How to Get an FID Card: Eligibility, Documents, and Filing

To get a Firearm Identification Card in Massachusetts, you apply through the police department in the city or town where you live, after completing a state-approved Basic Firearms Safety course and confirming you meet the eligibility rules. The application involves fingerprinting, an interview, state and federal background checks, and a $100 fee for adult applicants.¹

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 18 years old and a lawful Massachusetts resident to apply for a standard FID card. Applicants aged 15 to 17 may apply with a signed certificate from a parent or guardian, but they are limited to a restricted FID that covers only chemical propellants like pepper spray. A 14-year-old can submit an application, though the card won’t issue until the applicant turns 15. The full FID covering rifles and shotguns requires the applicant to be 18 or older.²

Lawful residency means U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency, documented with a birth certificate, valid U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or permanent resident card.¹

Disqualifiers to Check Before You Apply

Massachusetts maintains an extensive list of automatic disqualifiers. The application fee is non-refundable, so it’s worth reviewing this list carefully before you file. You cannot receive an FID card if you have been convicted of any of the following:

A felony in any jurisdiction
A misdemeanor punishable by more than two years of imprisonment
A violent crime as defined under Massachusetts law
Any weapons-related offense involving the possession, sale, or transport of firearms or ammunition
A controlled substance violation
A misdemeanor involving domestic violence as defined under federal law

You’re also disqualified if you are currently subject to an outstanding arrest warrant, have been committed to a hospital or institution for mental illness or substance abuse, are subject to a restraining order or extreme risk protection order, were dishonorably discharged from the military, or are a fugitive from justice.³

There is a path back for some offenses. If your conviction was for a non-violent misdemeanor that didn’t involve domestic violence, weapons trafficking, or controlled substances, your eligibility is restored five years after the conviction, confinement, probation, or parole, whichever ended last. Felony convictions and the other serious categories listed above have no such restoration period.

What to Gather Before You File

Proof of Residency and Identity

Bring proof of Massachusetts residency such as a current driver’s license, state-issued ID with your address, a utility bill, or a lease agreement, along with your citizenship or lawful permanent residency documentation.¹

Basic Firearms Safety Certificate

First-time applicants must submit a certificate showing completion of a Massachusetts-approved Basic Firearms Safety (BFS) course.² A hunter safety course certificate also satisfies this requirement. Applicants who receive an initial FID after August 1, 2024 will need to complete the updated course, which includes a live-fire component, when they renew.⁴

The Fee

The application fee is $100 for applicants 18 and older and $25 for applicants under 18. Both are non-refundable. Renewal applicants who are 70 or older pay no fee.¹

Filing the Application

You apply through the police department in the city or town where you live. Massachusetts offers two paths. You can apply online through the MIRCS Unified Gun Portal, or submit a paper application directly to your local police department’s licensing unit.¹ Even if you file online, you’ll need to contact your local licensing authority to arrange payment and complete the in-person steps.

Either way, you’ll schedule an appointment with the licensing unit. At that appointment, you’ll be fingerprinted, photographed, and interviewed by an officer. Bring all your documents, your safety course certificate, and your payment. Processing includes state and federal background checks, a fingerprint-based check, and a query with the Department of Mental Health.¹

The licensing authority must approve or deny your application within 40 days of receiving it. Some departments take longer in practice, but the statutory deadline gives you grounds to follow up if your application stalls.

What the Card Covers Once Issued

An FID card authorizes you to purchase, possess, and carry rifles and shotguns that are neither large capacity nor semi-automatic, along with the ammunition for those firearms.² In practical terms, that covers bolt-action, lever-action, pump-action, and single-shot rifles and shotguns with standard-capacity magazines. Buying black powder for antique firearms also requires an FID or LTC.⁴

The 2024 firearms modernization law narrowed what an FID covers. Previously it authorized any non-large-capacity rifle or shotgun, including semi-automatics. Now, semi-automatic rifles and shotguns require a License to Carry regardless of magazine capacity.⁴ The FID does not authorize possession of handguns, large-capacity firearms, semi-automatic rifles or shotguns, or large-capacity feeding devices, and it does not permit concealed carry. For any of those, you need an LTC, which has a higher age threshold of 21 and requires a personal interview with the licensing authority.⁵

One narrow exception: an FID holder can possess a semi-automatic or large-capacity firearm while under the direct supervision of an LTC holder at an incorporated shooting club or licensed range.² Outside that setting, the restriction is absolute.

Keeping the Card Valid

An FID card is valid for up to six years. It expires on your birthday that falls between five and six years after issuance.² The state sends a renewal notice at least 90 days before expiration.

If you submit your renewal application before the card expires, the old card remains valid for all purposes until the renewal is approved or denied. There is also a 90-day grace period after the printed expiration date during which the card is still treated as valid. After those 90 days, you face a fine of $100 to $5,000, and law enforcement will confiscate any firearms in your possession along with the expired card.⁶

Active-duty military members get additional protection. If you’re deployed when your card expires, it stays valid through your service and for at least 180 days after your release from active duty. If you apply for renewal within that 180-day window, the card remains valid until the application is decided.⁶

If you move within Massachusetts, you must update your address through the state’s electronic firearms registration portal within 30 days. Failing to report a new address is grounds for revocation or suspension of your FID card.²

If Your Application Is Denied

A denial is not the end of the road for every applicant. You have the right to petition for judicial review in district court, and the deadline to file that petition is 90 days from the date you receive the denial notice. At the hearing, both you and the licensing authority present your cases, and the judge decides whether the denial was justified. Evidence of rehabilitation, employment stability, and character references strengthens an appeal, though success depends heavily on the specific disqualification involved. Felony convictions and domestic violence offenses are essentially impossible to overcome on appeal because they are absolute statutory bars.

1
Mass.gov. Apply for or Renew a Firearms License
2
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140 Section 129B
3
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part I Title XX Chapter 140 Section 129B
4
Mass.gov. An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws Guidance
5
Mass.gov. Massachusetts General Laws c.140 Section 131 – Licenses to Carry Firearms
6
Mass.gov. Massachusetts General Laws c.140 Section 121F