To get a handgun license in Texas, you apply for the state’s License to Carry (LTC) through the Department of Public Safety: be at least 21, meet the eligibility rules, finish a certified proficiency course, submit an online application with electronic fingerprints and a $40 fee, and wait up to 60 days for the background check. The training runs four to six hours of classroom plus a live-fire demonstration, and course fees to private instructors typically run $50 to $150 on top of the state fee.
Do You Need a License at All?
Texas has allowed permitless handgun carry since September 1, 2021, so anyone 21 or older who can legally possess a firearm can carry without any license.1State of Texas. Texas Penal Code Section 46-02 – Unlawful Carrying Weapons People still apply for the LTC because it does things permitless carry doesn’t. A Texas LTC qualifies as a Brady Act alternative permit, so a federally licensed dealer can sell you a firearm without running a separate NICS background check.2Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Permit Chart It’s recognized in more than 35 other states through reciprocity, and it’s the only way to carry a handgun on a public university campus in Texas.3Department of Public Safety. LTC Benefits
Who Qualifies
Eligibility is set by Texas Government Code Section 411.172.4State of Texas. Texas Government Code Section 411-172 – Eligibility A few points trip people up, so read them before you pay for a course.
Age and Residency
You must be at least 21 and a legal Texas resident for at least six months before applying. The age drops to 18 if you are a current or former member of the U.S. armed forces, including reserves and National Guard, with veterans covered when the discharge was honorable.
Criminal History
A felony conviction at any point in your life disqualifies you. A Class A or Class B misdemeanor conviction, or a disorderly conduct conviction, disqualifies you for five years from the date of conviction. Pending felony or Class A/B misdemeanor charges are also a bar, as are juvenile adjudications for felony-level conduct within the last ten years, and fugitive status.
Protective Orders and Mental Health
You can’t hold an LTC while subject to a court protective order or restraining order involving a spousal relationship. Property-only orders don’t count. You are also ineligible if a physician has diagnosed a psychiatric condition that substantially impairs your judgment, or a court has declared you incompetent to manage your own affairs.
Other Bars
Applicants who are chemically dependent, delinquent on child support administered by the attorney general, or delinquent on state taxes are ineligible. So is anyone who makes a material misrepresentation on the application. And you have to be “fully qualified under applicable federal and state law to purchase a handgun,” which pulls in the federal prohibitions under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g): convictions carrying more than a year of prison time, dishonorable discharge, certain domestic violence restraining orders, a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, or a mental commitment.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Federal law also treats any regular user of a controlled substance, including marijuana, as a prohibited person regardless of state legalization, and DPS applies that bar.
Complete the Proficiency Course
Every first-time applicant has to finish a handgun proficiency course taught by a Texas-certified instructor. It has two parts. The classroom portion runs four to six hours and covers use-of-force law, safe handling, nonviolent conflict resolution, and safe storage with an emphasis on preventing child access.6Public.Law. Texas Government Code Section 411.188 – Handgun Proficiency Required You can take the classroom part online through an approved provider, but if you do, you’ll add one to two hours of range instruction before the shooting test.
The proficiency demonstration is a live-fire exercise at set distances under a qualified range instructor. Pass both parts and the instructor issues a Certificate of Training (Form LTC-100), which you’ll upload with your application.7Texas Department of Public Safety. Instructions for LTC-100 Certificate of Training Course fees are set by the instructor, not the state, and typically run $50 to $150. Prices vary within the same metro area, so it’s worth calling around.
Certain legal professionals, including judges, prosecutors, and probation officers, can meet the proficiency requirement through an alternative demonstration with an approved law enforcement instructor instead of the full course.8State of Texas. Texas Government Code Section 411-1882 – Evidence of Handgun Proficiency for Certain Persons
Submit the Application
The application is entirely online at txapps.texas.gov. There is no paper form; you enter everything into the DPS portal.9Texas Department of Public Safety. License to Carry a Handgun Online Service Before you start, have this ready:
- Your valid Texas driver’s license or state ID
- Your Certificate of Training (Form LTC-100)
- Residential and employment addresses for the past five years
- Information on any psychiatric, drug, alcohol, or criminal history
- A credit card for the application fee (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express)
Once you submit, the portal generates a checklist of any additional documents you still need to send in. Work through it carefully. Missing documents are the most common reason applications stall.
Fingerprints
Every original applicant submits electronic fingerprints. After you submit the online application, DPS emails you a service code. Use it to book an appointment with IdentoGO, the state’s fingerprinting vendor, at identogo.com or 888-467-2080.10Department of Public Safety. LTC Fingerprint and Photo Information Walk-ins aren’t accepted. DPS uses the prints for state and FBI criminal history checks.
What It Costs
The DPS application fee is $40 and is non-refundable.11Texas Department of Public Safety. LTC Fee Schedule Reduced and waived fees apply to specific groups:
- Active military, including reserves, National Guard, and state guard: fee waived for both original and renewal
- Veterans with an honorable discharge: $25 original and renewal
- Applicants 60 or older and indigent applicants: $40 original, $35 renewal
Budget separately for the training course ($50–$150 in most cases) and the IdentoGO fingerprinting appointment. Neither is included in the DPS fee.
Background Check and Timeline
Once DPS has a complete application, fingerprints, and every supporting document, it runs criminal history, mental health, and other state and federal database checks. By statute, DPS must issue or deny the license within 60 days of receiving a complete package.12State of Texas. Texas Government Code Section 411-177 – Issuance or Denial of License
“Complete” is the word to focus on. If DPS has to request more information, the clock resets and the department gets an additional 180 days to finish.13Texas Department of Public Safety. Application FAQs Check every field and every document before you submit. You can track status in the same DPS portal you applied in. If approved, the license is mailed to the address on file. If denied, DPS sends a written explanation, and you have appeal rights. A pending decision that sits more than 30 days past the statutory deadline is treated as an automatic denial you can appeal.
Renewal
A Texas LTC is valid for five years. Renew through the same DPS portal by logging into your existing account. Renewal applicants don’t submit new fingerprints or photos; DPS reuses what it has.10Department of Public Safety. LTC Fingerprint and Photo Information The renewal fee is $40 for most applicants, $35 for seniors and indigent applicants, $25 for veterans, and $0 for active military.11Texas Department of Public Safety. LTC Fee Schedule
Where the License Still Doesn’t Let You Carry
An LTC is not a universal pass. Texas Penal Code Section 46.03 bars handguns from schools, polling places on election day, courts, secured airport areas, and correctional facilities, among others, and violations are usually felonies. Private property owners and businesses can also ban firearms by posting the required signage, and refusing to leave after notice is a trespass offense under the Firearm Carry Act.14Texas Legislature. HB 1927 – Firearm Carry Act of 2021 Where the LTC does expand your reach compared to permitless carry is public college and university campuses, which remain closed to unlicensed carriers.3Department of Public Safety. LTC Benefits