Washington State Gun Background Check Online: SAFE Portal

You can start a Washington state gun background check online through the Washington State Patrol’s SAFE transferee entry portal at safe.wsp.wa.gov, but you cannot finish one there. The online step lets you type your personal information into the system in advance and receive an eight-character code. A licensed dealer takes that code, pulls up your entry, and submits the actual background check. Every firearm transfer in Washington also requires a 10-business-day waiting period and proof of firearms safety training before the gun leaves the counter.¹

What the SAFE Portal Does for You

SAFE stands for Secure Automated Firearms E-Check, and it is the single system the Washington State Patrol uses for every firearm transfer in the state.² The buyer-facing piece lives at safe.wsp.wa.gov/buyer-code. Filling it out before you visit a dealer saves time at the counter and cuts down on data-entry mistakes.

Once you submit the form, the portal generates an eight-character code. You take that code to the dealer, who uses it to auto-populate your information on their side of SAFE. The dealer still has to review the entry, confirm it matches your physical ID, and submit the background check. Submitting your information through the portal is also your consent for the State Patrol to store it and run the check if you go through with a purchase.³

Information You Have to Enter

The portal asks for your full legal name, date of birth, place of birth, height, weight, eye color, gender, race, home address, phone number, email, and details from a government-issued ID such as a Washington driver’s license or state ID card.³ Non-citizens supply an alien registration number or nonimmigrant admission number, and may need a Washington alien firearm license.

Your Social Security number is listed as optional. Leaving it out is one of the most common reasons people get delayed. If someone else in the database shares your name and date of birth, the State Patrol may not be able to tell you apart without it.

One thing to know before you sign: your signature on the firearm transfer application acts as a waiver of confidentiality for your mental health records, letting mental health institutions and the Health Care Authority share information relevant to your eligibility with law enforcement and the State Patrol.⁴ Lying on any part of the application can trigger criminal charges, and buying a gun for someone who can’t pass the check themselves is a federal straw-purchase offense carrying up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.⁵

What Still Happens at the Dealer

The dealer logs into their SAFE account, enters your buyer code, and submits the check to the State Patrol electronically.⁶ A fee of up to $18 is charged for each submission. The statute caps the fee at eighteen dollars and requires it to cover the cost of running the system. It is non-refundable whether the result is approved or denied.²

The 10-Day Wait and How Results Show Up

Washington imposes a mandatory 10-business-day waiting period on all firearm transfers. Even if your background check comes back clean the same day, the dealer cannot release the firearm until 10 full business days have passed from the date the check was requested. Both conditions have to be met: a clean result and the full 10 days.¹

When the check is resolved, the SAFE portal updates with a result. A “proceeded” status means you have been cleared and the dealer can complete the transfer once the wait expires. A “denied” status means you are ineligible under state or federal law. Personal information from a proceeded check is purged in accordance with state and federal law; denied records are kept for three years to support appeals.³

Age and Training You Need Before You Start

Two prerequisites can stop the process before it begins, so confirm them before paying the fee.

You must be at least 21 to purchase a pistol or a semi-automatic rifle. For other long guns, such as bolt-action rifles and pump shotguns, the minimum age is 18.⁷ If you are under the applicable age, the dealer will turn you away and the check will not be submitted.

You also need proof of a certified firearms safety training program completed within the last five years. The course must be offered by a nationally recognized firearms training organization or an instructor certified by one, and it has to cover:⁸

Basic firearms safety rules and safe handling techniques
Firearms and children, including secure storage and talking to kids about gun safety
Suicide prevention related to firearm access
Secure storage to prevent unauthorized access
State and federal firearms laws, including prohibited transfers and restricted locations
Use of deadly force under Washington self-defense law
Conflict resolution and techniques for avoiding a criminal attack
Live-fire exercises showing safe handling and shooting proficiency

Many dealers and ranges in Washington offer qualifying courses for under $100. Your completion certificate is good for five years. Starting May 1, 2027, Washington moves to a permit-to-purchase system that replaces the training certificate with a separate permit issued under RCW 9.41.121, though the training curriculum stays largely the same.⁸

If You’re Denied

A denial can come from a Washington-specific prohibition (certain felonies, domestic violence offenses, and a set of misdemeanors including cyberstalking, animal cruelty in the second degree, and repeat DUI offenses)⁹ or from a federal disqualifier such as an involuntary mental health commitment, unlawful drug use, a qualifying restraining order, or a dishonorable discharge.

The dealer must give you a denial notice that explains your right to appeal.¹⁰ Errors happen: outdated records, mistaken identity, or a conviction that was later vacated can all produce a wrongful denial. To appeal, submit two items to the State Patrol’s Firearms Background Division: a completed and notarized WSP Firearms Background Check Appeal and Identity Verification Form, and a clear color image of the government-issued ID you used at the purchase attempt. Email both to firearmappeal@wsp.wa.gov for the fastest response.¹¹

Once the State Patrol receives your appeal, your name is removed from the Denied Firearm Applicant database for one year while the review is pending. If the appeal succeeds, your name is permanently removed from the file for that denial. If it fails, your name goes back into the database for the remainder of the six-year retention period.¹⁰

Private Sales Still Go Through a Dealer

The SAFE portal is not a way to buy a gun from a friend without involving a shop. Washington requires almost all firearm transfers, including private sales, to run through a licensed dealer. The seller delivers the firearm to the dealer, the dealer runs the background check on the buyer through SAFE exactly as with a retail sale, and the buyer picks up the gun after the check clears and the waiting period ends.¹² Dealers charge a service fee on top of the $18 state fee for facilitating private transfers, often between $25 and $100 per firearm.

A narrow set of transfers is exempt from the background check requirement, most commonly genuine gifts or loans between immediate family members. Washington defines that category broadly to include spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, uncles, and their in-law equivalents. Other exemptions cover antique firearms, temporary transfers to prevent imminent death or serious injury, temporary transfers to prevent self-harm, transfers involving law enforcement and military personnel acting in their official capacity, delivery to a federally licensed gunsmith for repair, and temporary transfers at shooting ranges, organized competitions, or while hunting.¹³ Even under an exemption, the person receiving the firearm still has to be legally eligible to possess one.

1
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.092
2
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 43.43.580 – Firearms Background Check Program
3
Washington State Patrol. Transferee Entry Portal – SAFE
4
Washington State Legislature. House Bill 1143 – Section 5, RCW 9.41.094
5
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Dont Lie for the Other Guy
6
Washington State Patrol. Firearms Background Division
7
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.240
8
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.1132 – Firearm Sales and Transfers, Firearms Safety Training
9
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.040 – Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
10
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.114 – Firearm Sales or Transfers
11
Washington State Patrol. Firearm Transfer Denial Notification and Appeal Process
12
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.113 – Firearm Sales or Transfers, Background Checks
13
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.113 – Firearm Sales or Transfers, Background Checks