Indiana Residents Traveling to Illinois With Firearms

Can an Indiana Resident Get an Illinois Concealed Carry License?

At this time, Indiana residents generally are not eligible for an Illinois non-resident Concealed Carry License.

Illinois only accepts non-resident concealed-carry applications from residents of certain states that Illinois has determined have firearm laws substantially similar to Illinois law. Indiana is not currently on that approved list.

That means an Indiana handgun license, lifetime license, or permitless-carry eligibility does not create an Illinois concealed-carry permit or allow general concealed carry while walking around in Illinois.

Can I Carry a Concealed Handgun in My Vehicle While Traveling Through Illinois?

Illinois law provides a limited vehicle exception for qualifying non-residents.

An Indiana resident may be able to keep a concealed firearm inside their vehicle in Illinois when they are legally eligible to possess firearms and are eligible to carry a firearm under Indiana law.

However, the firearm must remain inside the vehicle.

This is not permission to carry the firearm concealed on your person once you step out of the vehicle. It is also not permission to carry into prohibited locations, businesses, government buildings, schools, public transportation areas, or other restricted places.

What Happens If I Leave My Vehicle Unattended?

If you leave your vehicle unattended in Illinois, the firearm should be secured in a locked vehicle or a locked container within the vehicle and kept out of plain view.

A practical approach is to secure the firearm in a locked case, lockbox, or locked trunk before leaving the vehicle.

Do not leave a firearm visible inside a vehicle.

What Is the Safest Way to Transport a Firearm Into Illinois?

For many Indiana residents, the safest and most conservative approach is to transport the firearm:

• Unloaded
• In a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other fully enclosed container
• Not immediately accessible to the vehicle occupants
• Secured out of plain view
• In compliance with Illinois restrictions for the specific firearm, magazine, ammunition, location, and purpose of travel

Illinois has additional restrictions that may apply to certain firearms, magazines, ammunition, locations, and municipalities.

Do I Need an Illinois FOID Card?

Indiana residents generally do not need an Illinois FOID card merely to travel through Illinois with a firearm, provided they are legally eligible to possess firearms under Indiana and federal law.

A FOID card is not a concealed-carry license. It is primarily an Illinois resident firearm-owner credential.

Important: Illinois “Assault Weapon” and Magazine Restrictions

Illinois has restrictions involving certain semiautomatic firearms, certain magazines, .50 caliber firearms, ammunition feeding devices, and related items.

Traveling through Illinois with a firearm that may fall under Illinois’s restricted categories requires extra caution. Illinois provides a limited non-resident transportation exception for certain regulated firearms when traveling between places where the person may lawfully possess the firearm, but the firearm must be unloaded and inaccessible during transport.

Do not assume that a firearm or magazine legal in Indiana is automatically legal to possess, transport, sell, transfer, or use in Illinois.

Before You Cross the State Line

Before traveling into Illinois with a firearm, confirm:

1. You are legally eligible to possess firearms under federal and Indiana law.
2. Your specific firearm and magazine are lawful for the intended Illinois travel and destination.
3. Your firearm is properly secured for transport.
4. You understand whether the destination is a prohibited location.
5. You understand that Illinois rules may be different in Chicago, Cook County, and other local jurisdictions.