How long does a NYC gun license take?
About six months on the NYPD's side — plus however long you take to get ready. Here's where the time actually goes.
A NYC gun license takes roughly six months from a complete submission to the decision letter — covering the interview, fingerprinting, the FBI background check, and the character investigation. The clock starts when your application is complete, not when you decide to apply, so the time you spend getting your paperwork right comes on top of that. Nobody can make the NYPD move faster; the only half of the calendar anyone can control is your own.
Stage by stage
Two clocks run here, not one. The first is yours and starts today. The second is the NYPD's and doesn't start until your file is complete.
- 01
Getting your file ready
Weeks, and it's the part you control
Nothing starts until your application is complete. This is where the 18 hours of training, four notarized references, statements from the adults in your home, and the rest of the paperwork come together. Most people lose more time here than anywhere else — and it's the only stretch where moving faster is up to you.
- 02
You file it
One day
You submit your own application to the NYPD License Division and pay the fees directly. We can't file it for you, and neither can any other consulting firm.
- 03
Interview and fingerprinting
Scheduled by the License Division
The NYPD brings you in to go through your application in person and takes your prints. Your prints then go to New York State and the FBI.
- 04
Background and character investigation
The long middle
This is the bulk of the six months. An investigator runs your criminal history, contacts your references, and looks at the picture your application paints. There's no queue you can see and no status bar. It takes what it takes.
- 05
The decision letter
The end of the road
The License Division writes to you with its decision. If something is missing or unclear, expect a request for more information first — which pauses the clock until you answer.
What actually causes delays
Almost every application that runs long runs long for one of these four reasons. All four happen before you file — which means all four are fixable.
An incomplete package
The single biggest cause of delay. A missing signature, an unnotarized reference, an unanswered question — each one buys a letter from the License Division and weeks of waiting for your reply. The six months only starts counting from a complete submission.
Your training certificate aging out
Your certificate has to be dated within six months of filing. People finish the 18 hours early, then spend months chasing references — and the certificate goes stale before the package is ready. Then it's 18 hours again. Take the course when the rest of your file is close to done, not before.
Chasing your references
Four people have to sit down, fill out a form, and get it notarized. They're doing you a favor and they have their own lives. Ask early, ask people who'll actually follow through, and make the notary part easy for them.
Everyone at home
Every adult living in your home has to sign a notarized statement. One roommate who travels for work can hold up an entire application. Find out who needs to sign before you start.
The honest part: the wait is the wait
We won't pretend otherwise. The License Division decides on its own schedule, and no consultant, course, or fee changes that. What a good process does is make sure the six months is six months — not six months plus three rounds of letters asking for the thing you forgot. Here are the rules behind all of it, with sources:
Roughly six months is typical from a complete submission to the decision letter, covering the interview, fingerprinting, the FBI background check, and the character investigation.
Set by NYPD License Division · 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 NYPD retains full investigative discretion over the decision.
Set by NYPD License Division · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
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
How long does a NYC gun license take?+
Roughly six months is typical from a complete submission to the decision letter. That covers the in-person interview, fingerprinting, the FBI background check, and the character investigation. The clock starts when your application is complete — not when you decide to apply.
Can anyone make the NYPD go faster?+
No. The NYPD License Division keeps full investigative discretion over both the decision and the pace of it. Anyone who tells you they can move you up the line is telling you something that isn't true. What you can control is your side: filing a complete, accurate package the first time so there's nothing to send back.
What's the most common reason applications take longer than six months?+
An incomplete package. A missing notarization or an unanswered question means a letter from the License Division and weeks of waiting for your reply. Every gap in your paperwork is time added to the end.
When should I take the 18-hour training course?+
Not first. Your training certificate must be dated within six months of when you file, so if you take the course and then spend five months collecting references, the certificate can go stale before you submit. Line the course up with the back half of your prep.
How long does the paperwork take to put together?+
It varies a lot, because most of it depends on other people — four references who need to visit a notary, the adults in your home, an instructor's class schedule. People who work at it steadily tend to measure this in weeks. People who start and stop tend to measure it in months.
Does the six months include the time to get ready?+
No. The six months is the NYPD's side, starting from a complete submission. Your prep time comes before that and is entirely separate — which is the good news, since it's the half you can actually do something about.
The fastest thing you can do today is find out where you stand.
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