Step-by-step guide
Maryland Non-Resident Guide
How a New York resident gets a Maryland Wear and Carry Permit.
Where You Can Carry — See the Map
Apply Online. You Need a 16-Hour Class with a Maryland-Registered Instructor (Some Teach in New York) and One Trip to Maryland for Fingerprints.
At a glance (checked Nov 1, 2026):
Can a New Yorker apply? Yes. It is the same Wear and Carry Permit Maryland residents get; the law has no residency requirement. No NY carry license needed
Training: 16 hours in person with an MSP Qualified Handgun Instructor, including a live-fire qualification. A NY 16+2 or 18-hour class does not count unless that instructor is on Maryland's list
Fingerprints: LiveScan in Maryland only (out-of-state providers are not accepted)
In person: The class (can be in New York with a Maryland-registered instructor) and one trip to Maryland for fingerprints
Cost: $125 (renewal $75), plus fingerprints (about $53 to $56 at the state office) and the class
Processing: Decision within 90 days; applicants report about 3 to 6 weeks
Valid for: About 2 years the first time, then 3-year renewals
Step 1 - Check That You Qualify
You must be 21 or older.
No felony or misdemeanor with a sentence over 1 year, no drug conviction, no disqualifying mental-health history, no current protective or extreme-risk order, and not otherwise barred from owning a firearm.
Maryland stopped requiring a "good and substantial reason" in July 2022.
You will need three references: people not related to you who have known you for more than 2 years. Line them up before you start.
Step 2 - The 16-Hour Class
At least 16 hours in person with a Qualified Handgun Instructor (QHI) registered with the Maryland State Police (MSP). Online or Zoom classroom time does not count.
The class covers Maryland and federal firearms law, where you cannot carry, home safety, handgun operation, de-escalation and suicide prevention.
Live fire: at least 25 rounds, from no farther than 15 yards, with a score of at least 70%.
MSP: "Can a handgun instructor that is not on the list qualify me? No." Search MSP's instructor list (link) and filter State = NY. On Nov 1, 2026 it showed 40+ active instructors with New York addresses (Brooklyn, Cedarhurst, Lawrence, Staten Island, Manhattan, White Plains, Yonkers, Newburgh and more). Ask the instructor whether they run the full class and range in New York.
The instructor fills in and you both sign the MSP 29-14 Certified Qualification Score Sheet. You upload it with the application.
The class must be within 2 years before you apply.
No class needed if you are active or retired law enforcement, or active, retired or honorably discharged military.
Step 3 - Fingerprints and Photo
Fingerprints must be LiveScan in Maryland. MSP: "Can an out-of-state LiveScan provider print me? No." Ink cards from other states are not accepted.
Before you go, sign and date the FBI Privacy Act Statement (linked on the MSP page).
Give the technician: Agency Authorization Number 9400082484, ORI MDMSP6000, reason "MD Public Safety Article, Section 5-305". Keep the receipt; you upload it.
State walk-in office: CJIS, 6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 101, Baltimore, MD 21215, Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (be in line by 4:45 PM). Bring photo ID; cards only. Or use a private provider from the state's locator (link).
You also need a color passport-style photo as a digital file to upload.
Step 4 - Apply Online
Create an account on the MSP Licensing Portal (link).
Fill in the Wear and Carry (Handgun Permit) application. It is online only and takes about 1.5 to 2 hours once you have everything ready.
Enter your three references.
Upload the LiveScan receipt, the signed 29-14 score sheet (or your exemption proof) and your photo.
Step 5 - Pay
$125 by Visa or MasterCard in the portal. Non-refundable.
Fingerprints at the state office: $53 on the state fee table, plus a $3 FBI increase from October 1, 2026. Private providers charge more.
Step 6 - After You Apply
MSP checks the application is complete within about 5 business days and decides within 90 days. You get the decision by email.
If approved, the permit card is mailed to you. You may not carry until you have the card.
The first permit expires at the end of your birth month after 2 years; renewals are for 3 years.
Renewal: start 90 days before expiration, take an 8-hour in-person class with a QHI, pay $75 in the portal. No new fingerprints. Submit at least 14 days before expiration to keep carrying while it is processed. If it expires, you start over (16 hours and new fingerprints).
Where It Is Valid
Not valid in New York.
Maryland honors no other state's permit, so the Maryland permit is the only way to carry in Maryland (for example on an I-95 trip).
MSP does not publish where the Maryland permit is honored; check each state's own list.
Driving through Maryland without a Maryland permit: MSP points to federal law (18 U.S.C. 926A): unloaded and not reachable from the passenger area.
Tips from Others' Experience
From users on the chats (paraphrased). These are personal experiences, not official rules, and may change.
A Long Island applicant (2025): applied October 29, approved December 8 (40 days), card in the mail December 15. The only hard part was driving to Maryland for fingerprints.
Applicants suggest a private LiveScan provider in Elkton, MD (about 10 minutes from the Delaware line) as an easier stop than Baltimore; book an appointment. Some providers also take the passport photo and email it to you.
Make sure the provider prints you specifically for the Wear and Carry permit, and photograph the receipt.
Spring 2026 reports: about 3 to 5 weeks from submission to card.
New Yorkers get Maryland mainly to stay legal driving between New York and Florida, since Maryland recognizes no other permit.
Good to Know
The permit is for concealed carry only.
No carry, even with the permit, in many places, including private primary and secondary schools (this includes yeshivas and day schools), preschools, health care facilities, government buildings, polling places, colleges, and any place licensed to serve alcohol or cannabis on site (for example a restaurant with a liquor license), stadiums, museums and casinos.
Maryland law also bars carrying into another person's home without the owner's express permission. A federal appeals court struck down part of the private-property rule; check its current status before relying on it.
No carrying while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Every state has different laws pertaining to carrying, restrictions etc. It is your responsibility to know these laws and be familiar with them before visiting that state.
This guide summarizes the state's published instructions as of November 1, 2026 and is not legal advice. Fees, forms and rules change; always check the official page before you apply. Tips from others' experience come from users on the chats; they are personal experiences, not official rules.
Official Sources
Checked November 1, 2026.
Maryland State Police, Wear and Carry Permit: link
MSP, Firearms Safety Training: link
MSP Qualified Handgun Instructor list: link
MSP 29-14 Certified Qualification Score Sheet: link
MSP Portal User's Guide: link
Maryland DPSCS fingerprinting (locations, fees): link
Public Safety 5-306 (qualifications and training): link
Public Safety 5-304 (fees): link
Criminal Law 4-111 (places where carry is banned): link
Where You Can Carry
You Cannot Carry in These States (15)
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington State, Washington, DC
Dark green: you can carry. Your licenses are honored there (or it is the state that issued the permit).
Light green: you can carry with no permit. That state lets visitors carry with no permit at all. Age limits and rules apply.
Red: you cannot carry here. None of your licenses is honored there, and visitors may not carry without one. Do not carry.
Washington, DC does not recognize any other state's license — you need a DC Concealed Carry Pistol License.
Virginia: changes July 1, 2027 — a new law (SB 115) replaces honoring all states with an Attorney General list not yet published.
Before You Travel
- Check every state on your route. Read the official state police or attorney general website for each state you will pass through. Laws change, and this map can fall behind.
- Verify your exact permit type is honored. Many states honor only permits issued to residents of the issuing state, not non-resident permits.
- Resident vs. non-resident rules differ. A state may treat the same permit differently depending on where you live.
- Permitless carry has limits. Some permitless-carry states allow it only for their own residents, or only from a certain age.
- Review each state's carry laws. Know where carry is banned (schools, government buildings, bars, parks, transit and more) and the rules for carrying in a car.
- Duty to inform. Some states require you to tell a police officer right away that you are carrying.
- Ammunition. Some states restrict hollow-point ammunition (for example, New Jersey). Check what you may carry.
- Magazine capacity. Magazine limits differ by state.
- Type of firearm. Some places ban certain firearms (for example, AR-style rifles are not allowed in New York City).
- Interstate travel (safe passage). Under federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 926A (part of the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986, signed by President Reagan), you may transport a firearm through a state where you cannot legally carry, if you may lawfully possess and carry it at both your starting point and your destination. The firearm must be unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition may be readily accessible from the passenger compartment: keep them in the trunk, or, in a vehicle without a trunk, in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. Stops along the way can complicate this protection, so verify before you travel. Read 18 U.S.C. § 926A
Checked November 2026. Laws change: always verify before you travel. This is general information, not legal advice.
Last checked: November 1, 2026
New to the terms? See the 2A Glossary.
You Carry the Responsibility. We Carry the Process.
The decision to carry is yours. The stress of getting approved doesn't have to be. White Glove is a full service: we handle the process with you, make sure every requirement is met 100%, and stay with you to the finish line. Every completed application we've handled has been approved.
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