How to Fill Out California’s DROS Form: Dealer’s Record of Sale (BOF 929)

California’s DROS form, officially the Dealer’s Record of Sale Worksheet (BOF 929), is the paper form you complete at a licensed firearms dealer whenever you buy or receive a firearm in the state. The dealer takes what you write on it and submits your transaction electronically to the California Department of Justice through the DROS Entry System, which triggers a background check and starts the mandatory 10-day waiting period before the firearm can be delivered.¹ Every retail sale and every private party transfer runs through this form, so knowing what it asks before you get to the counter keeps the process moving.

What to Bring Before You Start

You need three things in hand before the dealer will hand you the worksheet.

Valid identification. California accepts a California driver license, a California identification card issued by the DMV, or a military ID issued by the Department of Defense for active-duty personnel stationed in California with accompanying permanent duty station orders. Temporary driver licenses and temporary ID cards are not accepted, and an ID that is expired, suspended, or revoked will cause the transaction to be rejected regardless of your eligibility to own firearms.¹

A Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC). You must hold a valid FSC before purchasing any firearm. To get one, score at least 75 percent on a written test about firearms laws and safe handling, administered by a DOJ Certified Instructor, which most dealers offer on site. Active peace officers, military members, and certain other categories are exempt.²

The DROS fee. The fee is $31.19, collected by the dealer at the time of the transaction, and it covers one or more firearms transferred at the same time to the same buyer.³

Completing the Purchaser Section

The purchaser section collects a full set of personal identifiers. The dealer needs every field to enter the transaction into the electronic system, and blanks or illegible entries can void the submission. You will fill in:⁴

Full legal name — first, middle, last, and suffix — plus any aliases you have used. The DOJ searches all names, and listing prior legal names helps avoid a mismatch.
Current residential street address. P.O. boxes are not accepted.
ID type and number: check the box for CDL, CID, or MIL and write the number from your card.
Physical description: gender, hair color, eye color, height, weight, race, and date of birth.
Citizenship status. If you are not a U.S. citizen, your Alien Registration or I-94 number and country of citizenship.
Place of birth and phone number.
FSC number or, if you qualify, the code for your exemption.

Match your ID exactly. An abbreviated street name or missing apartment number can flag the submission. If your current address differs from what’s on your ID, you may need supplemental proof of residency, such as a utility bill or government document showing your name at the new address.

Answering the Eligibility Questions

Below the personal information block, the worksheet lists yes-or-no questions about your legal eligibility to possess firearms. They cover three areas:⁴

Restraining orders: whether you are currently subject to a restraining order under Penal Code section 29825, a gun violence restraining order, or a probation condition that prohibits firearm possession.
Criminal history: whether you have ever been convicted of a felony or certain specified offenses, been convicted in the last 10 years of a qualifying misdemeanor, or were adjudged a ward of the juvenile court for a specified offense and are not yet 30 years old.
Mental health: whether a court has found you to be a danger to others due to mental illness, a mentally disordered sex offender, not guilty by reason of insanity, mentally incompetent to stand trial, or gravely disabled and placed under conservatorship, or whether you have been admitted to a mental health facility as a danger to yourself or others.

Answer honestly. A “yes” does not automatically end the transaction; it prompts the DOJ to look further. A false answer is a crime punishable by up to 18 months in state prison under Penal Code section 28250.⁴

Firearm and Transaction Details

The lower portion of the worksheet describes the firearm and the transaction. The dealer usually fills much of this in, but read it before you sign. The firearm fields include make, model, caliber, barrel length, serial number, type (handgun or long gun), category, new or used, and whether the item is a frame or receiver only.⁴

The transaction fields record whether this is a standard dealer sale, a private party transfer, or another type; the electronic transmission date and time; and the scheduled delivery date and time. A separate checkbox notes a gun show purchase. Waiting-period exemption fields for peace officer status, special weapons permits, and collector status also live in this section.

Private Party Transfers Use the Same Form

All private party firearm transfers in California must go through a licensed dealer, and the BOF 929 is still the form. The difference is that the seller also provides personal information — name, address, ID, physical description, date of birth, and citizenship status — and signs the form.⁴ Buyer and seller both need to appear at the shop with valid ID. The $31.19 DROS fee applies, and the dealer may charge an additional fee for handling the transfer.

What Happens After You Sign

Once the dealer enters the DROS information into the electronic system, the DOJ begins a background check and the 10-day waiting period starts. The firearm cannot be delivered to you any earlier than 10 days from the submission date.⁵ During that window the DOJ checks its own records and the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to determine whether you are prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law.⁶ If you are under 21, the DOJ also verifies your hunting license with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Possible Statuses

Your transaction will land in one of these outcomes:⁷

Approved. The DOJ confirms you are not prohibited. After the 10-day wait, the dealer can deliver the firearm.
Delayed. The DOJ could not decide within 10 days and needs more time; the department can hold the transaction for up to 30 days from the original submission date.
Undetermined. After 30 days, the DOJ still cannot confirm your eligibility. The dealer then decides whether to release the firearm.
Rejected. The firearm itself triggered a flag (a match to a stolen-firearm entry in the DOJ database) or you presented an invalid, suspended, revoked, or expired ID. For a stolen-firearm match, the dealer must hold the gun until law enforcement retrieves it.
Denied. The DOJ determined you are prohibited from owning firearms. A letter arrives in about two weeks with the reason and instructions for obtaining a copy of the record.

Picking Up the Firearm

When the status shows Approved and the 10-day waiting period has passed, return to the dealer. Before the firearm changes hands, you must perform a safe handling demonstration with that firearm (or one of the same make and model) in front of a DOJ Certified Instructor.² It can be done any time between the DROS submission and the delivery date, and most dealers handle it at pickup.

Don’t wait too long. If 30 days pass from the transaction date without delivery, the firearm may need to be returned to the seller or surrendered to law enforcement. Once you’re cleared, treat the pickup as a priority.

If Your DROS Is Denied

A denial is not necessarily final. The DOJ letter identifies the specific record behind the denial and points you to one of two paths.⁷

If a state record is the problem — an old case that was dismissed, an expunged conviction still showing up, mistaken identity — you can request a copy of your California criminal record using the Live Scan form (BOF 8016RR) available on the DOJ’s firearms forms page. Review the record, identify the error, and contact the court that handled the case to have corrected information sent to the DOJ’s Bureau of Criminal Information and Analysis.

If the denial is based on a federal prohibition, such as an out-of-state conviction, unlawful alien status, or a dishonorable military discharge, you appeal directly to the FBI’s NICS Section. The denial letter includes the NICS Transaction Number you’ll need, and the FBI publishes an appeal brochure with full instructions on its website.⁷

1
State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Frequently Asked Questions
2
State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Firearms Safety Certificate Study Guide
3
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 4001. DROS Fees
4
California Department of Justice. Dealer’s Record of Sale (DROS) Worksheet BOF 929
5
California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 26815
6
California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 28220
7
State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Bureau of Firearms