Can You Order Ammo Online in Illinois? FOID, Age, and Bans

You can order ammo online in Illinois, but the transaction has to clear a few state-specific checks: you need a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card, the seller has to verify it, and the ammunition can only ship to the address printed on your Illinois driver’s license or state ID.

What the Seller Needs From You

When you buy from an out-of-state online retailer, Illinois law requires you to give the seller a copy of your valid FOID card along with your Illinois driver’s license or state ID before anything ships. The package can only go to an address that appears on one of those two documents.¹ That rules out shipping to your office, a relative’s house, or any address that doesn’t match your official ID.

Most online vendors handle this by asking you to upload images of both documents at checkout or shortly after. Some retailers won’t ship to Illinois at all because the verification adds cost and friction. If a seller you want to use won’t ship direct, you can often route the order through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) such as a local gun shop for pickup. Expect a transfer fee.

The FOID Card Is Non-Negotiable

No one in Illinois may transfer ammunition to a person who doesn’t present a currently valid FOID card, and that applies whether the sale happens at a counter or on a website based in another state.¹ If your card has expired or been revoked, the sale cannot legally go through.

Online sellers can confirm your card’s status through the Illinois State Police FOID/CCL Card Verification Portal, which is built for exactly this kind of transaction.² If the seller can’t verify your card there, your order will likely be held or canceled.

Don’t have a FOID yet? You apply online through the Illinois State Police with a valid Illinois driver’s license or state ID, a recent head-and-shoulders photo, and a $10 fee.³ Processing takes time, so apply well before you plan to order.

Age Rules That Apply at Checkout

Federal law bars a licensed dealer from selling any ammunition to someone under 18, and from selling handgun ammunition to anyone under 21.⁴ These rules apply to online orders the same way they apply in-store.

Illinois adds its own floor through the FOID requirement. The standard FOID age is 21, though applicants between 18 and 20 can qualify with written parental or guardian consent (and an affidavit from the parent confirming their own eligibility), or if they’re active-duty U.S. Armed Forces or Illinois National Guard.⁵ An 18-to-20-year-old with a FOID can order rifle or shotgun ammunition, but federal law still blocks handgun ammunition from a licensed dealer until 21.

Ammunition You Can’t Order Into Illinois

A valid FOID doesn’t open the door to everything. Illinois prohibits the manufacture, sale, purchase, possession, or carrying of several ammunition types:⁶

Armor-piercing handgun ammunition with projectiles or cores made entirely from tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium. The definition also reaches fully jacketed handgun bullets larger than .22 caliber where the jacket is more than 25% of the projectile’s weight. Soft-core bullets (lead) and frangible sporting rounds are excluded.
Dragon’s breath shotgun shells (incendiary rounds that throw sparks and flame).
Bolo shells (weighted slugs connected by wire).
Flechette shells (loaded with small dart-like projectiles).

Exploding ammunition is banned under a separate provision. None of these can be ordered online into Illinois, and possession is a Class 3 felony.⁶

.50 BMG Cartridges

Under the Protect Illinois Communities Act, .50 BMG caliber cartridges cannot be manufactured, sold, delivered, imported, or purchased in Illinois, and since January 1, 2024, simple possession is also illegal.⁷ The ban covers only .50 BMG specifically; other .50 caliber ammunition like .50 AE for handguns is not affected.⁸ You cannot order .50 BMG online into Illinois regardless of any prior endorsement affidavit, since the ban reaches all new sales and purchases.

Chicago and Cook County

If you live in Chicago, expect a thicker compliance layer. Chicago’s municipal code includes its own provisions on ammunition sales and transfers, and some online retailers refuse to ship directly to Chicago addresses, routing orders through a local FFL instead. Cook County also imposes a tax on firearm ammunition that can apply to online orders delivered within the county. Check the retailer’s shipping policy for your specific address before you pay. A local FFL can accept the shipment on your behalf if direct delivery isn’t an option.

What a Mistake Costs

Possessing prohibited ammunition (armor-piercing handgun rounds, dragon’s breath, bolo, or flechette shells) is a Class 3 felony, with a potential prison term of two to five years.⁶ Violations of the .50 BMG ban carry their own penalties under the Protect Illinois Communities Act.⁷

Possessing ammunition without a valid FOID card is a separate offense, and sellers who transfer ammunition without verifying a FOID face criminal liability of their own. A conviction can also lead to your FOID being revoked, which cuts off any legal firearm or ammunition possession in Illinois going forward.

1
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 430 ILCS 65 – Firearm Owners Identification Card Act
2
Illinois State Police. FOID/CCL Card Verification Portal
3
Illinois State Police. Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID)
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
5
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 430 ILCS 65/4 – Application for Firearm Owners Identification Cards
6
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/24-2.1 – Unlawful Possession of Firearm Projectiles
7
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9 – Manufacture, Possession, Delivery, Sale, and Purchase of Assault Weapons, .50 Caliber Rifles, and .50 Caliber Cartridges
8
Illinois State Police. Protect Illinois Communities Act, Regulation on Assault Weapons