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Where to apply for an LTC or FID in your town

  1. 1. Find your licensing authority:

    You apply at the police department of the city or town where you live, because the head of its police is the licensing authority. If a town has no police chief or other officer in charge of its police, the State Police take that role.

  2. 2. Take the safety course:

    A first application needs the Massachusetts Basic Firearms Safety Course certificate. Courses held since April 2, 2026 include live-fire training. For a Firearms Identification Card, a Massachusetts hunter education certificate is accepted in its place.

  3. 3. Prepare your papers:

    Bring a form of identification. Your department may also ask for proof of residence and other papers, and your town's page shows what it asks for. Every renewal needs the affidavit about lost or stolen firearms.

  4. 4. Apply:

    Apply online through the state's MIRCS Unified Gun Portal, or hand in or mail a paper application to your department. Check with your department first, because some take applications only by appointment.

  5. 5. Pay the fee:

    The fee is $100 for either license. An applicant under 18 pays $25 for a Firearms Identification Card, and an active or retired law enforcement officer pays $25 for a License to Carry. Renewals are free for anyone over 70. If you applied online, you still arrange the fee with your department.

  6. 6. Interview and checks:

    A first License to Carry application includes a personal interview. Every application goes through a state and federal background check, a fingerprint check and a check with the Department of Mental Health.

  7. 7. Receive your license:

    The law gives your department 40 days to decide on a complete application. The department then contacts you to pick up the license or mails it to you.

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