Massachusetts LTC for non-residents

You don't have to live in Massachusetts to hold a Massachusetts license — and if you work here, commute through, or keep a firearm at a second home here, you need one. Out-of-state permits are not recognised.

Who this applies to

• You live in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine or anywhere else and work in Massachusetts
• You drive through Massachusetts with a firearm regularly
• You own a second home here
• You're a competitive shooter or hunter who comes here for events
• You're moving to Massachusetts and want to be licensed before you arrive with your firearms

The thing that catches people: Massachusetts honours no other state's carry permit. Your New Hampshire license, your Florida non-resident permit, your Utah permit — none of them authorise carry here. A Massachusetts non-resident LTC is the only instrument that does.

How it differs from a resident application

Fee and term for non-resident licenses differ from the resident $100/six-year structure — the Firearms Records Bureau publishes the current figures, and they're worth checking before you budget.

The class part is the easy part

The training requirement is identical, and out-of-state students are a normal part of every class we run. Everett is ten minutes from Boston with free parking on site, which makes it a straightforward day trip from southern New Hampshire, northern Rhode Island or eastern Connecticut.

Four to five hours, one visit, live fire included, and you leave with the certificate of completion the Bureau will want to see.

The obvious upgrade if you're already crossing state lines

If you're applying for a Massachusetts non-resident license, you are by definition someone who moves between states. That is exactly who the 39 State Multi License Course is built for: the same four to five hours, plus the law for Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Florida. Six licenses you can apply for, honoured in MA and 38 other states — $100 more than the Massachusetts-only class.

For a New Hampshire resident who works in Boston, that combination is usually the whole answer. New Hampshire covers home, Massachusetts covers the commute and the workplace, and Florida and Pennsylvania cover most of the eastern seaboard.

Before you apply

1. Take the state-approved course.
2. Get the current non-resident application form, fee and term directly from the Firearms Records Bureau — this is the piece that changes, and their published information governs.
3. Be precise about the purpose you state. "Employment in Massachusetts" with the employer named is a stronger application than a vague one.
4. Assume it takes months, and diary the renewal the day it's issued if the term is short.