To get a concealed carry permit, confirm you meet federal and state eligibility rules, complete an approved firearms training course, and submit an application with fingerprints and the required fees to your local issuing authority (usually the county sheriff or state police). The exact steps vary by state, and in 29 states you can carry concealed without a permit at all, but the sequence below is what applicants face in the states that still issue them.
Step 1: Find Out Whether Your State Requires a Permit
As of 2025, 29 states allow residents to carry a concealed handgun without any permit. In these “constitutional carry” or “permitless carry” states, anyone legally allowed to possess a firearm can carry it concealed in public without applying or training.
Even so, there are reasons to go through the permit process anyway. Other states that honor your home state’s permit won’t honor your lack of one, so a permit is what keeps you legal if you ever travel armed. Some states also grant permit holders exceptions that don’t extend to permitless carriers, including the ability to carry near school grounds under federal law. And having a permit on file tends to speed up background checks the next time you buy a firearm, because you have already been vetted.
Step 2: Confirm You Are Not Federally Prohibited
Federal law sets a floor no state can lower. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), certain people cannot possess any firearm or ammunition, which means they cannot obtain a carry permit regardless of state rules.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
You are federally prohibited if you:
- Have a felony conviction (any crime punishable by more than one year in prison, whether or not you served time).
- Have a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction. There is no exception for government employees, and violations carry up to 15 years in prison.2Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Misdemeanor Crimes of Domestic Violence
- Are subject to a domestic violence restraining order issued after a hearing where you had the opportunity to participate.
- Have been involuntarily committed to a mental institution or adjudicated as mentally defective.
- Use or are addicted to any controlled substance, including marijuana (see below).
- Received a dishonorable discharge from the military.
- Are a fugitive from justice.
- Have renounced U.S. citizenship.
The ATF publishes a plain-language summary of these categories that is worth reviewing before you apply.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
The Marijuana Trap
The controlled substance prohibition catches applicants off guard. Federal law classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. If you use marijuana at all, recreationally or medically, in a state where it is fully legal, you are a federally prohibited person under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3).1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts You cannot legally possess a firearm, let alone hold a carry permit. You do not have to be using while carrying. Being a current user and owning a firearm stored at home is enough to trigger a federal felony. State legalization does not resolve this.
Step 3: Meet Your State’s Eligibility Rules
On top of the federal floor, each state adds its own criteria. The common ones:
- Age. Most states require applicants to be at least 21. A number lower that to 18 for active-duty military and honorably discharged veterans.
- Residency. You generally need to be a resident of the state where you apply. Some states also issue non-resident permits, which can be useful for reciprocity.
- Criminal history. States usually mirror the federal disqualifiers and often add more, such as recent misdemeanor convictions, pending charges, or protective orders that fall outside the federal domestic violence categories.
- Mental health. Most states screen independently for involuntary commitments, and some also consider voluntary treatment or documented mental health crises.
Step 4: Complete Required Training
Most permit-issuing states require firearms training before you apply. Scope varies, but courses generally cover three areas.
Classroom instruction on safe handling, storage, and the mechanics of a handgun: loading, unloading, clearing malfunctions, and storing the firearm so it does not end up in the wrong hands. Legal instruction on your state’s self-defense laws, the use-of-force continuum, and where you can and cannot carry. This is the part that keeps permit holders out of trouble. And a live-fire qualification on a range, where you demonstrate you can safely and accurately fire a handgun under supervision.
Certified instructors at ranges, gun shops, and community colleges run these courses. Time commitment ranges from a few hours to a full weekend, depending on state minimums. Some states waive part or all of the training requirement for active-duty military, veterans, retired law enforcement officers, or holders of permits from other states. Check your state’s exemptions before paying for a course you may not need.
Step 5: Submit the Application
Once you have confirmed eligibility and finished any required training, the application itself is straightforward, if slow.
Start by getting the official application form from your local issuing authority. In most states that is the county sheriff’s office; some states route applications through state police or a dedicated licensing bureau. Many agencies now post the form online, though some still require an in-person visit to pick one up.
Submit supporting documents with the completed form: typically a government-issued photo ID, proof of residency, and your training completion certificate. Nearly every jurisdiction requires fingerprinting as part of the background check. Some agencies handle fingerprinting on-site; others send you to a third-party vendor.
Fees vary widely. Some states charge under $50 for the permit itself. Others charge several hundred dollars once you add application fees, fingerprinting, and state processing charges. Budget for the application fee and the fingerprinting fee separately, since they are usually paid to different offices. Processing times range from about a week in some shall-issue states to six months in jurisdictions with heavy backlogs. Most states set a statutory maximum processing time, but enforcement of that ceiling varies. Approval or denial usually arrives by mail.
What the Bruen Decision Means for Your Application
In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen that states cannot require applicants to show a special need for self-defense before issuing a concealed carry permit. The Court struck down New York’s “proper cause” requirement, which had let officials deny permits to applicants who could not articulate a specific threat to their safety.4Supreme Court of the United States. New York State Rifle and Pistol Association Inc v Bruen
The practical effect for anyone applying today: every state that still issues permits must operate on a shall-issue basis. If you meet the objective eligibility criteria, the state must issue the permit. Officials cannot deny you based on a subjective judgment about whether your reason to carry is good enough. A handful of states are still working through court challenges as they adjust their licensing schemes to comply.
Keeping Your Permit Valid
Concealed carry permits expire. Renewal periods run from two to seven years depending on the state. Renewal is lighter than the initial application in most places: a new form, a renewal fee, and an updated background check. Some states require refresher training; many do not. Renewal fees tend to be lower than the initial cost.
Most states also require you to report a change of address or legal name to the issuing authority, typically within about 30 days. Missing that deadline can technically invalidate your permit in some jurisdictions even though your underlying eligibility has not changed. Treat it the same way you would treat updating your driver’s license after a move.
A permit authorizes concealed carry, but it does not override the state, federal, and private-property restrictions on where you can actually carry, and it does not automatically travel with you across state lines. Before you carry outside your home state, verify reciprocity with your issuing state’s attorney general or law enforcement agency. State carry laws change often; check your issuing agency’s website periodically so the rules you learned when you first applied are still the rules in force.