FFL Transfers in Connecticut: Fees and Process

Last checked 8 October 2026 against the Special Licensing and Firearms Unit dealer pages and four dealers' published price lists. A firearm you buy online is delivered to a Connecticut dealer, and that dealer does the state's part of the sale. This page explains what happens at the counter, what it costs at the shops that publish their fees, what a dealer must refuse, and how to choose one if you have never used a transfer dealer before.

What the receiving dealer does

Connecticut is a point-of-contact state. The dealer logs the firearm in, checks that it is legal in Connecticut, checks your credential, has you complete the federal Form 4473 and the state sale form DPS-3, then calls the State Police firearms unit. The unit runs the federal background check and issues an authorization number. That number is the approval; the dealer writes it on the form and hands you the firearm. The unit answers from eight in the morning to seven in the evening on weekdays, nine to five on Saturdays and ten to three on Sundays, so a transfer can complete on a weekend. There is no waiting period for a credential holder.

The credential you must show

For a handgun: a Connecticut pistol permit or an eligibility certificate. For a rifle or shotgun: either of those or a long gun eligibility certificate. A hunting licence is not a purchase credential; it only waives a long-gun wait you would not face anyway. A dealer cannot complete a transfer to someone without the right credential, so apply for it before you order. The eligibility certificate takes up to ninety days, the permit about eight weeks locally and up to eight more at the state.

Published dealer fees

Transfer fees are set by each dealer. These four publish theirs on their own websites, which is the only kind of figure we quote:

Sportsmen's Outpost, Wolcott: twenty-five dollars per firearm.
WTW Arms, North Haven: thirty dollars for the first firearm, fifteen for each additional up to three, seventy-five for NFA items, thirty-five for a person-to-person transfer.
Hoffman's Gun Center, Newington: fifty dollars per firearm.
Central Connecticut Arms: fifty dollars per firearm, one hundred for NFA items.

Expect the same range elsewhere in the state. Sales tax applies to the fee. Some dealers also charge storage if you do not collect within a set period, so ask.

What a dealer must refuse

A Connecticut dealer cannot transfer an assault weapon under the one-feature test or the 2023 additions, a magazine over ten rounds, an unserialized frame or receiver, or body armor shipped from out of state. Most will also decline a rifle whose compliance they cannot confirm. We tag every rifle Connecticut compliant or not available before it ships and swap any magazine over ten rounds for a ten-rounder, so refusals are rare; if one happens we pay the return shipping.

The three-per-thirty-days rule

Every retail authorization number counts against the limit of three handguns per buyer in a rolling thirty-day window, including firearms you ordered online. Certified instructors may receive six. An exchange with the same dealer within thirty days does not count. If you plan to buy more than three handguns in a month, spread the orders or the dealer will have to hold the fourth.

Private transfers through a dealer

A private sale of a handgun needs an authorization number, which the seller obtains from the State Police; a private sale of a long gun must go through a dealer who obtains one. Dealers charge a smaller in-house fee for this, thirty-five dollars at the one shop above that publishes it, and the buyer still shows a credential.

Out-of-state purchases

A handgun bought anywhere in the United States must ship to a Connecticut dealer for transfer. A rifle or shotgun may be bought over the counter in another state if the sale is legal in both states and the dealer agrees, which for a Connecticut buyer means a rifle that passes Connecticut's test; many out-of-state dealers will not take the risk and will ship to your Connecticut dealer instead.

NFA items

Suppressors are legal in Connecticut and transfer through a dealer with a Special Occupational Tax licence on an ATF Form 4; the federal tax on suppressors went to zero in January 2026 but the registration remains. Short-barrelled rifles and shotguns are not legal in Connecticut outside narrow licences, and machine guns are banned, so NFA in Connecticut means suppressors.

Choosing a transfer dealer

Four questions before you name a dealer at checkout. Do they accept incoming transfers from online retailers; do they publish their fee or quote it including tax; do they charge storage, and after how long; and do they confirm compliant rifle configurations in writing. A dealer who answers all four quickly has done this before. If you have no dealer, email us your town and we will suggest one we have shipped to; we take no commission and keep no preferred list. Our city pages list the police department where you apply for your permit and the nearest dealers we know of for Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, Waterbury and the rest of the state.

Timeline

Credential in hand.
Order and name the dealer; the firearm ships by ground within a day or two.
Three to five days in transit.
One visit: forms, credential check, authorization number, done. Allow longer if the State Police line is busy.

Checklist for the visit

Pistol permit, eligibility certificate or long gun eligibility certificate, and photo ID.
The dealer's fee plus tax.
For a handgun, fewer than three retail authorization numbers in the last thirty days.
A case for the drive home; without a carry permit the firearm travels unloaded and cased.

If the State Police deny the check

If the firearms unit declines to issue an authorization number, the dealer cannot complete the transfer and the firearm comes back to us. The dealer's fee is usually not refunded and the state check cannot be appealed through the dealer; a denial based on the federal databases is challenged through the FBI's NICS appeal process, and a denial based on a Connecticut credential problem goes back to the Special Licensing and Firearms Unit. We refund the purchase price once the firearm is back in our dealer's book, less the return shipping. A delayed check is different from a denial: the dealer waits for the unit's decision and calls you back, sometimes the same day.

Military, students and dual residents

Service members stationed in Connecticut on orders may apply for Connecticut credentials and buy as residents, and should bring the orders with their ID. Out-of-state students living in Connecticut during term may apply as residents of the town where they live. A person who splits time between Connecticut and another state buys in Connecticut only with Connecticut credentials, and may not use the other state's permit at a Connecticut counter, because Connecticut honours none.

Consignment and used firearms

A used firearm transfers exactly like a new one: credential, forms, authorization number, fee. If you sell a firearm through a dealer on consignment, the dealer logs it into their book and the eventual buyer's transfer runs on the buyer's credential. Our used firearms section ships to a Connecticut dealer the same way as new stock and the dealer's fee is the same.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an FFL transfer cost in Connecticut?

Dealers that publish fees charge between twenty-five and fifty dollars per firearm. Published examples: Sportsmen's Outpost in Wolcott twenty-five dollars, WTW Arms in North Haven thirty dollars for the first and fifteen for each additional, Hoffman's in Newington fifty dollars, Central Connecticut Arms fifty dollars and one hundred for NFA items.

What do I bring to the dealer?

Your Connecticut credential, which is a pistol permit or eligibility certificate for a handgun and any of those or a long gun eligibility certificate for a rifle or shotgun, plus photo ID. The dealer completes the federal form and the state sale form and calls the State Police for the authorization number.

Is there a waiting period on a transfer?

No. The authorization number is the approval. The long-gun wait in the statute is waived for every credential holder.

Can a dealer refuse my transfer?

Yes. Dealers must refuse an assault weapon, a magazine over ten rounds, an unserialized frame and body armor shipped from out of state, and many refuse other items as policy. We check every item against Connecticut law before shipping and pay the return if a dealer still refuses.

Does the three-per-thirty-days rule count transfers?

Yes. Every retail authorization number counts, including those for firearms you bought online and had shipped to the dealer. Three per rolling thirty days, six for certified instructors.