You cannot get a Missouri concealed carry permit entirely online. Every applicant has to appear in person at their county sheriff’s office for fingerprinting, and the required firearms safety training includes a live-fire shooting exercise that no web course can satisfy. What Missouri law does allow is for part of the safety training, the classroom portion, to be completed through an NRA-certified online course, which trims the time you spend in a physical classroom. The rest of the process is in person.
What’s Online and What Isn’t
Missouri’s training requirement, set out in RSMo 571.111, gives you two ways to satisfy it.
The traditional route is a single eight-hour course taught by a qualified instructor that covers handgun safety, loading and unloading, marksmanship fundamentals, safe storage, Missouri permit laws, and the legal rules around justified use of force. The course ends with a live-fire exercise of at least 20 rounds at seven yards on a B-27 silhouette, followed by a separate 20-round live-fire test. You must hit the silhouette with at least 15 of those 20 test rounds to pass.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.111 – Firearms Training Requirements
The second route is the one that matters if you’re trying to minimize classroom time. You take an NRA-certified online firearms safety course of at least one hour, then meet a qualified instructor in person to finish the hands-on requirements: safe loading and unloading, the live-fire exercise, the live-fire test, and instruction on Missouri-specific carry laws and use-of-force rules. The in-person portion has no minimum hour count, but it has to cover every element the online course didn’t.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.111 – Firearms Training Requirements
Either way, your instructor signs a certificate when you finish. You submit a photocopy with your application and keep the original for your records.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.111 – Firearms Training Requirements
Any company advertising a “100% online Missouri CCW permit” is misleading you. Online study only covers the classroom material. You still need an in-person session with live ammunition, and you still need to visit the sheriff.
The In-Person Steps You Can’t Skip
Two parts of the process will always require you to show up in person: the live-fire training session with a qualified instructor, and the application visit to your county sheriff’s office. Missouri requires fingerprinting as part of the background check, and no biometric data other than fingerprints can be collected, so there is no remote workaround.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.101 – Concealed Carry Permits, Application Requirements
You apply at the sheriff’s office in the county where you live. Some counties let you book an appointment online; others operate on a walk-in basis. Call first or check the sheriff’s website. At the office you’ll submit the application under oath and under penalty of perjury, hand over your documents, get fingerprinted, and pay the fee.
Who Qualifies
Missouri is a “shall-issue” state, meaning the sheriff must approve your application if you meet every statutory requirement in RSMo 571.101. There is no discretionary judgment call. You must be:
- At least 19, or at least 18 if you’re an active-duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces or have been honorably discharged.
- A U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- A Missouri resident, a military member stationed in Missouri, or the spouse of someone stationed in Missouri.
The disqualifiers are mostly what you’d expect. A conviction for any crime punishable by more than one year in prison bars you, even if you only received probation. A dishonorable discharge or an active full order of protection against you is disqualifying. Two or more DUI convictions or controlled-substance offenses in the five years before you apply will also block approval.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.101 – Concealed Carry Permits, Application Requirements
What to Bring and What It Costs
Before you head to the sheriff’s office, gather these items:
- Photo ID: a Missouri driver’s license, Missouri non-driver’s license, or military ID with orders showing you’re stationed in Missouri.
- Proof of residency, if your ID doesn’t show your current address. A utility bill, tax bill, bank statement, or lease agreement works.
- A photocopy of your signed training certificate.
- The application form. Many sheriffs post a downloadable version on their websites, and the Missouri Sheriffs’ Association hosts a standard version. It asks for your Social Security number and residential history for the background check.
The application fee is set by your county sheriff and capped at $100 by state law. That covers fingerprinting and the criminal background check through the Missouri State Highway Patrol and FBI. The fee is nonrefundable even if you’re denied. If you pay by credit or debit card, expect a small processing surcharge.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.101 – Concealed Carry Permits, Application Requirements
How Long It Takes
Processing is usually faster than people expect. Once the sheriff has your completed application, the office runs your fingerprints through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System within three working days. If nothing disqualifying surfaces at the state level, your prints go to the FBI for a national check. When those come back clean, the sheriff must issue your permit within three working days of confirming eligibility.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.101 – Concealed Carry Permits, Application Requirements
If the background check runs past 45 calendar days with no disqualifying information found, the sheriff must issue you a provisional permit that gives you the same carry rights as a standard permit while the check finishes. The sheriff will revoke it within 24 hours if a disqualifying record eventually comes back.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.101 – Concealed Carry Permits, Application Requirements
If you’re denied, the sheriff must notify you in writing with the specific grounds. You then have 30 days to submit additional documentation, and the sheriff has 30 days from receiving it to respond. A denial that sticks can be appealed to small claims court under RSMo 571.114.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.101 – Concealed Carry Permits, Application Requirements
Is the Permit Even Worth Getting?
A fair question, since Missouri residents who are at least 19 (or 18 for active military and honorably discharged veterans) can legally carry concealed in most of the state without any permit at all. Permitless carry has been law since 2017 and covers most everyday scenarios inside Missouri.
The main reason to get the permit anyway is reciprocity with other states. Roughly three dozen states recognize a Missouri concealed carry permit, including Texas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Virginia. Those states have no obligation to recognize your Missouri permitless carry status, so if you travel with a firearm, the physical permit card is a portable credential. A permit also simplifies interactions with law enforcement during traffic stops, since it confirms you’ve already passed a background check.
Putting It Together
The shortest version of the process looks like this. Confirm you meet the eligibility requirements. Sign up for an NRA-certified online safety course if you want to minimize classroom hours, or a full eight-hour in-person course if you’d rather do it in a single sitting. Complete the live-fire exercise and test with a qualified instructor and collect your signed certificate. Gather your ID, proof of address, and a photocopy of the certificate, and visit your county sheriff’s office to apply, get fingerprinted, and pay the fee. Then wait for the background check to clear.
Online shortcuts exist for the classroom learning, and nowhere else. Anyone selling you more than that is selling something Missouri law doesn’t allow.