Massachusetts Non-Resident Concealed Carry Requirements

To carry a concealed firearm in Massachusetts as a visitor, you need a Massachusetts non-resident concealed carry permit, formally called a Temporary License to Carry Firearms, issued by the state’s Firearms Records Bureau under Chapter 140, Section 131F. Your home-state permit does not work here. The license costs $100, lasts one year, and is the only lawful path for a non-resident who wants to carry inside the commonwealth.¹²

No Other State’s Permit Counts Here

Massachusetts has no reciprocity agreements with any state.¹ Florida, Utah, Texas, Arizona, or anywhere else: the card in your wallet carries no legal weight the moment you cross the line. Carrying concealed on the strength of an out-of-state permit alone is treated the same as carrying with no license at all, and the criminal exposure is severe.

How to Apply

Applications go directly to the Firearms Records Bureau, part of the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services. You can submit online through the MIRCS Unified Gun Portal or mail the completed package to the Bureau’s office in Chelsea. If an in-person appointment is needed, the Bureau will contact you after it receives your application.³

Along with the application form, you need to send:

The $100 fee, paid by bank or postal money order or certified check made out to “Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” No cash, personal checks, or business checks.⁴
A photocopy of both sides of your home-state firearms license. If your state does not issue firearms licenses, submit documentation confirming that.⁴
A certificate from a Massachusetts Basic Firearms Safety Course taught by an instructor certified by the Colonel of the State Police, or a Massachusetts hunter education certificate. If you previously held a Massachusetts non-resident or resident license on or after June 1, 1998, this requirement is waived.⁴
Immigration paperwork if it applies to you. Permanent residents and visa holders include copies of their immigration card or visa and passport. Naturalized citizens provide their alien registration number and naturalization certificate number.

Processing includes state and federal background checks, a fingerprint-based check, and a review by the Department of Mental Health.³ There is no published processing timeline, and wait times vary. You can check status by calling the Firearms Records Bureau at (617) 660-4782 or through MIRCS if you applied online.

Even a clean record does not guarantee approval. Massachusetts licensing authorities can deny an application on “suitability” grounds when reliable evidence suggests the applicant would pose a risk to public safety.⁵

One Year, Then Renew

The non-resident temporary license is valid for one year, and the Colonel of the State Police may renew it.² Renewal costs the same $100 and requires an affidavit of lost or stolen firearms.³ Because a lapse while you still possess a firearm in the state creates criminal exposure, start the renewal well before expiration.

What the License Lets You Do (and Not Do)

The card is marked “Temporary License to Carry Firearms.” It authorizes carry, not purchase: you cannot buy firearms in Massachusetts on this license.⁶ A licensed non-resident may carry a large capacity firearm, and the Colonel may authorize possession of a large capacity rifle or shotgun. That authorization must appear on the license itself.

The Magazine Trap

This one catches out-of-state visitors who thought they had done everything right. Under Section 131M, no person may possess, sell, transfer, or import into the commonwealth a large capacity feeding device that was not lawfully possessed on or before August 1, 2024.⁷ Large capacity generally means more than ten rounds. If the magazines you use at home hold 15 or 17 rounds, they cannot come into Massachusetts. Leave them home and carry ten-round magazines. The license’s large-capacity firearm authorization does not override this restriction.⁶

Places You Still Cannot Carry

A valid license does not open every door. Chapter 269, Section 10(j) bars firearms on school and university grounds. Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 expanded restricted locations to include government buildings and polling places.⁸ Federal law separately prohibits firearms in federal courthouses and federal buildings.

Private property owners can also prohibit firearms on their premises. Massachusetts does not give “no firearms” signage the standalone force of criminal law that some states do, but staying after being asked to leave is trespass. If a business posts, treat it as binding.

Just Driving Through

If you are passing through the state and not stopping to carry, federal law offers a narrow protection. Under 18 U.S.C. § 926A, you may transport a firearm from one state where you may lawfully possess it to another such state, even through a stricter jurisdiction in between.⁹ The firearm must be unloaded, and neither the firearm nor ammunition may be readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle without a separate trunk, both must be in a locked container other than the glove box or console.

This covers transit only. Stop for an extended stay, sightseeing, or business and the protection falls away; at that point you need the Massachusetts license. Courts read § 926A narrowly, so treat it as covering the most direct route through the state.

What Happens If You Carry Without a License

Under Chapter 269, Section 10, carrying a firearm without a valid license is punishable by two and a half to five years in state prison, or eighteen months to two and a half years in a jail or house of correction.¹⁰

The eighteen-month minimum is mandatory in every sense the statute allows. It cannot be reduced, cannot be suspended, and does not qualify for probation, parole, work release, furlough, or good-conduct deductions until the full eighteen months have been served.¹⁰ A conviction also creates a permanent record that can affect employment and your ability to possess firearms in any state.

Massachusetts does not require you to proactively tell an officer you are carrying during a traffic stop. If asked, answer truthfully, and keep your license accessible.

The LEOSA Exception

Active and qualified retired law enforcement officers are the one group that can carry concealed in Massachusetts without a state-issued license, under the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 926B and 926C). LEOSA supersedes state licensing requirements, but only while the officer meets its conditions at all times.

For retired officers, that includes having separated in good standing after at least ten years of service, meeting annual firearms qualification standards at their own expense, and carrying both a LEOSA photographic identification card and a current firearms qualification certification.¹¹ LEOSA does not override state rules on magazine capacity or restricted places like courthouses and schools, so even covered officers need to know Massachusetts-specific limits.

If Your Application Is Denied

You have two possible routes, and both are time-sensitive.

The main route is a direct appeal to the district court with jurisdiction, filed within 90 days of the denial.¹² This is available for any denial, including suitability-based ones. The court reviews whether the licensing authority had a reasonable basis for its decision.

A narrower option is available if you were denied specifically because of a misdemeanor conviction punishable by up to two and a half years in prison. Those applicants can petition the Firearms Licensing Review Board, submitting a notarized request, the fee by bank check or money order, the denied application, a written statement, and court records tied to the disqualifying conviction.¹² If your denial was based on a felony, suitability, or another ground, the Review Board is not the right forum, and district court is your only option.

The 90-day clock starts on the date of denial. Miss it and you forfeit the appeal and have to reapply from the beginning. If you believe the denial was unjustified, contact a Massachusetts firearms attorney quickly.

1
Mass.gov. Firearms License and Transaction Frequently Asked Questions
2
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part I, Title XX, Chapter 140, Section 131F
3
Mass.gov. Apply for or Renew a Firearms License
4
Mass.gov. Non-Resident LTC Application
5
Mass.gov. Joint Advisory Regarding the Massachusetts Firearms Licensing Law
6
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140, Section 131F – Nonresidents or Aliens; Temporary License to Carry Firearms or Ammunition
7
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part I, Title XX, Chapter 140, Section 131M
8
Mass.gov. Summary of Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
10
Mass.gov. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269, Section 10
11
U.S. Department of State. Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) FAQs
12
Mass.gov. Appeal a Firearms License Denial