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Maryland Department of State Police

Temporary Transfer Permits for Gun Shows

Temporary Transfer Permit does not authorize firearm sales

You must complete the sale of a regulated firearm through a Regulated Firearms Dealer or a Maryland State Police Barracks.

At-a-glance

  • You must mail-in your permit application.

  • There is a $10 fee paid by check or money order.

  • Send in your permit package at least 10 days before the gun show.

If you live in Maryland and are not a FFL or a Maryland Regulated Firearms Dealer and would like to offer to sell a personal collection of firearms from a table or display at a gun show, you will need a Temporary Transfer Permit. 

How to apply

  1. Complete the Temporary Transfer Permit form.
  2. Answer every question fully and accurately.
  3. Include any supporting documents that you think will assist investigators to conduct a computer background investigation. Provide as much information as possible.
  4. Include the required application fee in the form of a check or money order payable to the Maryland State Police. Each additional temporary transfer permit during the same calendar year shall be issued without charge. All payments are non-refundable.
  5. Applications for temporary transfer permits must have this statement on the permit: “Providing false information or statements in this application is a crime punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment, a fine up to $5,000, or both.”
  6. Mail your packet to the Maryland State Police via first class or certified mail at least 10 business days before the gun show.
    • Maryland State Police - Licensing Division
      1111 Reisterstown Road
      Pikesville, MD 21208
      Attn: Firearms Registration Unit – Temporary Transfer Permits
  7. If you are approved, the permit is issued and mailed back within 7 days. 

Note: A maximum of 5 temporary transfer permits are allowed per calendar year. Exceeding this limit requires a  regulated firearms dealer’s license.

Permit requirements

  • Your permit is only valid for the specified gun show dates.
  • You must notify the Licensing Division in writing if your name or address changes. There is no fee to make these changes.
  • Do not send changes by email, they must be mailed.
  • A temporary transfer permit must be placed in public, be clearly labeled “temporary”  and include the statement “This is not a license to engage in the business of selling firearms.”

Application fee

The application fee must be in the form of a check or money order made payable to the Maryland State Police. Application​ fees are non-refundable.

Temporary Transfer Permit: $10.00

Application timeline

  • Applicant: The application can be completed within 5-10 minutes.
  • Licensing Division processing time: The application must be received by the Licensing Division at least 10 days prior to the gun show. The Licensing Division will process the application and complete the background investigation within 7 days.

Statutes

The Temporary Transfer Permit can be found in §5–130 of the Public Safety Article. The current version of any statute can be found at LexisNexis or the Maryland General Assembly's website​.​

Documents

Visit the archive section to download any prior Advisories and documents.

Questions?