1. Go to the police station of your municipality: all paperwork can be provided by them and submitted to them.
2. Fill out the State of New Jersey Application for Firearms Purchaser Identification Card and/or Handgun Purchase Permit form (1 page).
3. When filling out the form, you will need two personal references to vouch for your character when contacted by the police, so notify them beforehand that they will be contacted for this reason.
4. You will also need to fill out the New Jersey Consent for Mental Health Records Search form (1 page), permitting the state to conduct an investigation into your mental health history.
5. If applying for a handgun, and you want to have the license to carry it on your person, fill out the State of New Jersey Application for Permit to Carry a Handgun form (2 pages).
   1. This form asks for three personal references.
   2. The form also requires that you have a reason for carrying a handgun on your person, such as for your work or because of a specific incident that makes you feel that a handgun on your person is necessary.
6. When applying to purchase a handgun you must also prove that you are familiar with handguns, such as evidence of completion of a handgun safety course. You will also need to provide the exact details and serial number of the handgun you intend to purchase.
7. Next, the police department, after collecting a fee, will take your fingerprints and conduct a background check.
8. When handing in the form, a processing fee is collected (and an additional one if applying to carry a handgun) and personal government issued identification will need to be supplied to prove your identity, including driver’s license and social security card
9. After 30 days, the permit to purchase a gun, if all criteria have been passed, is given to you.
10. Next, you must go to a licensed firearms dealer with government issued identification, your newly received Firearms Purchaser Identification Card, and two copies of the State of New Jersey Certificate of Eligibility form (1 page) which must both be completed by the seller and receiver of the gun. One copy goes to the seller, one stays with you.

Note: If bringing a rifle or shotgun bought in another state, New Jersey does not require you to register in this state, though there is a voluntary form for registering your guns in the state. Handgun permits, however, are not accepted from any other state in New Jersey and one must have a permit specifically from New Jersey in order to have the handgun.