Rhode Island Concealed Carry Permit

Rhode Island requires a License or Permit to Carry a Pistol or Revolver Concealed to carry. It is shall-issue, the minimum age is 21, and training is required.

Requirements at a glance

Permit name	License or Permit to Carry a Pistol or Revolver Concealed
Issuing authority	Dual system. (1) The licensing authority of the applicant's city or town (local police chief) under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-11. (2) The Rhode Island Department of Attorney General, Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI), under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-18.
System	shall-issue
Minimum age	21 — 21 for both tracks. § 11-47-11(a) requires the applicant be "twenty-one (21) years of age or over"; § 11-47-18(a) authorizes the Attorney General to issue "to any person twenty-one (21) years of age or over." No lower age for military members. Separately, since January 1, 2023 Rhode Island's general minimum age to purchase a firearm or ammunition is 21.
Training required	Yes, live fire required
State fee	$40 initial / $40 renewal — the state's own charge, not the total
Valid for	4 years
Processing time	Not published. Neither § 11-47-11 nor § 11-47-18 sets a statutory decision deadline, and the Attorney General publishes no target timeframe. The AG packet says only that "[t]he applicant will be notified by mail of approval or denial of the permit" and that "[t]his department is dependent on other agencies for information necessary to complete the application." Status may be checked by emailing [email protected] with name, date of birth, and permit number.
Fingerprints	Required
Non-resident permit	Available

What it actually costs

The state fee is rarely the whole bill. Fingerprinting is usually charged by a private vendor, training is bought from an instructor, and several states add photographs, notarisation or other requirements on top.

State fee	$40
Training course	$75–$250 (private instructor)
Range qualification	varies — the statute calls the cost uncompensated
Notarisations, 2x2 photographs, FBI FD-258 card	varies — all borne by the applicant

Rhode Island charges the second-lowest fee of any state that requires anything at all — $40 under § 11-47-12, and not payable until you collect an approved permit — and then attaches the longest list of unpriced small obligations in the file. There is no classroom-hour requirement; § 11-47-15 instead demands a live-fire marksmanship qualification, and the statute is explicit that the applicant bears its cost.

R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-12: "A fee of forty dollars ($40.00) shall be charged and shall be paid for each license or permit to the licensing authority issuing the same." The Attorney General's instructions state: "DO NOT SEND a check or money order WITH YOUR APPLICATION, it will be returned. A Forty-dollar ($40.00) payment will be required when picking up an approved permit." Applicants also bear the uncompensated cost of the range qualification, notarizations, 2x2 photos, and the FBI FD-258 fingerprint card.

How to apply

Decide which track to use. Local track (§ 11-47-11): apply to the licensing authority (police chief) of the city or town where you have a bona fide residence or place of business. Per the Attorney General's official post-Bruen guidance, local authorities "shall issue" and "local law enforcement cannot require a showing of need as part of the application to obtain a permit." AG track (§ 11-47-18): a discretionary permit requiring "a proper showing of need."
Complete the live-fire qualification under § 11-47-15 (195 out of 300, 30 rounds, 25 yards, Army 'L' target, slow fire) before a Rhode Island State Police range officer, a municipal police range officer, or an NRA/USRA-certified pistol instructor. The qualification must be less than one year old and you may not qualify yourself.
Obtain the instructor's signed qualification certification plus a photocopy of the instructor's NRA/FBI instructor certification showing a visible expiration date.
For the AG track, download and complete the Weapons Carry Permit Packet application in full, printed or typed (incomplete or illegible applications are denied or returned).
Have the application signed, dated and stamped by the police chief or a city hall official in your city or town of permanent residence, verifying residence.
Enclose two 2" x 2" color head-and-face photos taken without headgear or glasses, with your name printed on the back of each.
Enclose notarized photocopies of two forms of positive identification. Non-resident applicants must also enclose a notarized copy of their home-state carry permit.
New applicants: provide three (3) references AND three (3) separate typed, signed, dated and notarized reference letters written by the references themselves (six different individuals total; no immediate family, no identical letters). Renewal applicants whose permit has not been expired 3 or more years: three references only, no letters.
New applicants: submit a full set of fingerprints on a signed FBI Applicant Fingerprint Card (FD-258). Not required for renewals unless the permit has been expired 3 or more years.
Submit a typed, dated letter stating the reasons a carry-concealed permit is needed, with supporting documentation. If the permit is for any employment, add a signed letter of explanation on employer letterhead plus a copy of the business license.
Sign the affidavit before a notary public certifying familiarity with R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 11-47-1 through 11-47-62.
Mail or drop off the complete package to RI Department of Attorney General, 4 Howard Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920, ATTN: CCW Permits. Do not enclose payment.
If approved, appear in person to pick up the permit and pay the $40 fee. If denied, contact the Chief of the BCI Unit at (401) 274-4400 to schedule a personal interview for reconsideration.

Apply on the official Rhode Island site

What disqualifies you

Conviction in Rhode Island or elsewhere of a crime of violence (§ 11-47-5(a))
Fugitive from justice (§ 11-47-5(a))
Plea of nolo contendere to or conviction of a felony-level controlled-substance offense (§ 11-47-5(a))
Conviction of certain misdemeanor controlled-substance offenses (§ 11-47-5(a))
Conviction of simple assault (§ 11-47-5(a))
Conviction of cyberstalking or cyberharassment (§ 11-47-5(a))
Conviction of violation of a protective order (§ 11-47-5(a))
Conviction of disorderly conduct involving the use or attempted use of force or the threatened use of a dangerous weapon (§ 11-47-5(a))
Subject to a protective order issued after notice and an opportunity to be heard (§ 11-47-5)
Person in community confinement with electronic surveillance as a condition of parole (§ 11-47-5)
Any federal prohibition under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), which the Attorney General screens for
Not a 'suitable person' in the judgment of the licensing authority (§ 11-47-11(a))
Failure to present the § 11-47-15 range qualification certification
Unlawfully present in the United States (§ 11-47-7)
AG track only: failure to demonstrate 'a proper showing of need' — the AG weighs a specific articulable risk to life, limb or property, availability of alternatives to carrying, demonstrated skill and training, a plan to secure the firearm, past dangerous or violent conduct short of a legal disqualifier, and the existence of any protective order

Where to get the required training

Rhode Island does not publish a central list of certified instructors. Confirm directly with Dual system. (1) The licensing authority of the applicant's city or town (local police chief) under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-11. (2) The Rhode Island Department of Attorney General, Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI), under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-18. that a course will be accepted before you pay for it.

Reciprocity

Carrying into Rhode Island

Rhode Island recognizes no out-of-state carry permits. A permit from another state does not authorize you to carry here.

24 jurisdictions honor a Rhode Island permit

Derived from what each of those states officially publishes.

Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin

Full reciprocity matrix →

Building your own in Rhode Island

Build for personal use

Prohibited

Serial number required

Yes

Rhode Island bans ghost guns outright. § 11-47-8(e): "No person shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, possess, or have under his or her control a ghost gun or an undetectable firearm or any firearm produced by a 3D printing process," punishable by imprisonment up to ten (10) years and/or a fine up to $10,000. The sole exception is for federally licensed manufacturers holding an ATF Type 07 FFL. § 11-47-2(9) defines "ghost gun" as "a firearm, including a frame or receiver, that lacks a unique serial number engraved or cased in metal alloy on the frame or receiver by a licensed manufacturer, maker, or importer under federal law or markings in accordance with 27 C.F.R. § 479.102," excluding a firearm rendered permanently inoperable "or a firearm that is not required to have a serial number in accordance with the federal Gun Control Act of 1968." Because the required serial must be applied BY a federally licensed manufacturer, maker, or importer — which a private individual building a gun for personal use is not — there is no practical lawful route for an unlicensed Rhode Islander to build a firearm for personal use; anyone wishing to manufacture must obtain a Type 07 FFL. Separately, effective July 1, 2026, § 11-47.2-2(a) provides that "No person shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, or purchase a prohibited firearm" (Rhode Island's assault-weapons law), punishable by up to ten years' imprisonment and/or $10,000 plus forfeiture; that chapter restricts manufacture and transfer but does not by its terms criminalize continued lawful possession. Rhode Island maintains no firearm registry — § 11-47-41 is titled "Government firearm registration prohibited" — so there is no state registration of a self-made firearm; the serialization requirement is a criminal prohibition, not a registration scheme.

R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-8(e); § 11-47-2(9); § 11-47.2-2

Federal law, gunsmithing schools, and tools →

Statutes

What we could not confirm

permitSystem is coded 'shall-issue' on the strength of the Attorney General's own official post-Bruen guidance, which states that under § 11-47-11 municipal authorities 'shall issue' and that 'local law enforcement cannot require a showing of need as part of the application to obtain a permit.' Note the tension with the literal text of § 11-47-11(a), which still conditions issuance on the applicant having 'good reason to fear an injury to his or her person or property or … any other proper reason' and being 'a suitable person.' The parallel Attorney General permit under § 11-47-18 is genuinely discretionary may-issue; the AG's own written policy says 'No one in the State has a right to obtain a pistol permit. A pistol permit is a privilege left to the sound discretion of the Attorney General.' A single enum value cannot capture both tracks.
How consistently individual Rhode Island municipalities actually process § 11-47-11 applications could not be verified from any primary source. There is no statewide local application form, no statewide directory of municipal licensing authorities, and no state page tracking municipal compliance. Applicants must contact their own city or town police department directly.
No published processing time for either track. Neither statute imposes a decision deadline and neither the AG nor any municipality publishes a target, so no figure could be stated.
The renewal fee is reported as $40 because § 11-47-12 charges $40 'for each license or permit' without distinguishing new from renewal, and the AG instructions reference a single $40 payment at pickup. No separate renewal fee schedule was located.
Rhode Island publishes no official list of state-certified firearms instructors, so instructorRegistryUrl is null. § 11-47-16 delegates certification to RISP and municipal range officers and to NRA/USRA-certified pistol instructors. Whether the Attorney General maintains a non-public list of 'other qualified persons' designated under § 11-47-16 could not be determined.
reciprocity.honors is empty based on the absence of any reciprocity provision in Chapter 11-47 and the absence of a reciprocity page on riag.ri.gov or risp.ri.gov. I could not find an affirmative official sentence reading 'Rhode Island honors no other state's permit'; the conclusion rests on the licensing requirement in § 11-47-8(a) plus the narrowness of its transport-through exception. This is a strong inference from primary sources rather than a direct official quotation.
homeManufacture: § 11-47-2(9)'s exclusion for 'a firearm that is not required to have a serial number in accordance with the federal Gun Control Act of 1968' is textually ambiguous, because a firearm privately made for personal use is not itself required to be serialized under the GCA. Read broadly, that carve-out could swallow the ghost gun ban. No Rhode Island appellate decision, AG opinion, or published AG guidance construing this clause was located. selfManufactureAllowed is coded false because that is the evident legislative purpose and because the statutory serial must be applied 'by a licensed manufacturer, maker, or importer,' but a reader should treat this as an area of genuine legal risk rather than settled law and consult a Rhode Island attorney before building any firearm.
Non-resident availability: the AG's public page describes § 11-47-18 permits as being for 'state residents 21 years of age or older,' yet the AG's own application instructions include a requirement for 'All NON-RESIDENT APPLICANTS' to submit a notarized copy of their home-state permit, and § 11-47-11(a) expressly contemplates issuance by a local authority to a non-resident U.S. resident holding another state's permit. Coded true, but the two AG documents are not fully consistent and issuance on the AG track remains discretionary.
The § 11-47-18 'proper showing of need' policy reproduced in the AG packet is dated January 23, 2001 and predates Bruen. Whether the Attorney General has since narrowed or revised that policy in unpublished practice could not be determined from the official site.
Whether any 2025 or 2026 Rhode Island General Assembly bill further amended § 11-47-11, § 11-47-15, or § 11-47-18 could not be independently checked — the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted before any search executed, so all findings come from direct fetches of official pages. The 'History of Section' line for § 11-47-11 on the official statute server still ends at P.L. 1998, ch. 268, indicating that section is unamended, but I could not run an equivalent check on every related section.