What Paperwork Is Needed to Buy a Gun in Texas?

The paperwork needed to buy a gun in Texas from a licensed dealer is short: a valid government-issued photo ID and one federal form, ATF Form 4473, which you complete at the dealer’s counter before the FBI runs a background check. Texas does not add any state forms on top of the federal process. Private sales between two Texas residents involve no required paperwork at all, though federal and state prohibitions on who can receive a firearm still apply.

ID You Need to Show the Dealer

Federal law requires you to present a valid, government-issued photo ID showing your name, date of birth, and current residential address before a dealer can transfer a firearm to you. For most Texas buyers, a Texas driver’s license or a DPS-issued identification card is enough.¹

If you’ve moved recently and your license still shows the old address, that single ID will not get the sale done. You’ll need a second piece of government-issued documentation showing your current address. A vehicle registration, voter registration card, or a tax document mailed by a government agency can fill the gap, as long as it comes from a government source and lists where you actually live.¹

Age matters, too. A dealer cannot sell you a handgun or handgun ammunition unless you are at least 21. For rifles and shotguns, the minimum age is 18. Texas does not raise either floor.²

If You’re Not a U.S. Citizen

Legal permanent residents can buy firearms in Texas and need to provide their alien or admission number on Form 4473. That number appears on your Permanent Resident Card or Employment Authorization Card. No further documentation beyond your standard photo ID is required.¹

Nonimmigrant visa holders are generally prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law. Exceptions exist, the most common being a valid hunting license from any state. If you qualify under an exception, you must answer additional questions on Form 4473 and bring supporting documentation to the sale.²

ATF Form 4473

Form 4473 is the only form you fill out, and it is the heart of any dealer purchase. You complete it in person at the dealer’s location. You cannot fill it out in advance, take it home, or submit it electronically.³

The first section captures your personal information: full legal name, residential address, date and place of birth, height, weight, and physical descriptors. A Social Security number field is technically optional, but providing it helps the FBI distinguish you from other people with similar names during the background check. If you have a common name, skipping that field is a reliable way to end up delayed.³

After the personal details come a series of yes-or-no eligibility questions covering felony convictions, fugitive warrants, drug use, domestic violence orders, and the other federal prohibitions. You sign the form under penalty of perjury. A false statement is a federal felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and the form itself prints that warning in plain view.⁴

The very first question also asks whether you are the actual buyer of the firearm. Buying a gun on behalf of someone who cannot pass their own background check is a straw purchase, carrying up to 15 years in prison on its own, and up to 25 years if the firearm is later used in a felony, an act of terrorism, or a drug trafficking crime. A gift for a legally eligible person is not a straw purchase.⁵

Who Cannot Legally Buy

The eligibility questions on Form 4473 track federal law. Before you sign, confirm none of the following applies to you:

A conviction for any crime punishable by more than one year in prison, regardless of the sentence actually served.
Fugitive-from-justice status.
Current use of or addiction to any controlled substance, including marijuana.
Adjudication as mentally defective or involuntary commitment to a mental institution.
Unlawful presence in the United States, or admission on most nonimmigrant visas.
A dishonorable discharge from the military.
Formal renunciation of U.S. citizenship.
A qualifying domestic violence protective order issued after a hearing you had notice of.
A misdemeanor conviction for a crime of domestic violence.

The marijuana question catches more Texas buyers than you might expect. Texas has a limited medical cannabis program, and recreational use is legal in several nearby states. None of that changes the federal answer. Marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance, and Form 4473 explicitly states that marijuana use is unlawful under federal law regardless of whether a state has legalized or decriminalized it. Answering “no” when you use marijuana in any form is a federal crime; answering honestly results in a denial.

Texas law adds its own transfer restrictions. In Texas it is a crime to sell any firearm to someone under 18, to sell a firearm or ammunition to someone who is intoxicated, or to knowingly sell a firearm to a convicted felon within five years of their release from prison or community supervision.⁶

The Background Check and Waiting

Once you sign Form 4473, the dealer submits your information to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The system searches federal criminal history, wanted-person files, and a dedicated index of people known to be prohibited from possessing firearms.⁷

The check returns one of three results: Proceed, Denied, or Delayed. Most come back within minutes. A Delayed response means something in your record needs manual review. For buyers 21 and older, if the FBI has not resolved the delay within three business days, the dealer may legally complete the transfer at their own discretion. Many dealers wait longer, or won’t release the firearm without a Proceed, as a matter of store policy.⁷

Buyers between 18 and 20 purchasing a long gun go through an enhanced review under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. FBI examiners contact state juvenile justice agencies, mental health agencies, and local law enforcement for records that may not appear in the federal databases. If something in that search warrants further investigation, the window extends from three to ten business days, during which the dealer cannot transfer the firearm.⁸

Texas imposes no waiting period. If you pass the check, you can leave with the firearm the same day.

Using a Texas License to Carry Instead of NICS

Texas has been a permitless carry state since September 1, 2021, so a License to Carry is no longer required to carry a handgun.⁹ At the gun counter, though, a valid Texas LTC can replace the NICS background check. The investigation you passed to get the license satisfies the Brady Act, so a dealer may skip NICS entirely when you present an unexpired LTC.¹⁰

Dealers are permitted, not required, to accept the LTC in place of a NICS check. Some run the check regardless, as store policy. For buyers who shop often or who get repeatedly delayed because of a common name, the LTC can save real time. The standard application fee is $40, with a discount for veterans ($25) and no fee for active military and certain law enforcement personnel.¹¹

Buying Online or From Out of State

A firearm bought online or from a seller in another state cannot be shipped to your home. It must ship to a licensed dealer in Texas. You then visit that dealer, complete Form 4473, pass the background check, and pick up the gun as you would any in-store purchase.¹²

The receiving dealer charges a transfer fee, typically $20 to $75. Some charge a flat fee per transaction, others per firearm. Call around before you buy online, because the transfer fee can easily wipe out an online discount.

Private sellers face the same interstate rule. A Texas resident cannot directly sell or give a firearm to a resident of another state; the transfer has to run through a licensed dealer in the buyer’s state, and that dealer handles Form 4473 and the background check.¹³

Private Sales Between Texas Residents

Between two Texas residents, the paperwork picture changes entirely. No Form 4473, no NICS check, and no legal requirement for the seller to keep records. Federal and Texas law both allow unlicensed private sellers to transfer firearms without filing anything.¹⁴

That is not a free pass. Federal law makes it a crime to sell a firearm to anyone the seller knows or has reasonable cause to believe is prohibited from possessing one, and Texas separately criminalizes sales to minors, intoxicated persons, and recent felons.⁶ Nothing requires a private seller to check ID or write a bill of sale, but a short written record listing the buyer’s name, driver’s license number, the firearm’s make, model, and serial number, and the date of sale protects you by showing the gun left your hands and went to someone you had no reason to think was prohibited.

If You’re Denied or Delayed

A denial is not always final. NICS denials sometimes come from incomplete records, mistaken identity, or outdated information that does not reflect an expungement or rights restoration. You can challenge a denial, or a delay that was never resolved.

To start, request the reason for your denial from the FBI in writing. Federal privacy rules prevent the FBI from giving the reason over the phone. You can submit the request by mail, by fax, or through the FBI’s online portal at fbi.gov/nics-appeals. Include your full name, mailing address, and the NICS Transaction Number (NTN) or State Transaction Number (STN) from the failed transaction. If the denial was based on mistaken identity, you can submit rolled fingerprints to prove you are not the person in the matching record.¹⁵

For a delay rather than a denial, the FBI asks you to wait 30 days from the date the check was initiated before filing, so examiners can finish their review. Fingerprints are required for a delay appeal, not optional.¹⁵

If repeat delays trace to a name or birth date that closely matches someone else’s record, you can apply for the FBI’s Voluntary Appeal File. Once approved, you receive a Unique Personal Identification Number (UPIN) to enter on every future Form 4473, which helps NICS confirm your identity and reach the clearing documents already on file. Applications go through the FBI’s electronic portal at edo.cjis.gov with a copy of your fingerprints.¹⁶

1
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record Over The Counter ATF Form 5300.9
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 18 – 922
3
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 (5300.9) – Firearms Transaction Record
4
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record Revisions
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 18 – 932
6
State of Texas. Texas Penal Code PENAL 46.06 – Unlawful Transfer of Certain Weapons
7
Federal Bureau of Investigation. About NICS
8
Federal Bureau of Investigation. NICS Enhanced Background Checks for Under-21 Gun Buyers Showing Results
9
Texas Legislature. HB 1927 – Engrossed Version
10
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Permit Chart
11
Texas Department of Public Safety. LTC Fee Chart
12
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
13
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Best Practices – Transfers of Firearms by Private Sellers
14
Texas State Law Library. How Can I Sell My Gun to Another Person?
15
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Guide for Appealing a Firearm Transfer
16
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Voluntary Appeal File