As of 11/17/2025, Delaware residents seeking to purchase or receive any firearm classified as a handgun are required to possess either a valid Delaware Handgun Qualified Purchaser Permit or valid Conceal Carry Deadly Weapons permit in order to complete the transaction. Per Delaware law 11 Del C. § 1448D, a Delaware resident who is not prohibited from owning or possessing firearms may apply for a Handgun Qualified Purchaser Permit. There is no cost to applying for the permit, though the applicant is responsible for the other costs such as the training class. The permit will be valid for two years from the date that it is issued.

The requirements for obtaining a Handgun Qualified Purchaser Permit are;

#1 Complete a Firearms Training Course with a certified instructor (Link)

• Schedule a training class with one of the above linked instructors, who will provide you with documentation at the end of the class that you may upload with your permit application. NOTE: Some applicants are not required to complete the training course above, and may use alternative documents, such as current or former military and law enforcement, DE hunters safety card holders, and certain competitive shooter classification cards, among others. See 11 Del C. § 1448D for a complete list of training exemptions.

#2 Fingerprint / Photo ID appointment with Identigo (Link)

• Schedule an appointment with Identigo services to have your fingerprints processed. Make sure to use service code 27S8N2 specifically for the Purchase Permit program, and save the receipt of your transaction.

#3 Complete and submit your online application (Link)

• Fill out all of the required information on the Delaware State Police link above, and be sure to upload copies of all required documentation, including your photo ID, training course certificate and date of your Identigo service.

Once you have completed these steps and your application has been processed, you will receive an initial email containing your permit number, which you may immediately use for handgun purchases in-store. A physical card will arrive in the mail soon after. Handgun Qualified Purchaser permits are often processed quickly, within a matter of days of the application submission.