Can I Transfer My Concealed Carry Permit to Florida?

You cannot transfer a concealed carry permit to Florida. The state does not convert, endorse, or reissue out-of-state licenses, so your existing permit stays an out-of-state permit no matter where you live. What Florida does offer is a reciprocity system for visitors, a 90-day grace period for new residents, permitless carry for anyone who meets the eligibility criteria, and a Florida Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL) you can apply for from scratch.

Visiting Florida With an Out-of-State Permit

Florida recognizes concealed carry licenses from other states, but only when two conditions line up: the issuing state also honors Florida licenses, and you are a resident of that state.¹ A permit from State A does nothing for you in Florida if you actually live in State B, even when State A appears on the reciprocity list.

FDACS keeps the current reciprocity list on its website, and the roster changes, so check it before any trip.² While you’re in Florida, your out-of-state permit obligates you to follow every Florida restriction, including the prohibited-location rules covered below.

Since July 1, 2023, Florida has also allowed permitless concealed carry for anyone who meets the same eligibility criteria that would qualify them for a CWFL.³ For most adult visitors, that makes the reciprocity question almost beside the point. Reciprocity still matters for visitors under 21 who qualify through military service, and for the states you drive through on the way down.

Moving to Florida: The 90-Day Window

If you move to Florida and hold a valid permit from a reciprocal state, that permit stays valid here for 90 days after you establish Florida residency. Under the statute, residency begins when you register to vote, file a statement of domicile, or apply for a homestead tax exemption.¹

After the 90 days run out, your old permit has no legal weight in Florida. From that point you have two paths: rely on permitless carry if you qualify, or apply for a Florida CWFL. FDACS can take up to 90 days to process a CWFL application, so if you want seamless license coverage, file early in the grace period rather than waiting.

Permitless Carry Covers Most People

To carry concealed in Florida without any license, you must meet the same standards that apply to a CWFL applicant: at least 21 years old, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and free of disqualifying criminal history or mental health adjudications.⁴ You must carry valid government-issued ID and show it to any law enforcement officer who asks.⁵

Open carry remains illegal.⁶ You can carry a concealed handgun on your person, but displaying it openly in public is a second-degree misdemeanor.

Why Many People Still Apply for the Florida CWFL

Permitless carry solves the day-to-day problem for most new residents, but a CWFL gives you four things permitless carry does not:

Compliance with the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act. Federal law bans firearm possession within 1,000 feet of a school and exempts people licensed by their state only when the state verifies that the licensee is qualified. Florida’s permitless system has no verification step, and a federal judge in Montana has already ruled against a similar permitless scheme on that basis. A Florida CWFL carries a FDACS background check that satisfies the federal requirement.⁷
Reciprocity in other states that recognize Florida licenses but do not have permitless carry of their own.
Faster background checks when buying firearms from a licensed Florida dealer.
Documented proof that you passed a background check and met the training requirement.

How to Apply for a Florida CWFL

Eligibility

You must meet every item on the state’s list:⁴

At least 21 years old, with limited exceptions for active-duty servicemembers and honorably discharged veterans
U.S. citizen or permanent resident
No felony convictions
No drug conviction in the last three years
No misdemeanor domestic violence conviction
Not committed to a mental health facility or adjudicated mentally defective
No physical infirmity that prevents safe firearm handling
Not under a domestic violence injunction or restraining order

If you have any arrest in your history, bring certified court documents showing how the case was resolved.

Proof of Firearm Competency

Florida accepts several forms of training documentation:⁸

A firearms safety course taught by a state-certified or NRA-certified instructor, including live-fire exercises the instructor observed
A hunter education or hunter safety course approved by a state wildlife agency
A firearms course offered by a law enforcement agency, college, or firearms training school
Participation in organized shooting competitions
Military service, active duty or honorable discharge
A previously held Florida concealed carry license

Group safety courses typically cost between $80 and $200. The course only needs to meet Florida’s minimum standards.

Submission, Fees, and Timing

The fastest route is applying in person at an FDACS regional office or a participating county tax collector’s office, where staff take your photo and electronic fingerprints on the spot. Mail applications are accepted but slower.⁹

Bring the completed application, state-issued photo ID, your training documentation, and payment. The state fee is $97. Tax collector offices may add a convenience fee of up to $22, bringing the total to roughly $119.⁹

FDACS has up to 90 days to process the application and finish the background check. Once approved, the license arrives by mail and is valid for seven years. Renewal costs less than the first application and does not require repeating the training course.

Where You Still Cannot Carry

Neither a CWFL nor permitless carry lets you bring a concealed weapon everywhere. Florida Statute 790.06(12) prohibits carrying in places including law enforcement facilities, jails and prisons, courthouses, polling places, government meetings, school facilities and school-sponsored events, college athletic events, bars whose primary business is serving alcohol, and airport passenger terminals.⁴ A violation is a second-degree misdemeanor. Review the full statute before carrying in any location you’re unsure about; private businesses and federal buildings may add their own restrictions.

A Note for Retired Law Enforcement

Retired officers have a separate federal pathway. The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act allows qualified retired officers to carry concealed nationwide, independent of state permit systems, if they have at least 10 years of aggregate service (or separated due to a service-connected disability), qualify annually with a firearm, and carry current photographic ID from the former employing agency along with proof of qualification within the past year.¹⁰ State location restrictions and private property rules still apply.

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.015 – Nonresidents Who Are United States Citizens and Hold a Concealed Weapons License in Another State; Reciprocity
2
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Concealed Weapon License Reciprocity
3
Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.01 – Carrying of Concealed Weapons or Concealed Firearms
4
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapons or Firearms
5
Florida Senate. House Bill 543 (2023)
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.053 – Weapons and Firearms
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
8
Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapons or Firearms
9
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Applying for a Concealed Weapon License
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926C – Carrying of Concealed Firearms by Qualified Retired Law Enforcement Officers