How to get a California CCW permit as a non-resident

Following an Order issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California as a result of a lawsuit, non-California residents can now apply for a California CCW permit, effective April 22, 2025. Non-resident applicants must meet certain criteria, including not being prohibited from possessing firearms under federal or California law, in order to be eligible to receive the license. The application process can be simplified into the following steps:

Step 2: Pick a county to apply through

You must apply through a California county of your choice. Please note that non-resident applicants are required to sign an affidavit affirming that they "intend to spend time" in the county that they are applying through within the subsequent 12 months, though there is no process in place to actually verify this. A few possible counties you can apply with are:

• Riverside County (recommended) (link)
• Placer County (link)
• Nevada County (link)

There may be differences in application fees, requirements, and approved CCW training course providers between counties. Our current recommendation is to apply with Riverside County, as they have some of the lowest fees, reportedly fast processing times and allow more pistols to be registered to the permit than other counties. Also, the required online 16 hour CCW training can be expensive, and we have found that Riverside County has approved a training provider with one of the lowest course prices compared to other training providers.

Step 3: Submit application materials & schedule interview

You will need to submit the required documents to the respective application portal of the county you are applying with, which will typically include the following:

• Valid driver’s license or state ID
• Proof of membership to one of the previously mentioned gun organizations (membership card, receipt, etc.)
• Passport-style photo
• Signed affidavit that you will be visiting the county that you are applying to within the next 12 months
• Proof of current address, if it is different than the address on the ID you supplied

When submitting your application, you will schedule a date and time for a virtual interview. After the interview, your application will go through an initial review.

Step 4: Fingerprints & background check

If the county has determined that your application meets State requirements, you will be sent a notification to proceed to the fingerprinting step. If you are unable to or it is impractical to get fingerprinted in-person at the county, you will have to obtain hard copies of the FBI FD-258 fingerprint cards at a fingerprinting provider in your home-state.

After you have obtained the fingerprints cards, you must mail them to the county and pay the first round of fees through the county’s application portal. There will be a final fee required to be paid upon issuance of the CCW permit. A background check will then be conducted and your application will go under another review. A notification of approval will be sent soon after.

Step 5: Complete 16-hour training requirement

After you have been approved to continue the process, you will need to complete the training requirements under California law. Each county has their own list of approved training providers who provide the online non-resident CCW course. Prices vary but typically we have seen a range from $160-$350. At the time of writing, Firearms Training Associates, which is an approved training provider for Riverside County, provides the course for $200, which is one of the lower prices we have seen so far. You can check out and enroll in their course here.

Step 6: Pass the live-fire qualification

After you have completed the required training, applicants are additionally required to pass a live-fire qualification for each pistol they plan to carry in California. The actual test requirements will vary between counties and each county may have a different limit to the amount of pistols that can be registered to the permit. Riverside County allows 6 pistols to be registered to the permit which is more than many other counties.

The qualification can be conducted by any USCCA instructor and certain NRA instructors across the country and does not need to be done in California or by California instructors. Please note that your training course and qualification certifications need to be dated and submitted within 90 days of receiving approval to proceed with training. Living in Massachusetts? You can take the California CCW qualification in Boston with us! Check out the details here.

Step 7: Final review & issuance of permit

After you submit your training and qualification certifications, the county will perform a final review of your application. If you are approved, your license will be generated and mailed to the address you provided on your application.

The ability for non-residents to obtain a California CCW permit marks a significant shift in the state’s concealed carry laws. While the process may seem complex at first glance, by following the outlined steps, out-of-state residents can now legally carry concealed in California. On a final note, be sure to stay informed about California state gun laws and county policies that may affect your application or permit status.