NYC gun license requirements
It's a long list, but it isn't a mystery. Here's the whole shape of it, in plain English.
A NYC gun license comes down to four things: you must be at least 21, you must complete 18 hours of state-approved training, you must assemble about 24 documents — including four notarized character references, a notarized statement from every adult in your home, a three-year social media list, and photos of your safe — and you must file the application yourself with the NYPD License Division. None of it is hard on its own. All of it together is why people stall.
First: are you eligible?
Before you spend a dollar on training, find out whether you can apply at all. The age rule is absolute. Everything else — your history, your household, your address — is worth understanding early, because it changes what your file looks like.
You must be at least 21 years old to apply.
Set by NYPD License Division · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
Sealed and dismissed arrests are still disclosed on a New York firearms application.
Set by CPL Article 160 · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
We can explain a rule. We can't tell you what your specific arrest means for your specific application — that's legal advice, and it takes a lawyer. If your history is complicated, we'll say so and point you to one.
The training
18 hours, a state-approved instructor, and a test. The part people miss is the clock on it: your certificate goes stale. Take the course too early and you take it twice.
New York's Concealed Carry Improvement Act requires 18 hours of training — 16 hours of classroom instruction plus 2 hours of live-fire — with a state-approved instructor, and a written test passed at 80% or higher.
Set by New York State (CCIA) · DCJS · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
Your training certificate must be dated within 6 months of when you file.
Set by New York State (CCIA) · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
The documents
Roughly two dozen of them. Here's what they actually are, without the form numbers:
Four character references
Four people who'll vouch for you, each on a form they have to sign in front of a notary. They can't be relatives. This is the piece that depends most on other people, so it's the piece to start first.
A statement from every adult at home
Everybody 21 or older living in your home signs a notarized statement about you having a handgun there. Roommates count. Adult kids count. In-laws visiting for six months count.
Three years of social media
A list of the accounts you've had over the past three years. Not your passwords, not your posts — the accounts.
Photos of your safe
Two pictures of the safe you'll store the handgun in: one with the door open, one with it closed.
Your full history, told straight
Arrests, orders of protection, license denials, certain job separations. Sealed and dismissed arrests still get disclosed here — the instinct to leave those off is the single most dangerous instinct in this process. An omission is its own problem, separate from whatever happened.
The ordinary paperwork
Proof of who you are and where you live, your training certificate, passport photos, the application itself, and the fees. Tedious, not hard.
Not every item applies to everyone — the list changes depending on your track, your household, and your history. Build your free personalized checklist to see just your list, or read how it works for the full document list with citations.
Four character references are required, and they must be notarized.
Set by 38 RCNY Chapter 5 · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
A notarized affidavit is required from every adult living in your home.
Set by 38 RCNY Chapter 5 · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
A three-year list of your social media accounts is part of the application.
Set by New York State (CCIA) · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
Photographs of your gun safe — door open and door closed — are part of the application.
Set by NYPD License Division · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
And then you file it — you, personally
This one isn't a technicality. The application is yours; you submit it and you sign it. Nobody can stand in for you at the License Division except a New York-licensed attorney. What we do is get the file right before it leaves your hands.
You submit your own application. A consulting firm cannot file for you or represent you before the License Division — only a New York-licensed attorney may represent an applicant.
Set by NYPD License Division · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
What are the requirements for a NYC gun license?+
Four things, at the top level: you must be at least 21, you must complete 18 hours of state-approved training, you must assemble roughly 24 documents — including four notarized character references, a notarized statement from every adult in your home, a three-year social media list, and photos of your safe — and you must file the application yourself with the NYPD License Division.
How old do I have to be?+
21. There's no version of this for someone younger.
How much training is required?+
18 hours — 16 hours of classroom instruction plus 2 hours of live fire — with a state-approved instructor, and a written test you have to pass at 80% or better. Your certificate has to be dated within six months of when you file, so don't take the course a year ahead of everything else.
Do I have to tell them about an arrest that was sealed or dismissed?+
Yes. Sealed and dismissed arrests are still disclosed on a New York firearms application. We'll never help you leave something off — the whole point of a careful application is that it's complete and true. If your history is complicated, that's a conversation for an attorney, and we'll point you to one.
Do my roommates really have to sign something?+
Yes. Every adult living in your home signs a notarized statement. It surprises people, and it's a common reason applications stall — so find out who needs to sign before you start collecting anything else.
What does all of this cost?+
The two government fees are the $340 NYPD application fee and the $88.25 State fingerprint fee, both paid directly to the government. Training and notarization are billed by those providers. The full breakdown is on our cost page.
Start where it's cheapest to start: finding out where you stand.
Check your eligibility