Complete yourFlorida concealedcarry permitapplication in 15 minutes
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issues the license, and the application is more straightforward than most of what is written about it. Follow the steps below in order and you will be done in one sitting.
One piece of vocabulary first. Nearly everyone says CCW, for concealed carry weapon. Florida calls it a CWL — a Concealed Weapon License — and that is the wording you will see on every screen of the application.
$97 to the state. Up to 90 days to process. And two files you need ready before you start — a training certificate showing live fire, and a passport-style photo.
Before
you begin
Two files and one honest self-check. Gather them now and the application itself is just typing.
A firearms training certificate
Your training must include live fire with a real firearm and live ammunition — a classroom-only course will not satisfy the state. If you trained with National Safety Center, your certificate already meets the requirement and you are good to go.
A digital passport-style photo
You can take it at home in a few minutes with a phone and a plain wall. The guidelines the state applies are the same ones used for passports, and they are set out further down this page.
A check that you are eligible
Your payment is not refundable if you are determined to be ineligible, so it is worth five minutes to be sure. The state publishes a preliminary eligibility questionnaire you can work through before you spend anything.
No certificate yet? Start here
Our concealed carry course is built around exactly what Florida requires, including the live fire the state insists on. You leave with the certificate the application asks you to upload.
- Private CCW class
- $120 per student · 1.5 hrs · your date and time
- Group CCW course
- Daily at 9:00am · full through September 30
How to submit a CCW application in Florida
Apply online, or in person at a tax collector office. We strongly recommend that you do not use the mail application. The online portal opens a seven-step wizard; the steps below are its steps, in its order, with the places people get caught marked as you reach them.
Step 1 — Your information
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has denied roughly one in ten applications, most of them for incomplete documentation rather than anything disqualifying. Slowing down here is the single best thing you can do.
Section I is your applicant information. Double-check every field before you move on; small mistakes are what get applications rejected.
Section II is the set of qualifying questions that confirm you are eligible for a weapon license. Do not rush them, and do not answer from memory if you are unsure.
Section III is a short oath and affirmation. Read it, then click Affirm and Complete.
Do not click the Home button at any point in this step. It discards everything you have entered.
You will then be assigned a tracking number. Save it — it is how you check the status of your application later.
You are not finished. The Print Application button on the confirmation screen leads people to believe they are done. Click Next and continue to the upload steps.
Step 2 — Your photo
Upload the passport-style photo that will appear on your concealed firearm license. If you have not taken it yet, the guidelines are further down this page — it takes about five minutes with a phone.
Step 3 — Your training certificate
Upload the certificate of completion from your firearms training class. The training must have included live fire using a firearm and ammunition. An NSC certificate satisfies this as issued.
Step 4 — Supporting documents
Most people upload nothing here and move straight on.
This step exists for the documents that apply to some applicants and not others: naturalization papers if you were not born in the United States, proof of legal residency, or an honorable discharge from the military. A written statement about religious head coverings in your photo, if one is needed, also belongs here.
Step 5 — Fingerprinting
Have your fingerprints taken somewhere that offers digital fingerprinting. Ink cards are slower and are far more likely to come back rejected.
The easiest place we have found in our area is the Altamonte Police Department; you can schedule an appointment through their COPS system.
Bring the printout of your completed application and make sure they use your reference number — it starts with T and appears at the top of the confirmation page from the previous step. They will know what to do with it.
Steps 6 and 7 — Payment and confirmation
These two are self-explanatory. Make the payment, then print or save your application confirmation before you close the window.
After you submit
Get the fingerprinting done as soon as you can. Your application does not start processing until your fingerprints are received, so every day you wait is a day added to the end.
You will be given a fingerprinting confirmation form with a TCN number in the top left — it is the number beginning with 70. Use it to complete the fingerprint payment on the FDLE website.
Your application will be rejected if you do not complete the fingerprint payment within 30 days.
From there, processing can take as long as 90 days and your license should arrive by mail within that window. You can track the status of the application at any time using the tracking number from step 1.
How to take the passport-style photo
You do not need a photo booth. A phone, a plain wall and good light will pass.
Prepare for the picture
Find a white or cream-colored background — a wall or a poster board. Make sure there is plenty of light so there are no shadows or glare on your face or around your head and body. That might mean moving near a window, or switching household lights on or off.
Check your appearance
Wear your everyday clothing and hairstyle. Uniforms and costumes are not accepted unless worn daily for religious reasons, and garments or head coverings worn for religious purposes need a written statement uploaded with your supporting documents. Headphones and wireless hands-free devices are not acceptable. Prescription glasses, hearing devices and similar articles may be worn, but glare on glasses is not acceptable. Pose with a neutral expression and both eyes open.
Shoot, edit, save
Frame the shot with plenty of headroom and room around your arms, cropped just below the shoulders. Better too zoomed out than too zoomed in, since you can crop afterwards. Take a few, transfer them to your computer, and use any cropping and sizing tool to set the final crop and file size.
What makes an applicant ineligible
Any one of these will stop an application. Read them before you pay, because the fee is not refundable if you are determined to be ineligible.
- The physical inability to handle a firearm safely.
- A felony conviction, unless civil and firearm rights have been restored by the convicting authority.
- Adjudication withheld or sentence suspended on a felony or misdemeanor crime of violence, unless three years have elapsed since probation or other conditions set by the court were fulfilled.
- A conviction for a misdemeanor crime of violence in the last three years.
- A conviction for violation of controlled substance laws, or multiple arrests for such offenses.
- A record of drug or alcohol abuse.
- Two or more DUI convictions within the previous three years.
- Being committed to a mental institution, or adjudged incompetent or mentally defective.
- Failing to provide proof of proficiency with a firearm.
- A domestic violence injunction, or an injunction against repeat violence, currently in force.
- Renouncement of U.S. citizenship.
- A dishonorable discharge from the armed forces.
- Being a fugitive from justice.
What people ask us
The questions that come up in almost every class. If yours is not here, call us — we would rather answer it than have you guess.
- Who can apply for a concealed weapon license in Florida?
- Any resident of the United States who is 21 years of age or older and is a citizen or permanent resident alien of the United States, provided none of the ineligibility reasons above apply.
- Do you have to live in Florida to apply?
- No. Anyone living in the United States can apply. You must be a U.S. citizen, a legal resident alien residing in the United States, or active-duty military residing abroad.
- Do I need to own a firearm to apply?
- No. You do not need to own a firearm in order to apply for a Florida concealed weapon license.
- Do I need a license in order to buy a firearm in Florida?
- No. If you buy from a licensed dealer, the dealer obtains approval from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and you wait three days before picking up the firearm. That cooling-off period does not apply if you already hold a concealed weapon license.
- How much is a concealed weapons permit in Florida?
- The total state fee is $97 — a $55 application fee plus a $42 fingerprint-processing fee. Submitting at a tax collector office may add a convenience fee. The total state renewal fee for a Florida resident is $45.
- Can I take the firearms class online?
- We teach the theory online, as a virtual instructor-led session or at your own pace. You still meet us at the range for a short practical session, because your certificate has to show live fire.
- Can I carry without a concealed weapons permit in Florida?
- Since House Bill 543 took effect on July 1, 2023, Florida allows permitless carry for people who are legally able to possess a firearm. You must still be 21 or older and carry valid ID, and places such as schools, airports and government buildings remain off-limits. A license still carries real benefits: it is accepted in places permitless carry is not, it serves as proof of eligibility, and it removes the three-day wait when you buy a firearm. Read our full write-up on permitless carry.
- Can someone at NSC just check my application?
- Yes. Concealed carry application support is a paid add-on you can select when you book the private CCW class. We sit down with your application, make sure it is error-free before it goes in, and take the hassle out of the process. Add it when you book.
The certificate comes first
Everything above waits on one upload. Book the concealed carry class, do the live fire, and walk out with the document Florida is asking you for.