Massachusetts FID Card:
Application Guide

The Massachusetts Firearms Identification Card (FID) is governed by MGL Chapter 140, Section 129B^[1]. Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024^[2] narrowed the scope of what the FID permits.

What the card does and does not permit, including the Chapter 135 change for semiautomatic rifles and shotguns and the Section 153 transition rule for existing cardholders, is covered in Massachusetts FID Card: What You Can and Cannot Do.

Eligibility

Applicants aged 15 to 17 must submit a parent's or guardian's certificate granting permission to apply, and applicants aged 18 or older may apply on their own. A 14 year old may submit an application, but the card is not issued until the applicant turns 15. The prohibited-person rules in Section 121F apply to FID and LTC applications, including the extreme risk protection order disqualifier carried into that section by Chapter 135, but the age requirements differ and the criminal disqualifiers are not identical. For an FID applicant, the crimes in Section 121F(j)(i)(B), (D) and (E) disqualify the applicant for five years after conviction, adjudication or release from confinement, probation or parole supervision, whichever occurs later.

Firearms Safety Course Requirement

An FID applicant must submit a Basic Firearms Safety Certificate or a hunter education certificate meeting Section 131P unless a statutory training exemption applies. MGL Chapter 140, Sections 129B and 131P govern the certificate requirement. Chapter 135 expanded the curriculum, which already covered safe storage, to add injury and suicide prevention, laws on the use of force, disengagement tactics, and live firearms training. Section 131P requires the colonel of state police to annually update and post a list of approved instructors on the department's website.

Section 131P, as amended, lists live firearms training in the curriculum that approved courses must provide. Under an EOPSS memorandum of March 26, 2026, live fire does not need to be included in a Basic Firearms Safety course until regulations are promulgated and live fire is fully implemented. Applicants should confirm whether their chosen course includes live-fire instruction.

Exemption: Persons lawfully possessing an FID or LTC on August 1, 2024 are exempt from Section 131P upon expiration and when applying for renewal. Persons possessing an FID or LTC before implementation of live firearms training are also exempt from that live firearms training requirement. Hunter education courses continue to substitute for the Basic Firearms Safety Certificate for FID applicants only (not LTC).

Shall-Issue Standard

The FID remains subject to the Section 121F eligibility standard. A local licensing authority may not itself deny an FID for unsuitability. Under Section 121F(l), its route is to petition the district court, which decides whether the applicant is unsuitable under the statutory standard.

Fees and Duration

Under Section 121F, the FID application or renewal fee is $100, except that the fee for persons under 18 is $25. Renewal applicants over 70 and law enforcement officers applying through their employing agency pay no renewal fee. The fee is waived for renewal applicants over 70 years old. An FID is valid for not more than six years unless revoked or suspended and expires on the holder's birthday anniversary occurring not less than five and not more than six years after issue. A card issued on February 29 expires on March 1. Under Section 121F(s), an expired card stays valid while a renewal application submitted before expiration is pending. If the holder is on active duty with the United States armed forces on the expiration date, the card remains valid until release and for at least 180 days afterward, and continues to remain valid while a renewal application submitted before that period ends is pending. An expired card also remains valid for 90 days after expiration unless revoked or suspended. Renewal applications should be submitted before expiration.

Application Portal

Applications can be filed online through the MIRCS Unified Gun Portal, formerly the MIRCS Firearms Licensing Portal, or directly with the local police department. Online applicants contact their licensing authority to arrange payment.