Gun license in Texas: the License to Carry step by step

This page explains the Texas License to Carry from the applicant's side: who qualifies, what proof the Texas Department of Public Safety requires depending on your immigration status, how the course, application and renewal work, and what carrying without a license under Penal Code § 46.02 requires. It is written for anyone new to Texas, whether on a green card, on a visa or newly naturalized.

This page explains the Texas License to Carry from the applicant's side: who qualifies, what proof the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) requires depending on your immigration status, how the course, application and renewal work, and what carrying without a license under Penal Code § 46.02 requires. It is written for anyone new to Texas, whether on a green card, on a visa or newly naturalized. Where the license is valid outside Texas and which states recognize it is covered in the guide Concealed Carry and Reciprocity; whether federal law lets you own a gun at all is explained in Gun Ownership in the USA as a Foreigner.

And as on every one of these pages: whether you may buy, own or carry a gun depends on your status and your state. Check both before every purchase and every application. In much of Europe, a carry permit is a rare exception for people who can show they face a far greater threat than the general public. In Texas it is an administrative process with a course, fingerprints and a $40 fee, and you no longer even need it to carry.

1Two routes: no license under § 46.02, or a License to Carry

Since September 1, 2021, Texas has had HB 1927 in force, which the DPS calls the Firearm Carry Act. It rewrote Penal Code § 46.02. Since then, carrying a handgun outside your own property and your own vehicle is only an offense if the person carrying is under 21 or has been convicted in the past five years of certain offenses: assault, deadly conduct, terroristic threat, and disorderly conduct by discharging or displaying a firearm in public in a threatening way. Anyone barred from possessing a firearm under Penal Code § 46.04 who carries commits a felony under § 46.02(a-7).

Three more rules apply to everyone, licensed or not. Intentionally displaying a handgun in plain view in public is an offense unless it is in a holster. So is carrying while intoxicated, with exceptions such as on your own property or in your own vehicle. And in a car the gun may only be in plain view if you are at least 21 or hold a license, and it is in a holster; anyone legally barred from possession may not carry it in a car at all.

HB 1927 did not abolish the license. The DPS states explicitly that it must continue to process applications, run background checks and issue the laminated license. So the License to Carry, or LTC, is the second, optional route. Why so many people still take it is explained below.

2Who qualifies: Government Code § 411,172

The requirements are in Chapter 411, Subchapter H of the Texas Government Code. Under § 411,172, you are eligible if, among other things, you have legally resided in Texas for six months or can qualify as a nonresident under § 411,173, are at least 21, have no felony conviction, have no Class A or B misdemeanor conviction in the past five years, are not chemically dependent, are not delinquent on child support or state taxes, are not subject to a protective order, and have not concealed anything material in your application. According to the DPS, a DWI conviction counts as at least a Class B misdemeanor, and the law treats deferred adjudication as a conviction.

For immigrants, item 9 is the key one: you must be fully qualified under federal and state law to purchase a handgun. The law does not require citizenship. Asked whether non-citizens can get the license, the DPS says yes: resident aliens and certain nonimmigrants lawfully present in the country, subject to federal law. Green card holders usually meet this. For visa holders it depends on an exception to the federal ban, in practice a valid US hunting license; Guns on a Visa explains what that means.

There is one twist on age. The law says 21, with exceptions from 18 for service members and veterans and for people protected by a protective order. The DPS reports that a federal court has barred it from enforcing the age limit for otherwise eligible 18 to 20-year-olds, so it no longer denies applications on age alone.

Read more →

3New to Texas: six months, or applying as a nonresident

The six-month residency rule sounds like a waiting period for newcomers, but it isn't one. § 411,173 requires the DPS to offer a process for people who meet all other requirements and either legally reside in another state or are moving to Texas to live there. According to the DPS, you also submit Form LTC-6, two passport photos and a copy of the driver's license or ID from your previous state; you take the course in Texas. The DPS makes one limit clear: every applicant must legally reside in Texas or another US state. Living only in Europe is not enough.

Under § 411,174(b), the application also asks for your Texas driver's license or ID number. So if you've just moved, sort out your driver's license first; the guide Converting Your Driver's License shows how that works with a European license. What else Texas offers newcomers is on the page Texas.

4Proof required by status

The DPS requires proof of citizenship or lawful presence and has a fixed list for it. Under Form LTC-40, applicants born outside the US must submit a valid front-and-back copy of one of these documents: a certificate of citizenship or naturalization, the Permanent Resident Card or a US passport. Nonimmigrants submit their US visa, their I-94 record and a hunting license. On the form itself, the DPS cites the federal ban in 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5)(B) as the reason.

For visa holders, the consequence in § 411,183 matters: the license expires no later than the day your lawful presence ends, as set by immigration authorities. If your stay has no fixed end date, the license is valid for just one year. If your status changes, say through a green card or naturalization, the DPS says you can update it online in your account under service requests.

5The course: classroom, range, exam

No course, no license. § 411,188 requires a two-part course. The classroom part runs at least four and at most six hours and covers four topics: firearms law and the rules on use of deadly force, safe handling including holsters, nonviolent conflict resolution, and safe storage, especially to protect children. You can take it with a certified instructor or online with an approved provider.

The second part happens at the range, in person with a DPS-certified instructor: one to two hours of range instruction and a shooting proficiency test, plus a written exam on the classroom topics. According to the DPS, the range part may also come before the online classroom part. The instructor enters your results directly into your DPS account; there is no paper certificate. Whether you need to bring your own gun is up to the instructor, and the DPS does not regulate what the course costs. If you carry without a license, the DPS also offers free firearm safety videos.

6The request, step by step

You file your first application online through the DPS portal, RSD Connect. Under § 411,174 it includes the completed form, photos, proof of age, proof of Texas residency, two sets of fingerprints, the fee, proof of the course and a sworn statement that you have read the laws on offenses and self-defense and meet every requirement. Among other things, the form asks for your home and business addresses for the past five years and every arrest, including those that were dismissed. Under § 411,174(d), the DPS may not require your Social Security number.

After submitting, you book a fingerprint appointment using the LTC service code; that carries a fee too. The state fee for the license is $40, with reductions for some groups. The law requires the DPS to issue or deny the license within 60 days of a complete application, or explain in writing why it needs longer; the DPS itself quotes about 60 days for a first application. If it asks for more documents, for example about an old arrest, the deadline is extended, and if you don't respond within 90 days, your application lapses. You may carry with a license holder's rights only once the card has arrived.

7How long it lasts and how to renew

Under § 411,183, a first license expires on your first birthday after the fourth anniversary of issue; a renewed license runs five years past the previous expiry, again on your birthday. For foreign nationals the limit mentioned earlier applies: it ends no later than your lawful stay, and after one year if your stay has no fixed end date.

You can renew online, according to the DPS up to six months before expiry, for a fee of $40 under § 411,185. The DPS sends you a reminder at least 60 days before it expires. You don't need a new course to renew. There is no grace period, though: once the license lapses, you carry without its benefits until the new card arrives.

8What the license gets you, and where you still can't carry

The DPS lists the benefits itself. The license can replace the NICS check when you buy a gun, although according to the ATF non-citizens must still give their Alien Number or Admission Number. It is valid in states that recognize the Texas license. License holders may carry in government meetings, carrying on university campuses is reserved for license holders, businesses can allow carrying specifically for license holders, and at the airport the license protects you if you accidentally bring an item into the secure area. It is also an official photo ID, including for voting.

Even with a license, there are places you may not carry. Under Penal Code § 46.03, as listed by the DPS, these include schools and school events, polling places on election day and during early voting, courts, racetracks, the secure area of airports, correctional facilities and businesses that make at least 51 percent of their revenue from alcohol consumed on site. Hospitals, nursing homes and amusement parks can ban carrying with a notice under Penal Code Chapter 30, and private owners can prohibit open carry even for license holders. For a full overview of recognition in other states, see Concealed Carry and Reciprocity.

9How many Texans hold the license

According to the DPS annual report, on December 31, 2025 exactly 1,416,121 people held an active License to Carry, served by 3,787 certified instructors. At the end of 2020, before permitless carry, the figure was 1,626,242. The number has fallen since, but it is still well over a million. For more official figures on guns in the USA, from FBI checks to health statistics, see Guns by the Numbers.

Whether you carry with or without a license is ultimately your call. The requirements are not: they depend on your status and your state, and both should be checked before every purchase and every application.

Read more →

In short

• Since September 1, 2021, under Penal Code § 46.02 anyone in Texas aged 21 or over who is not legally barred from possession may carry a handgun; the License to Carry still exists.
• The license does not require citizenship, but under Government Code § 411,172 it requires six months of lawful residence in Texas or a nonresident application, age 21 and full eligibility to buy a handgun under federal law.
• Green card holders prove eligibility with their I-551; visa holders with their visa, I-94 and a hunting license.
• The application involves four to six hours of classroom instruction, one to two hours at the range including a test, fingerprints and a $40 fee; the DPS usually decides within 60 days.
• The license ends no later than your lawful stay; check your status and your state before every purchase and every application.

How we help you

• Visa RoadmapIn writing: which visa fits you and your family, prepared with the immigration attorney on the firm's team.
• Moving to the USAVisa, bank account, taxes and where to live: your move with Mount Bonnell Advisors.
• Visa and Green Card ConsultationWhich route to the USA fits you, settled in one conversation.