Obtaining the CT, FL, ME, NH and PA non-resident licenses
Editor's Note, September 2010: Laws and rules change. While the author sought to ensure accuracy at the time this article was published, it is incumbent upon the reader to verify any potential changes since then.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This article is no longer being updated by the author and will become increasingly out-dated.
This section discusses turn-around times, between submission of a completed non-resident application, and delivery of the licenses/ permit, that were experienced first-hand by the author, in the summer of 2008. Since November of 2008, applications have surged across the country, and many states are experiencing curshing workloads to process them, particularly Florida. Delivery times described may no longer accurately reflect the current time needed to process the application.
CONNECTICUT - Can be obtained by mail
Everything needed to apply for the Connecticut non-resident license will be sent to you at no cost, by calling the Connecticut Department of Public Safety, Division of State Police, Special Licensing and Firearms Unit, at (860) 685-8494. You'll be sent a packet of forms to be filled out and mailed back. Look for them to arrive in the mail, within a week.
Mail everything to:
Division of State Police
Special Licensing and Firearms Unit
1111 Country Club Road
Middletown, CT 06457
You will need to submit the following with your application:
Completed fingerprint cards (both a state and federal card are supplied with the packet.)
A check for $70 for the license itself.
A separate check for $19.25, for the background check.
A copy of any firearms training certificate that meets the minimum necessary requirements
(See the important notations regarding what is acceptable, and what must be provided.)
Evidence of citizenship (a copy of birth certificate, US passport, or voter registration card.)
Veterans must include a copy of their DD-214
The white form DPS-129-C must be notarized.
A color passport-type photo must accompany the DPS-129-C.
The yellow form DPS-799-C must be notarized.
The white form DPS-249-C Authorization for Release of Personal Information must be notarized.
This form (included in the packet) is optional, but may be necessary for processing the application.
The total cost is $89.25, is valid for 5 years, and it takes up to 8 weeks to process the application.
FLORIDA - Can be obtained by mail
The necessary forms can be requested from the web site of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Licensing. Point your web browser to the following web page:
Mail everything to:
Division of Licensing
P.O. Box 6687
Tallahassee, Florida 32314-6687
There are 4 items you will need to order from the web page:
The materials will be mailed to you at no cost, and will arrive in about a week. Follow the instructions and complete the forms.
You will need to submit the following with your application:
Copies of any firearms training certificates (Page 2 of the instructions lists what's acceptable)
You must be fingerprinted by a law enforcement agency (Important – see the FINGERPRINT CARD INSTRUCTIONS note on Page 3 of the instructions)
The application will need to be notarized when you sign
The cost is $117, is valid for 7 years, and it takes up to 90 days to process the application.
MAINE – Can be obtained by mail
The necessary forms can be obtained from the web site of the Maine Department of Public Safety, Maine State Police.Point your web browser to the following web page:
Select “Weapons Permits and Professional Licensing”. You will need the “Concealed Firearms Booklet” (this explains Maine's firearms laws) and the “Non-resident Concealed Firearms Permit Application”.
Mail everything to:
Dept. of Public Safety – Maine State Police
Licensing Division
164 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0164
Phone (207) 624-7210
You will need to submit the following with your completed application:
Photocopies of all concealed firearms permits/licenses you may have from other states
A copy of your DD-214 (if you were in the military)
A copy of your birth certificate or INS document
Two color passport photos
Proof of knowledge of handgun safety (copies of any firearms training certificates you may have)
The cost is $60, is valid for 4 years, and the time to process the application is up to 60 days for non-resident licenses.
NEW HAMPSHIRE – Can be obtained by mail
Download the “Application for Non-Resident Pistol / Revolver License” available at the following web page:
Mail everything to:
Permits and Licensing Unit
33 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03305
You will need to submit the following with your completed application:
The cost is $100, is valid for 4 years, and according to the State Police web site, the time to process is listed as 14 days. If denied, you will receive written notification of the reason for denial. If you have not received a response after three weeks, call (603) 271-3575. (Update: The recorded greeting on that phone number indicates that processing of applications is currently taking one month.)
PENNSYLVANIA – Can be obtained by mail
The necessary application form can be obtained from the web site of the Centre County Sheriff by pointing your browser to the following link:
Mail everything to:
213 East High Street
Bellefonte, PA 16823
You will need to submit the following with your completed application:
A photocopy of your Drivers License
A Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope
The cost is $26, is valid for 5 years, and the time to process was an astounding 9 days! (This even included a weekend,and two days postal transit time in each direction. I was so impressed with what I calculate was a 3-day in-office turn-around, that I sent a personal "Thank You" to Centre County Sheriff Denny Nau and his staff.) Not all PA Sheriffs handle the application and issuance process entirely by mail, but Centre County does.
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