How to Apply for a Mississippi Concealed Carry Permit (PDF)

The Mississippi concealed carry permit application PDF is form IFP-APP-01, available for download from the Department of Public Safety’s Firearm Permit Division website under applications and forms.¹ Print it, fill it out, and take it in person to one of ten processing locations across the state. The base license fee is $80, the permit is valid for five years, and first-time applications cannot be mailed.

One Form, Two Permit Types

IFP-APP-01 covers both the standard concealed carry permit and the enhanced endorsement. Decide which you’re applying for before you start filling in the form, because the enhanced endorsement requires a certificate of completion from an approved training course, and you’ll need that certificate in hand at submission.

The enhanced endorsement lets you carry in locations the standard permit doesn’t reach, including courthouses (outside a courtroom during proceedings), public parks, government meetings, political rallies and parades, and non-firearm-related school or college athletic events. The training course runs at least eight hours, must be taught by an instructor certified through a nationally recognized organization and approved by the Department of Public Safety, includes at least one hour of legal instruction, and requires a live-fire component on a range.²

Who Qualifies to Apply

Mississippi Code 45-9-101 sets the rules. You have to be at least 21, though current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserve, can apply at 18. You have to be a Mississippi resident, with exceptions for military members stationed in the state, their spouses, and retired law enforcement officers establishing residency.³

The statute disqualifies several categories of applicants:

Anyone convicted of a felony in any state or federal court who has not been pardoned or had the conviction expunged.
Anyone convicted of a violent misdemeanor, until three years after completing probation or any court-imposed conditions.
Anyone adjudicated mentally incompetent or involuntarily committed, unless five years have passed since a court restored capacity or a licensed psychiatrist certifies the condition has resolved.
Anyone whose chronic or habitual abuse of alcohol or controlled substances impairs normal functioning.

The state statute does not itself list domestic violence convictions or protective orders, but federal law prohibits firearm possession for anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence or subject to certain domestic violence restraining orders. Those federal prohibitions surface during the background check and will result in denial regardless of state law.³

What to Have Ready Before You Open the PDF

Gather these first:

A valid Mississippi driver’s license or state-issued ID, which serves as proof of identity, age, and residency.
DD214 discharge papers, if you’re a veteran or service member applying under the age-18 exception or seeking a fee waiver as a disabled veteran.
Your enhanced carry certificate of completion, if you’re applying for the endorsement.
Access to a notary public. Parts of the form must be signed in the notary’s presence.

The form also asks for prior addresses, employment history, and criminal history. Having that information written down before you start saves a second pass.

Filling Out IFP-APP-01

Download a fresh copy each time rather than reusing an old file, because the department updates the form periodically. Fill it out in black ink or by typing directly into the PDF fields.¹

The most common mistake is signing the form before you get to a notary. Leave the signature and date lines blank until the notary is watching you sign. Signing early means printing a fresh copy and starting the notarization portion over, because the notary has to witness the actual signing.¹

The form gives you the option of having your concealed carry license appear as a notation on your driver’s license or state ID instead of receiving a separate permit card. If you pick that route, the permit’s expiration matches your driver’s license expiration, and you renew both together.³

Where to Submit

First-time applications must be submitted in person. The Department of Public Safety accepts them at ten locations:⁴

Jackson: 430 State Street, Jackson, MS 39216
Pearl (Troop C): 3851 Hwy 468, Pearl, MS 39208
Greenwood (Troop D): 1301 Cypress Avenue, Greenwood, MS 38930
Batesville (Troop E): 22000 A Hwy 35 N, Batesville, MS 38606
New Albany (Troop F): 1103 Bratton Road, New Albany, MS 38652
Starkville (Troop G): 987 Hwy 182 E, Starkville, MS 39759
Meridian (Troop H): 910 Hwy 11/80 E, Meridian, MS 39301
Hattiesburg (Troop J): 36 J.M. Tatum Ind. Dr., Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Biloxi (Troop K): 16741 Hwy 67 S, Biloxi, MS 39532
Brookhaven (Troop M): 160 Hwy 84 E, Brookhaven, MS 39601

During the visit, a technician takes your fingerprints and the department forwards them to state and federal agencies for background processing. If a usable set of prints can’t be obtained after two attempts, the department runs a name-based check instead.³

Fees

The nonrefundable license fee for a new permit is $80. On top of that, you pay a separate fingerprint processing fee. The statute says the applicant bears that cost but does not cap it at a specific dollar amount, so plan on paying somewhat more than $80 total.³

Several groups are exempt from the license fee: honorably retired law enforcement officers, disabled veterans, active duty military members, and law enforcement officers currently employed by a municipal, county, or state agency at the time of application. Fee-exempt applicants still pay the fingerprint processing fee.

How Long It Takes and What Happens If You’re Denied

By statute, the Department of Public Safety has 45 days from receiving your completed application and fingerprints to either issue the license, deny it, or notify you in writing that it needs more time and give an estimated completion date. That third option matters, because the 45-day window is not an absolute guarantee; a snagged background check or a backlogged office can extend the timeline with written notice.³

If the department denies your application, it must give you the specific reason in writing, and the statute provides an appeal process. Approved permits are mailed to your home address.⁵

If You’re Actually Renewing

IFP-APP-01 is the first-time application. If you already hold a Mississippi permit and nothing about your circumstances has changed, the renewal form is the shorter IFP-APP-02, submitted with a notarized affidavit that you still meet all eligibility requirements. Renewals can be mailed. The renewal fee is $40, or $20 at age 65 and up, and the same fee exemptions apply. Use the full IFP-APP-01 for renewal only if you’re adding the enhanced endorsement or your circumstances have changed. If your permit has been expired for more than six months, you cannot renew at all and must start over as a first-time applicant.⁵

1
Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Firearm Permit Applications and Forms
2
Legal Information Institute. 31 Mississippi Code R 1-15.1 – Enhanced Conceal and Carry Endorsement
3
Justia Law. Mississippi Code 45-9-101 – License to Carry Stun Gun, Concealed Pistol or Revolver
4
Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Firearm Permit Division
5
Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Preparation For First Time and Renewal Application Process