Maryland State Police Licensing: HQL and Wear and Carry Permits

The Maryland State Police Licensing Division issues two firearm permits most residents will ever need: the Handgun Qualification License (HQL), which costs up to $50 and must be in hand before you can buy, rent, or receive a handgun, and the Wear and Carry Permit, which costs $125 and lets you carry a handgun in public.¹ Both require fingerprinting, a background check, and an approved firearms safety course before the state will process your application. Everything is submitted through the division’s MyLicense online portal.

Handgun Qualification License

You cannot legally buy, rent, or receive a handgun in Maryland without a valid HQL or a qualifying exemption. Dealers are prohibited from transferring a handgun to you unless you present one.²

To qualify, you must be at least 21 years old and a Maryland resident, you must have completed a four-hour firearms safety course within the three years before you apply, and you cannot be prohibited from possessing a handgun under state or federal law. The fee is up to $50, and the license lasts 10 years.² The state police must issue or deny the license within 30 days of a properly completed application, and any denial has to be in writing with the reason and your appeal rights.³

Who Doesn’t Need an HQL

You’re exempt from the HQL requirement if you hold valid law enforcement credentials (active or retired), if you’re an active or retired member of the armed forces or National Guard with a valid military ID, or if you’re buying an antique, curio, or relic firearm as classified by the ATF.² Exempt or not, you still cannot be a prohibited person under state or federal law.

Wear and Carry Permit

Carrying a handgun in Maryland without a valid permit is a criminal offense. The Wear and Carry Permit authorizes you to wear, carry, or transport a handgun, but only once the physical permit card is in your hands. Submitting the application alone gives you no authority to carry.⁴

Eligibility is tighter than for the HQL. Under the Public Safety Article, you must:

Be at least 21 years old, or a member of the uniformed services or National Guard
Have no felony conviction, and no misdemeanor conviction where the sentence imposed exceeded one year
Have no conviction involving possession, use, or distribution of controlled substances
Not be on supervised probation for certain offenses, including crimes punishable by a year or more
Not be an alcoholic, addict, or habitual user of controlled substances, outside legitimate medical supervision
Not have a mental disorder with a history of violent behavior, and not have been involuntarily committed for more than 30 consecutive days
Not be subject to a protective order or extreme risk protective order prohibiting firearm possession
Not have shown a propensity for violence or instability that would make handgun possession dangerous⁵

The initial application fee is $125, and you must complete an approved 16-hour firearms safety course before you apply.⁴ Your first permit is valid until the last day of your birth month, two years after issuance. Renewals extend it for three more years.

Training You Have to Complete First

The Firearm Safety Act of 2013 made training mandatory for both permits, and the course must be taught by a Maryland State Police Qualified Handgun Instructor.⁶

The HQL course runs a minimum of four hours and covers Maryland firearm law, home firearm safety, and handgun mechanisms. It includes a firearms orientation where you demonstrate safe handling and fire at least one round of live ammunition. You have to finish it within three years before applying.⁷ Honorably discharged members of the armed forces or National Guard are exempt from the training requirement entirely.³

The initial Wear and Carry course is 16 hours (eight for renewals). The live-fire portion requires you to fire at least 25 rounds at distances up to 15 yards and score at least 70 percent on a standard target. Designated security personnel face a tougher standard: 50 rounds at up to 25 yards on a practical police course.⁸ Both courses end with a signed certificate carrying the instructor’s unique number and your completion date. Save the digital copy; you’ll upload it with your application.

Fingerprints, Photo, and What Else to Bring

Every firearm permit application requires a LiveScan electronic fingerprint submission through an approved provider. Give the technician the Maryland State Police ORI number MD920511Z so the results route to the Licensing Division.⁹ The state fingerprint service fee is $20; the private vendor adds its own service charge. Payment is by personal check or credit card, not cash.¹⁰

You’ll also need a digital passport-style photo showing a clear, front-facing view of your head and shoulders against a plain white background, saved as a JPEG or similar format. Before you start the online application, have the fingerprint tracking number, your training certificate, and the photo file ready.

Applying Through MyLicense

All applications go through the Maryland State Police MyLicense portal. Create an account with a valid email, log in, and pick your permit type from the dashboard. Work through the screens, enter the fingerprint tracking number, and upload your training certificate and photo in the correct fields. Pay the fee by credit or debit card at the end: $50 for the HQL or $125 for an initial Wear and Carry Permit.³⁴ Both fees are nonrefundable, whether you’re approved or denied.

After you digitally sign and submit, you’ll get a confirmation email with a reference number. Keep it. That number is how you check status in the portal and how the division will identify your file if you need to contact them.

How Long It Takes

The Licensing Division runs a criminal history check on every applicant, looking for disqualifying convictions, protective orders, mental health commitments, and other prohibiting factors.¹¹

For HQL applications, the law gives the state police a hard 30-day deadline to either issue the license or send a written denial.⁷ Wear and Carry Permits have no such clock. The statute only requires the Secretary to issue a permit “within a reasonable time,” and applicants should expect a significantly longer wait than for an HQL, often several months when volume is high.⁵

Approvals come through the MyLicense portal’s email system and show in your dashboard. HQL cards arrive electronically. Wear and Carry Permits are printed and mailed to the address on file.

The Seven-Day Wait at the Dealer

Holding an HQL does not mean you walk out of the store with a handgun the same day. Maryland imposes a seven-day waiting period on regulated firearm purchases. The clock starts when the Licensing Division receives the dealer’s purchase application (the MSP 77R), and you’ll be notified of the background check result by the morning of the eighth day. If the application isn’t disapproved, you contact the dealer to arrange the transfer.¹²

If You’re Denied

A denial comes by email with the reason. From the date of that final decision, you have 10 days to either request an informal review with the Licensing Division or file a formal appeal with Maryland’s Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH).⁴ The denial notice spells out both options.

The informal review is worth trying first. It costs nothing and can clear up outdated records or clerical errors without a hearing. If that doesn’t resolve it, the OAH hearing is next, with an administrative law judge reviewing the evidence. You can petition for judicial review in circuit court within 30 days of the final administrative decision if you still disagree.

The most common reasons for denial are criminal history that crosses the statutory thresholds, an active protective order, or missing information on the application. If your denial stems from an old conviction, check whether a pardon or other relief restored your eligibility under the statute.⁵

Renewing

An HQL is valid for 10 years and renews for successive 10-year periods. The renewal fee is up to $20. You don’t retake the training course, but you must still meet all original eligibility requirements.⁷ Renewals go through the same MyLicense portal.

Wear and Carry renewal is more involved. Your initial permit expires on the last day of your birth month, two years after issuance; renewals run three years. You must complete an eight-hour firearms safety course and upload a completed qualification score sheet. The renewal fee is $75.⁴

Timing matters. Submit the renewal at least 14 days before expiration and you can legally keep carrying while it’s pending. Let the permit expire and you lose that bridge entirely; you reapply as a brand-new applicant, meaning the full 16-hour course and new fingerprints. That’s expensive in both money and lost time.

Other Permits the Division Handles

If you own a machine gun, that’s a separate track: you must register it with the Secretary of State Police within 24 hours of acquiring it and renew every year during May. The fee is $10 for the initial registration and each annual renewal, payable by Visa or MasterCard through the licensing portal.¹³¹⁴ Failing to register or renew is a misdemeanor carrying up to 10 years in prison.

The same division also issues the Regulated Firearms Dealer License, Qualified Handgun Instructor Certificate, Security Guard Agency License, Private Detective Certificate, and explosives permits. Each has its own eligibility rules and fee schedule, but all route through the MyLicense portal.¹⁵

1
Maryland Department of State Police. Licensing Division
2
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety Title 5, Subtitle 1, Section 5-117.1
3
Maryland State Police. Handgun Qualification License
4
Maryland Department of State Police. Wear and Carry Permit
5
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety Section 5-306
6
Maryland General Assembly. Firearm Safety Act of 2013
7
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety Title 5, Subtitle 1, Section 5-117.1
8
Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 29.03.02.05 – Training Requirement
9
Maryland Department of State Police. Fingerprinting
10
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Fingerprinting Services
11
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Background Checks
12
Maryland State Police. Purchase a Regulated Firearm
13
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law Section 4-403
14
Maryland Department of State Police. Machine Gun Registration
15
Maryland State Police. Maryland State Police Licensing – Verification