Step-by-step guide
New Jersey Non-Resident – New & Renewals
Quick GlanceHow out-of-state residents apply for a New Jersey Permit to Carry: qualify, consent forms, apply online, then fingerprints.
Where You Can Carry — See the Map
Out of State Applicants: If you live outside of the State of New Jersey and are not a dual resident, your application will be automatically assigned to one of 18 NJSP Stations upon submission after you respond "NO" to the first question in the online application "Are you a NJ resident or a dual resident". You will be notified of which NJSP Station your application was assigned to via your confirmation page at the end of applying and your application confirmation email.
Fees, references and training per the NJSP instructions for out-of-state residents (rev. 03/03/2026).
Step 1: Check If You Qualify
You live outside New Jersey. You do not need an FID card or any other New Jersey permit first.
You are not barred under N.J.S.A. 2C:58-3(c). For example: no conviction for any crime, or for a domestic violence disorderly persons offense, and no domestic violence restraining order against you.
You have no mental health commitment on record, unless a court has expunged it.
You have not done or said anything suggesting you are likely to be a danger to yourself or others.
You have passed New Jersey's CCARE range qualification with a certified instructor (form SP-182). Another state's permit or training does not replace it.
You already own every handgun you will list.
You have four references who are not related to you by blood or law and have known you for at least 3 years.
You sign New Jersey's mental health records consent (SP-066). If you lived in New York in the last ten years, New York's own form is needed too.
Step 2: Live-Fire Qualification
The Certification form (NJSP Safe Handling and Proficiency Certificate, PDF) signed by your instructor, and a copy of the instructor's certificate showing that you passed the firearms proficiency qualification.
New Jersey requires a live-fire qualification, which almost every shooting range in NJ offers; some ranges in NY offer it too. Prices vary. (The NYS 18-hour certificate is not accepted in NJ.)
The qualification form asks for your SBI number. You can leave it blank if you haven't been fingerprinted yet.
Step 3: Mental Health Consent Forms
Consent for Mental Health Records release form for the state of New Jersey - SP-066 (NJSP form SP-066, PDF). Please note: anyone can sign the "witness" line on this form. It does not have to be a trooper.
If you lived in New York in the past 10 years: New York's additional consent form to release your New York State mental health background check (NYS OMH 11 consent form, PDF).
Page 1, top left: fill in your full name, gender, date of birth and Social Security number. Skip A. Page 2: enter your name, go to section C, then sign, print your name and add today's date.
Combine the NY mental health form and NJ form SP-066 into one PDF; the upload box in the application takes only one file.
Be patient: the NYS mental health office is slow to send your report back to the NJSP. It accepts the forms by fax but mails the report back by regular first-class mail, which is unreliable. Expect 2–4 weeks at best.
Step 4: Apply Online
NJ Concealed Carry Permit application (NJ portal). Do this only once you have completed Steps 1 to 3.
Upload a photograph: a recent, clear color photo of your face taken within the last six (6) months.
Photo rules
The photograph should resemble the one displayed on your driver's license or passport. However, DO NOT use the photographs from those identifications as your image. The uploaded photograph MUST be taken in civilian attire against a light background, without wearing a hat or glasses.
You may upload a recent, clear selfie or headshot with no one else in the photo, provided that the image adheres to the above listed requirements.
Applications submitted with a photograph that does not meet the requirements may be cancelled. Please note that there are no refunds for cancelled applications.
Training: A PowerPoint presentation will appear. This is the State's "mandatory" firearms training. All you have to do is click through the slideshow. There is no quiz or test on the material.
SBI number: in this box, type your FID/SBI number.
Personal Information, Identification Information: Fill out all fields appropriately.
Handgun information: the make, model, serial number and caliber of each firearm you intend to carry.
References: the first and last name, address, phone number and email address of 4 references who are not related to you by blood or by law. Each gets an email survey, and your application won't move until they all answer it. Double-check their names and emails before you submit, and tell them to watch for an email from the NJ portal's no-reply address (and to check spam/junk).
Review the application: if everything looks OK, proceed to the payments page.
Then click Submit.
Step 5: Get Fingerprinted
Every firearm applicant in New Jersey must be fingerprinted once for the background check. Out-of-state applicants who have never been fingerprinted in New Jersey should apply first. (This changed: you used to get fingerprinted before applying.)
After you apply and pay for your application online, the NJSP will send you via email the detailed instructions on how to get fingerprinted.
After you submit, you have 90 days to be fingerprinted at IdentoGO or the application is cancelled without a refund.
The background investigation does not start until you tell your assigned station that you were fingerprinted.
Step 6: After You Apply
Status Updates
Your assigned NJSP station must give you a status update when one is available, including a possible completion date. Check your spam or junk folder for all emails from the online firearm systems or firearms coordinator from the state or local police department where you applied prior to inquiring about your application.
Do not contact the NJSP Firearms Investigation Unit.
Revisions
Your assigned NJSP station must make any revisions you request to your references' information, for example a reference's email.
Check Your Status (Works Once Approved)
NJSP concealed carry permit verification (NJ portal)
Once your permit is issued, enter your SBI number and date of birth on the NJSP lookup. It shows if it's active and when it expires.
It does not show the status of a pending application. While you wait, your NJSP station will email you when your status changes.
Check Your Permit to CarryOnce Approved
The New Jersey State Police will email you your approval along with a secured PDF of your license. You will not receive a physical card.
A metal card instead of a printout
If you would like to have your license (whether it's the FID or PTC) printed on a sleek metal card instead of printing and laminating it yourself, I recommend a service run by a close friend of mine, a fellow Hatzalah member and dedicated 2A supporter. Simply send him your PDF file, and within a few days, you'll receive the impressive metal card(s) in the mail.
Fill out the short form with your payment details and send the PDF file you received from the NJSP (the PDF itself, not a picture of it).
Open the Metal Card Order Form
Tips from Others' Experience
Make sure your references' names and email addresses are correct before submitting, and tell them to check their spam/junk folder for the survey. Your application will not process until these references fill out their survey.
Contact and Hours
Your confirmation page and confirmation email name the NJSP station assigned to your application. Email that station for updates or problems. Contact your assigned station by email, not by phone or in person.
If you were fingerprinted in New Jersey before and can't find your SBI number, NJSP's Firearms Investigation Unit can look it up (subject line: SBI number request, out of state PTC). First-time applicants don't need to ask: your station adds it after you're fingerprinted. The unit does not answer status questions. Its contact details are on the NJSP Firearms FAQ.
If you reside in a STATE POLICE AREA and have a question regarding your application, contact your State Police station firearms investigator: NJSP station contact emails and ORI list.
Please note: These contacts are listed for reference only. Please use them only when truly needed, for example for a question that your application and the official instructions don't answer. The 18 station firearms email addresses below match NJSP's official list.
Troop A: South
Troop B: North
Notices from NJSP
Notice received by 2A613 (general rules)
Posted as received; not independently verified as coming from NJSP.
If you send us an email, and the answer is on our website, your email will not be answered.
You will receive a status update about your permit when the status changes, not upon request - so please do not call or email.
Please make sure the emails for your references are correct. We are having numerous applicants inputting the incorrect email addresses. Entering incorrect email addresses will delay your application.
All FID card updates are automated, and you will receive an email when the application is complete.
A NJ Firearms ID card is NOT required to apply for a concealed carry permit.
For any Firearms related questions, please visit the NJSP Firearms Page.
DO NOT contact us with any issues with your local police department and firearms.
Totowa Station: Form SP-224 (municipal records check)
To continue the process of your New Jersey Permit to Carry or Firearms ID Card Application, please complete Part I and Part II only.
After both parts are complete, please fax, email, or drop off the form to your local police department. Your police department will then provide the form back to us. Do not send the form to us.
Please do not contact us asking if we received a response from your local police department. We will follow up with each police department if we do not hear back from them. We are only asking that you complete the form and send it to your local police department.
If you have any issue with the form, please contact us in a separate email and advise us of the issue. (Please leave the fields, Dealer Name and Dealer License # dashed out as it does not apply to you):
The forms: SAMPLE FORM and a BLANK SP-224 FORM.
If you reside in NYC, please complete the Municipal Records Check Form and send back to us using the instructions below:
Create a new email with the subject line "NYPD ICCU, Your Name". Please attach the Municipal Records Check file and send. If you do not follow these instructions, we will not receive your email.
The email address to send this form to is: [email protected]
Official Sources
More Out-of-State Permits
More out-of-state permits: step-by-step guides for Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington DC and Washington State, all compared on Out of State Non-Resident Permits. Visiting a state that gives New Yorkers no permit? See the visitor guides for Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin.
Where You Can Carry
You Cannot Carry in These States (15)
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington State, Washington, DC
Dark green: you can carry. Your licenses are honored there (or it is the state that issued the permit).
Light green: you can carry with no permit. That state lets visitors carry with no permit at all. Age limits and rules apply.
Red: you cannot carry here. None of your licenses is honored there, and visitors may not carry without one. Do not carry.
Washington, DC does not recognize any other state's license — you need a DC Concealed Carry Pistol License.
Virginia: changes July 1, 2027 — a new law (SB 115) replaces honoring all states with an Attorney General list not yet published.
Before You Travel
- Check every state on your route. Read the official state police or attorney general website for each state you will pass through. Laws change, and this map can fall behind.
- Verify your exact permit type is honored. Many states honor only permits issued to residents of the issuing state, not non-resident permits.
- Resident vs. non-resident rules differ. A state may treat the same permit differently depending on where you live.
- Permitless carry has limits. Some permitless-carry states allow it only for their own residents, or only from a certain age.
- Review each state's carry laws. Know where carry is banned (schools, government buildings, bars, parks, transit and more) and the rules for carrying in a car.
- Duty to inform. Some states require you to tell a police officer right away that you are carrying.
- Ammunition. Some states restrict hollow-point ammunition (for example, New Jersey). Check what you may carry.
- Magazine capacity. Magazine limits differ by state.
- Type of firearm. Some places ban certain firearms (for example, AR-style rifles are not allowed in New York City).
- Interstate travel (safe passage). Under federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 926A (part of the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986, signed by President Reagan), you may transport a firearm through a state where you cannot legally carry, if you may lawfully possess and carry it at both your starting point and your destination. The firearm must be unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition may be readily accessible from the passenger compartment: keep them in the trunk, or, in a vehicle without a trunk, in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. Stops along the way can complicate this protection, so verify before you travel. Read 18 U.S.C. § 926A
Checked November 2026. Laws change: always verify before you travel. This is general information, not legal advice.
Disclaimer: All information on this page was gathered from official state websites and other public sources and is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice. Gun laws and reciprocity agreements change often and without notice, and 2a613.com cannot guarantee that this information is complete, accurate or current. 2a613.com, its owners and contributors are not responsible or liable for any mistakes, omissions or outdated information, or for any action taken based on this page. Before you carry in or travel through any state, confirm the current law directly with that state's Attorney General or State Police, and consult a licensed attorney when in doubt. You alone are responsible for knowing and following the laws wherever you are.
New to the terms? See the 2A Glossary.
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Your Application, Handled From Start to Finish.
One-on-one help with new applications and renewals. The decision to carry is yours; the paperwork, the checklists and the scheduling are ours.
- We Prepare the PaperworkEvery form filled out and submitted for you. Notary services available.*
- We Check Every DocumentEvery requirement checked and met, 100%, before anything goes in.
- You Show Up ReadyYour 18-hour training scheduled, and you're prepped for fingerprinting and the interview.
Three Steps. Zero Guesswork.
- 1Tell Us What You NeedFill out the short request form.
- 2We Review & AdviseWe review your situation and advise on the best approach.
- 3You Apply With ConfidenceYour packet goes in complete, and we stay with you to the finish line.
Every completed application we've handled so far has been approved — but approval is always the agency's decision.
Or message us on WhatsAppA paid service. Every free guide stays free. *Additional fees and restrictions apply. Past results do not guarantee future approval.
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