Online permit training
What online permit training does — and where it stops.
A lot of companies sell this badly, implying that a credit card and an afternoon produce a permit. They don't. Here is the honest version of how it actually works.
Can you get a concealed carry permit online?
No. No state issues a carry permit online. What can be completed online is the state's training requirement — and in several states, only the classroom portion of it.
Every state on this site still requires you to apply to a government agency, verify your identity, pass a background check and wait for a decision — and most require fingerprinting on top of that. The coursework satisfies one prerequisite. It is a meaningful one, often the most time-consuming, but it is a prerequisite, not the permit.
We are blunt about this on every page because the alternative is people spending money on a false expectation, and because it is the single most common misunderstanding in this market.
What online training does
- Satisfies the state's training requirement where the state accepts online delivery
- Produces the completion documentation you submit with your application
- Covers state-specific law, use of force and carry responsibilities
- Lets you complete the seat time on your own schedule
- Removes the need to find and sit a scheduled in-person classroom date
What it does not do
- Does not issue you a permit — only a government agency can
- Does not satisfy live-fire requirements in states that have them
- Does not include fingerprinting, application fees or background checks
- Does not guarantee acceptance in county-issued states
- Does not establish eligibility if a prohibiting factor applies to you
- Does not make you competent with a firearm — that takes range time
The shape of it
Six steps, in every state.
The details differ. The sequence doesn't. Steps marked “handled elsewhere” belong to the government, not to us.
Confirm you're eligible and pick the right state
Residency rules differ. Some states issue only to residents; others issue to anyone who qualifies. Getting this right first prevents every downstream problem.
Check who the issuing authority isHandled elsewhere
A state agency, or a county sheriff? In county-issued states, confirm that office accepts the course before you buy it.
Complete the online coursework
Self-paced, covering that state's law, use of force, safe handling and carry responsibilities. This is the part we facilitate.
Receive completion documentation
A certificate you'll submit with your application. Keep a copy — some authorities want the original, some a scan.
Complete live fire, if the state requires it
Five of the twelve programs require an in-person range qualification. Who may conduct it varies, and in Texas it is tightly restricted.
Apply to the issuing authorityHandled elsewhere
Application, fees, background check — usually fingerprints — and the decision. This step belongs entirely to the government.
What actually varies
Three questions separate these twelve programs.
Do I have to live there?
6 of the 11 carry programs issue to nonresidents.
Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Washington and Texas issue carry licenses to people who do not live there, and California accepts nonresident applications under specific conditions. Ohio, Missouri, Oregon, Tennessee and Wyoming are resident credentials through these programs. If you are building travel coverage, this is the first filter.
Do I have to go to a range?
6 of the 11 carry programs have no live-fire requirement.
Idaho, Iowa, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming can be satisfied without a range qualification. California, Florida, Texas, Missouri and Ohio require one in person. Who may conduct that qualification also varies — Texas restricts it tightly, and Missouri requires it to happen inside the state. Delaware's purchase permit also has no live-fire requirement, but it is not a carry license.
Who actually decides?
A state agency in some states, a county sheriff in others.
Florida and Texas administer licensing centrally, which makes the process predictable. California, Ohio, Oregon, Missouri, Idaho and Wyoming involve county-level authorities to varying degrees. County involvement is where timelines stretch and where course acceptance stops being guaranteed.
Online training and live-fire requirements by state
Every program below accepts approved online coursework for the classroom requirement. What differs is who may apply and whether a range qualification is still required.
| State | Online training | Nonresidents | Live fire |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Accepted | Eligible | Required |
| Delawarepurchase permit | Accepted | — | Not required |
| Florida | Accepted | Eligible | Required |
| Idaho | Accepted | Eligible | Not required |
| Iowa | Accepted | Eligible | Not required |
| Missouri | Accepted | Residents only | Required |
| Ohio | Accepted | Residents only | Required |
| Oregon | Accepted | Residents only | Not required |
| Tennessee | Accepted | Residents only | Not required |
| Texas | Accepted | Eligible | Required |
| Washington | Accepted | Eligible | Not required |
| Wyoming | Accepted | Residents only | Not required |
Delaware is listed for completeness: its Handgun Qualified Purchaser Permit is required to buy a handgun and is not a carry license. Requirements change — each state page carries its own sources and last-reviewed date.
The rule that saves the most money
Find your program
Twelve states.
Filter by whether you have to live there and whether you have to go to a range.
12 programs
California
California License to Carry a Concealed Weapon
California's CCW is the most procedurally complex license we train for. The coursework can begin online; the license itself is granted county by county.
CCW detailsDelaware
Delaware Handgun Qualified Purchaser Permit
This is a purchase permit, not a carry license. Delaware requires a Handgun Qualified Purchaser Permit to buy a handgun, and the permit requires a firearms training course.
HQPP detailsFlorida
Florida Concealed Weapon or Firearm License
Florida issues to nonresidents, administers licensing through a single state agency, and lets you complete the classroom portion online. That combination is why it comes up so often as a second license.
CWFL detailsIdaho
Idaho Concealed Weapons License (Standard)
Idaho issues to nonresidents, requires no live fire for the Standard license, and the training can be completed entirely online — one of the cleanest paths on this list.
CWL detailsIowa
Iowa Permit to Carry Weapons
Iowa issues nonresident permits, accepts online training, and requires no live fire — with a two-track application process depending on where you live.
PCW detailsMissouri
Missouri Concealed Carry Permit
Missouri residents can complete the classroom online, but the live-fire qualification has to happen inside Missouri.
CCW detailsOhio
Ohio Concealed Handgun License
Ohio pairs online classroom instruction with a required range qualification, and the sheriff — not a state registry — verifies your instructor's credentials.
CHL detailsOregon
Oregon Concealed Handgun License
Oregon residents can satisfy the training requirement online with no range session — but the sheriff's application process is where the real timeline lives.
CHL detailsTennessee
Tennessee Concealed Handgun Carry Permit (Standard)
Tennessee offers two different permits. This course meets the requirement for the Standard concealed permit — not the Enhanced permit — and requires no live fire.
CHCP detailsTexas
Texas License to Carry a Handgun
Texas issues to nonresidents and allows online classroom instruction, but the range qualification has the strictest instructor requirements of any state we cover.
LTC detailsWashington
Washington Concealed Pistol License
Washington issues to nonresidents, and this course meets the current HB 1143 Gun Safety Certificate requirement with no live fire. A separate 2025 law adds certified training and live fire in 2027 — timing matters here.
CPL detailsWyoming
Wyoming Concealed Firearm Permit
Wyoming residents can complete the training online with no range session. The permit's real value is what happens when you leave Wyoming.
CFP detailsWhy go through us
You could find these courses yourself.
You could. Here's what we add.
The requirements written out honestly
Every state page states plainly whether you can apply as a nonresident, whether live fire is required, who issues the license, and where the course stops. That is not standard in this market.
Sources you can check
Statutes and issuing-authority pages are linked on every state page, with a last-reviewed date. If we can't source a claim, we don't make it.
An instructor to ask
If you're not sure whether a program fits your situation, you can call and ask a person who teaches this for a living.
The same price either way
Courses cost what they cost. We earn a commission from the provider — it doesn't change what you pay.
FAQ
Questions about online permit training.
Which states allow concealed carry training to be completed online?
All twelve programs on this site accept approved online coursework for the classroom requirement: California, Florida, Texas, Idaho, Iowa, Washington, Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Oregon, Wyoming, and Delaware's purchase permit. Six of the eleven carry programs — Idaho, Iowa, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming — require no live fire at all. California, Florida, Texas, Missouri and Ohio still require an in-person range qualification.
Which states require live fire for a carry permit?
Among the programs here, California, Florida, Texas, Missouri and Ohio require an in-person range qualification in addition to the coursework. Who may conduct that qualification varies: Texas restricts it tightly, and Missouri requires it to take place inside the state.
Can I get a concealed carry permit entirely online?
No. No state issues a carry permit online. What can be completed online is the training requirement — and in some states only the classroom portion of it. Every state still requires an application, identity verification, a background check and a decision by a government agency.
What does 'no live fire required' actually mean?
It means the state's training requirement can be satisfied without a range qualification. It does not mean the permit is issued online, and it does not mean you should skip range time — only that the state does not mandate it for licensure.
Is online training legitimate?
Where a state accepts it, yes. States decide what satisfies their training requirement, and a number of them accept approved online coursework. The question is never whether online training is legitimate in general — it is whether the specific state, and sometimes the specific county, accepts the specific course.
How long do these courses take?
Most state courses run a few hours and are self-paced. California is the exception: state law sets a 16-hour minimum for initial applicants, and the renewal course runs approximately 6–7 hours.
What happens after I finish the course?
You receive completion documentation. From there you complete any required live-fire qualification and submit your application to the issuing authority — a state agency in some states, a county sheriff in others. Each state page here lays out that sequence.
Will my course be accepted?
In centrally administered states like Florida and Texas, acceptance is set at the state level. In county-issued states — California most of all — the issuing authority decides. When a county is involved, confirm acceptance before you enroll.
Sources & official resources
Last reviewed: August 2026
- ATF — State Laws and Published Ordinances: Firearms
Federal compilation of state firearms laws
- U.S. LawShield Institute — eLearning
Provider of the state courses listed on this site
Program availability, pricing and live-fire requirements were supplied by U.S. LawShield Instructor Relations. Individual state pages cite the relevant statutes and issuing authorities.
Educational information only. Not legal advice. Firearm laws change, and requirements vary by state, county and issuing authority. Verify current requirements with the issuing authority before you apply.
Start
Pick your state and read the requirements first.
Every state page tells you who's eligible, whether you'll need a range day, who issues the license, and exactly where the coursework stops.