Minnesota concealed carry reciprocity runs in both directions but not symmetrically: Minnesota currently recognizes permits from 33 other states, and a larger group of states honors your Minnesota Permit to Carry, with the two lists only partially overlapping because every state sets its own recognition rules. Whether you can legally carry on a given trip depends on the destination state’s list, its underlying carry laws, and, increasingly, whether it requires a permit at all.
Out-of-State Permits Minnesota Recognizes
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety reviews other states’ carry laws each year and publishes the list of states whose standards it considers similar enough to Minnesota’s own.1Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Permit to Carry Reciprocity If a state makes the list, its permit holders can carry here. As of the most recent review, 33 states qualify:
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- California (permits issued or renewed on or after August 1, 2024)
- Colorado (permits issued or renewed on or after August 1, 2024)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Idaho (enhanced permit only)
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (permits issued or renewed on or after August 1, 2024)
- Michigan
- Mississippi (enhanced permit only)
- Missouri
- Montana (enhanced permit only)
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota (Class 1 license only)
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota (enhanced permit only)
- Tennessee (enhanced permit only)
- Texas
- West Virginia
Read the parentheses carefully. California, Colorado, and Massachusetts permits count only if issued or renewed on or after August 1, 2024. Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, and Tennessee qualify only in their enhanced or upgraded form, not the basic permit. North Dakota recognition is limited to Class 1 licenses.1Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Permit to Carry Reciprocity
States Whose Permits Are Not Valid Here
Minnesota has determined that 15 states have carry laws that are not similar enough to its own. Permits from these states are not valid in Minnesota, even when the state itself honors a Minnesota permit:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
The one-way gap is what trips people up. A Florida permit holder cannot carry in Minnesota, even though Minnesotans can carry in Florida. Check the current Minnesota list before assuming your out-of-state permit works.1Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Permit to Carry Reciprocity
Where Your Minnesota Permit Works
The reverse question is harder to answer from any single Minnesota source. The state’s DPS page tracks which out-of-state permits work here, not which states accept yours. Each state independently decides whether to recognize Minnesota, and those decisions change without notice from the Minnesota side.
As a practical matter, Minnesota permit holders can carry in a large share of the country. Many states with formal permit systems have reciprocity agreements that include Minnesota. The faster-growing category is states that don’t require any permit at all.
Permitless Carry States
More than half the country now allows residents, and in most cases visitors, to carry a concealed handgun without a permit. As of 2025, 29 states have adopted some form of permitless carry, sometimes called constitutional carry. In those states your Minnesota permit still works, but you technically don’t need it: anyone who can legally possess a firearm can carry concealed there.
This matters for several states on Minnesota’s “not recognized” list. Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, and Wyoming are all permitless carry states. Their permits don’t work in Minnesota, but you can still carry in those states without any permit, provided you meet the minimum age and aren’t otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Your Minnesota permit can still be useful in a permitless carry state. Some set a lower minimum age for permit holders than for permitless carry, and a permit provides quick documentation that you’ve passed a background check and completed training.
Checking Your Destination
Before any trip, look up the destination state’s attorney general or state police website for its current reciprocity list. Agreements can change mid-year. Some states also distinguish between resident and non-resident permits, which can affect whether a Minnesota permit qualifies. Getting this wrong carries criminal penalties, so a week-old forum post isn’t a safe source.
How the Recognized List Gets Set
Minnesota law requires the Commissioner of Public Safety to publish an annual list of states whose carry permit laws are “not similar” to Minnesota’s. States that don’t appear on that list are recognized by default.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 624.714 – Carrying of Weapons Without Permit; Penalties The review weighs factors like background check requirements, training standards, and eligibility criteria.
That is why the list moves. When another state tightens or loosens its own permit standards, Minnesota’s next annual review can reclassify it with no change in Minnesota law.
The July 2024 Eighth Circuit decision in Worth v. Jacobson also changed the picture. The court held that Minnesota’s blanket prohibition on carry permits for 18-to-20-year-olds violated the Second Amendment, finding that otherwise qualified adults in that age group are protected and that Minnesota had not shown a historical tradition justifying the age cutoff.3Justia. Worth v Jacobson, No. 23-2248 (8th Cir. 2024) Because the age requirement had been a key factor in the similarity analysis, states whose permits previously failed on that ground were reconsidered, which broadened the recognized list.
Federal Safe Passage Through States That Don’t Recognize You
If you’re driving from Minnesota to a state that honors your permit but have to pass through one that doesn’t, federal law offers limited protection. Under the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, you can transport a firearm through any state as long as you can legally possess it at both your origin and destination.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
The catch: the firearm must be unloaded, and neither the gun nor ammunition can be readily accessible from the passenger compartment. If your vehicle has a trunk, both go there. If it doesn’t have a separate trunk, as with an SUV or pickup, the firearm and ammunition must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or center console.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
Safe passage covers transport, not carry. You can’t stop for a few days, check into a hotel, and walk around town armed in a non-reciprocal state just because you’re passing through. The protection applies while you’re genuinely in transit. New York and New Jersey have historically read the provision narrowly, and travelers who lingered or deviated from their route have been arrested despite claiming its protection.
Rules That Change at the State Line
Reciprocity means the state lets you carry there. It does not mean that state’s laws match Minnesota’s. Several differences can turn legal carry into a criminal charge if you aren’t paying attention.
Duty to Inform
In Minnesota you only have to tell a police officer you’re carrying if the officer asks. The statute requires disclosure “upon the request of a peace officer.”2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 624.714 – Carrying of Weapons Without Permit; Penalties You do not have to volunteer it during a routine traffic stop.
Other states are stricter. Some require you to inform any officer you interact with immediately, without waiting to be asked. Failing to do so can be a separate criminal offense on top of anything else that arises during the encounter. If you’re used to the Minnesota rule, it’s easy to forget in the moment.
Prohibited Locations
Every state bars firearms from certain places. Schools, courthouses, and federal buildings are common. The specifics vary. Some states prohibit carry in any establishment that serves alcohol. Others ban it in places of worship, hospitals, or public parks. A few make it a crime to ignore a legally compliant no-firearms sign on private property, rather than treating it as a trespass warning. Minnesota’s prohibited-location rules won’t protect you elsewhere.
Magazine Capacity Limits
Roughly 14 states plus the District of Columbia restrict how many rounds a magazine can hold. The most common cap is 10 rounds. Colorado, Illinois, and Vermont set their handgun limits at 15, and Delaware allows up to 17. If you carry a standard-capacity magazine holding more than 10 rounds, it may become illegal the moment you cross into one of these states, even if your permit is fully recognized. Possessing a prohibited magazine is typically a separate offense from any carry violation.
Open Carry
Minnesota law does not require you to conceal your handgun; a permit holder can carry openly or concealed.5Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Permit to Carry Not every state allows that. Some states that recognize your Minnesota permit extend recognition only to concealed carry, and open carry may be separately regulated or banned. Others allow open carry without a permit but restrict concealed carry. Check each state’s rules before assuming Minnesota’s approach travels with you.
Where to Verify Before You Travel
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s reciprocity page is the authoritative source for which out-of-state permits Minnesota currently recognizes.1Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Permit to Carry Reciprocity For the reverse direction, check the destination state’s attorney general or state police website directly. These lists can change after any legislative session or court ruling, and outdated information is not a defense to a criminal charge.