To buy a gun from a licensed dealer, you need one unexpired, government-issued photo ID that shows your full name, current residence address, date of birth, and photograph. A state driver’s license or state ID card is the usual choice. If your primary ID doesn’t show your current address or current legal name, you can still complete the purchase, but you’ll need a second government-issued document to fill the gap.
What Counts as a Valid Photo ID
Federal law sets three requirements for any identification document used at a Federal Firearms Licensee. It must be issued by a government entity (federal, state, or local); it must contain your name, residence address, date of birth, and photograph; and it must be the kind of document commonly accepted for identification.1Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide It also has to be unexpired. If your license lapsed last month, you’re not buying a firearm until you renew it.
The documents that clear this bar cleanly are:
- A state driver’s license showing your current address
- A state-issued non-driver identification card
- A U.S. passport (which doesn’t list a home address, so you’ll need a supplemental document)
- A military photo ID paired with Permanent Change of Station orders
You do not need a REAL ID-compliant license to buy a gun. The federal firearms statute references 18 U.S.C. ยง 1028(d)’s definition of “valid identification document,” which predates the REAL ID Act and doesn’t incorporate its requirements.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts A standard, unexpired driver’s license is fully acceptable.
When Your License Address Is Out of Date
This stops more sales than people expect. If you moved after your license was issued and the address printed on it isn’t where you actually live, that license alone won’t work. An expired ID or one showing the wrong address cannot serve as the sole identification for a firearm purchase.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Ruling 2001-5 – Identification of Transferee
The workaround is to bring a second government-issued document that shows your name and current address. Under ATF Ruling 2001-5, the dealer can accept a combination of documents that together carry all the required information. Acceptable supplemental documents include:
- Vehicle registration
- Property tax bill
- Voter registration card
- Hunting or fishing license
The supplemental document has to come from a government agency. Utility bills from private companies, bank statements, and credit card statements don’t qualify, unless the utility is a government-owned entity.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Ruling 2001-5 – Identification of Transferee An electronic document pulled from a government website also works as supplemental documentation, as long as it shows your name and current address.1Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
When Your Name Has Changed
The same combination-of-documents approach covers a legal name change after marriage, divorce, or a court order. Form 4473 includes a specific field (Question 26.b) for supplemental government-issued documentation when the primary ID doesn’t reflect your current legal name.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record – ATF Form 4473 A government-issued marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order showing the change will work alongside your photo ID. The simpler path is to update your driver’s license before you go to the store.
Military Members Stationed Away From Home
Service members often don’t hold a driver’s license from the state where they’re currently living. ATF allows dealers to accept a valid military photo ID card combined with Permanent Change of Station orders as proof of residency at the current duty station.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Open Letter to All Federal Firearms Licensees – Military PCS Electronic PCS orders are acceptable. The dealer must confirm the orders reflect a permanent change of station rather than a temporary duty assignment, and that the transfer dates cover the date of purchase.
This lets a service member buy in their duty-station state using PCS orders, even when their license shows a home-of-record address elsewhere. Without those orders, the purchase is limited to the state shown on the license.
ID Requirements for Non-Citizens
Lawful Permanent Residents
Green card holders can buy firearms. A lawful permanent resident must present a Permanent Resident Card showing the alien number (an eight- or nine-digit number, sometimes listed as A#, AR#, or USCIS#). That number goes on Question 20 of Form 4473.6FBI. NICS FFL Tip Sheet for Non-US Citizens Purchasing Firearms Permanent residents no longer need to show 90 days of state residency to complete a purchase.
Nonimmigrant Visa Holders
Nonimmigrant aliens face the strictest requirements. Federal law generally prohibits anyone on a nonimmigrant visa from purchasing or possessing firearms, with a handful of narrow exceptions. The most common exception covers someone admitted for lawful hunting or sporting purposes, or who holds a valid hunting license or permit issued in any U.S. state.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts Other exceptions cover foreign government officials, designated foreign visitors, and foreign law enforcement officers on official business.
A nonimmigrant who qualifies under one of these exceptions must also establish 90 days of continuous residency in the state where the purchase occurs.7GovInfo. Nonimmigrant Aliens Purchasing Firearms and Ammunition in the United States Expect to bring a passport, visa documentation, and proof of whatever exception you’re claiming, most often the hunting license itself.
IDs That Won’t Work at the Counter
Digital or mobile driver’s licenses are not currently approved as a primary ID for firearm purchases. ATF’s Quick Reference Guide accepts electronic documents from government websites as supplemental documentation for things like address verification, but that guidance doesn’t extend to replacing the physical photo ID.1Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide Bring the plastic card.
Tribal identification cards, despite being issued by federally recognized sovereign governments, are not currently accepted as valid ID for firearm purchases from licensed dealers. The problem is that tribal IDs don’t fall neatly within the statutory definition of documents issued “by or under the authority of” the U.S. Government or a state. Tribal members currently need a state-issued driver’s license or ID card to purchase from a dealer.
State Permit Requirements on Top of Federal ID
Federal ID rules are the floor. Several states layer their own permits on top, meaning you may need more than a photo ID at the counter.
Some states require a firearm owner’s identification card before you can legally buy or possess any firearm or ammunition. Illinois is the most familiar example: residents must obtain a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card from the state police, involving its own application and background check, before any purchase. You present that card alongside your standard photo ID at the point of sale.
Other states require a purchase permit for specific types of firearms, especially handguns. A handgun purchase permit may involve fingerprinting, a safety training course, and approval from local law enforcement. The permit becomes a prerequisite for the sale, regardless of how in-order your driver’s license is.
A concealed carry permit can also matter. In roughly two dozen states, a valid carry permit exempts the holder from the NICS background check at the point of sale because the permit application already included an equivalent check.
Private Sales Are Different
The ID rules above cover purchases from a licensed dealer. Federal law does not require a private seller to check the buyer’s identification, fill out a Form 4473, or run a background check. The private seller’s only federal obligation is to not transfer a firearm to someone they know or have reasonable cause to believe is prohibited from possessing one.8Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Best Practices – Transfers of Firearms by Private Sellers Roughly 22 states and the District of Columbia require private sales to be routed through a licensed dealer, and once that happens the full ID and Form 4473 process applies just as it would for any counter sale.
What Happens After You Hand Over Your ID
Your photo ID does two jobs at the counter. It confirms your identity, and it proves you meet the minimum age for the type of firearm you’re buying. A licensed dealer cannot sell a handgun or handgun ammunition to anyone under 21, and cannot sell a rifle, shotgun, or their ammunition to anyone under 18.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts The dealer checks your date of birth against those thresholds before anything else moves.
You then personally fill out Section B of ATF Form 4473, the Firearm Transaction Record, using your ID as the source document. You’ll provide your full legal name, current residence address, date of birth, place of birth, height, weight, sex, and answer race and ethnicity questions.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record – ATF Form 4473 The form also asks a series of eligibility questions covering prior felony convictions, domestic violence misdemeanors, active restraining orders, dishonorable military discharges, unlawful drug use, and other federal disqualifiers. You sign under penalty of perjury.
Once you’ve completed the form, the dealer contacts the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, run by the FBI. NICS returns one of three responses: proceed, denied, or delayed. A proceed lets the sale go through immediately. A denial ends it, though you can appeal to the FBI. A delay means the FBI needs more time, and it has three business days to make a final call before the dealer gains discretion to proceed. Providing your Social Security number on Form 4473 is optional but reduces the chance of a false match.