁹

State magazine-capacity and ammunition-type restrictions still apply. If you travel to a state that bans magazines over ten rounds or prohibits hollow-point ammunition, those laws bind you. Check state law before crossing any line.

One more limit worth knowing: LEOSA is a self-defense privilege, not a restoration of police authority. CBP’s own page says the act “does not grant law enforcement authority or authorize the use of firearms beyond self-defense.”³ You carry as a private citizen with a federal exemption from concealed-carry permit requirements, and no more.

Mistakes That Void Your Coverage

Letting the qualification lapse. Your 12-month window runs from the date on your last certificate. Set a reminder well before the expiration date, not on it.
Carrying without both documents. Having the ID but not the qualification certificate, or the reverse, leaves you unprotected.
Relying on the wrong photo ID. A military retiree card, a CAC, or a generic government ID does not satisfy the statute.
Assuming your former agency has to help. If the agency has been dissolved or is unresponsive, plan on delays and work through the successor agency or state POST commission.
Ignoring state-specific restrictions. LEOSA gets you past the state permit requirement. It does not get you past private-property signage, state building restrictions, magazine limits, or ammunition bans.

The paperwork is the whole job. Confirm eligibility, get the photographic ID from your former agency, qualify once a year with a recognized instructor or agency, and carry both documents whenever you carry a firearm.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926C – Carrying of Concealed Firearms by Qualified Retired Law Enforcement Officers
2
Marine Corps Law Enforcement. Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act
3
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA)
4
Office of Special Investigations. Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act
5
United States Department of State. Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) FAQs
6
Maryland Department of State Police. Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act ID Card
7
Department of Defense Office of Inspector General. Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act Cards
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
9
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Legal Digest – Off-Duty Officers and Firearms