Updated November 4, 2026

The next public opening for federal firearm rights restoration applications is scheduled for January 4, 2027.

The U.S. Department of Justice plans to accept only 500 additional applicants nationwide during this phase. The $30 federal application fee will also begin.

You may apply in January even if you did not attempt to access the portal in November. However, the January phase is not the unrestricted public launch. DOJ describes it as another limited rollout, intended in part to test its online payment system.

Access will be first come, first served. DOJ has not announced what time the portal will open on January 4, and no lawyer or private company can reserve a place in advance.

If the November portal closed before you could begin, read what happened during the November opening and why you should prepare now.

NSLF Has Already Navigated the DOJ Portal for Approximately 80 Clients

During the November 4 public opening, National Security Law Firm successfully initiated DOJ applications for every portal-ready client we represented for that opening—approximately 80 people.

Our team entered the opening with client records, application responses, and supporting evidence already under development. That preparation allowed our clients to act when DOJ made the limited portal available.

The January opening will be significantly smaller: only 500 additional applicants nationwide, compared with 5,000 in November.

DOJ alone controls access, and no law firm can guarantee a January spot. But NSLF’s November work gave our attorneys direct experience with the portal’s:

  • Application questions;
  • Required disclosures;
  • Document-upload process;
  • Technical workflow;
  • Access-link and PIN system;
  • 30-day completion period;
  • Character-reference process; and
  • Post-submission fingerprint requirements.

We are now using that firsthand experience to prepare clients for the January opening.

If you want legal help pursuing one of the 500 January openings, schedule your consultation now—even if you do not have your court records yet.

Once retained, our federal firearm rights restoration lawyers can evaluate your eligibility, identify possible presumptive disqualifiers, request the necessary records, prepare your application responses, and organize your supporting evidence while the portal remains closed.

Book My Free Consultation Now

January 2027 Federal Firearm Restoration Schedule

Important fact DOJ’s current guidance
Portal reopening date January 4, 2027
Number of openings 500 additional applicants
DOJ application fee $30
Access method Online only
Selection method First come, first served
Time portal will open Not yet announced
Time allowed after starting 30 days
Paper application available No
Fingerprints USPS electronic fingerprints after submission
Character references Three qualified references

The federal government controls access to the portal. NSLF cannot guarantee that a client will obtain one of the 500 openings. What we can do is help clients prepare before the limited filing window begins.

Step 1: Determine Why You Are Federally Prohibited

Before starting an application, identify the federal law that currently prevents you from possessing or handling firearms.

DOJ permits individuals prohibited under the categories in 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) to apply, including certain people prohibited because of:

  • A felony conviction;
  • Fugitive status;
  • Unlawful controlled-substance use;
  • A qualifying mental-health commitment or adjudication;
  • Immigration status;
  • A dishonorable discharge;
  • Renunciation of U.S. citizenship;
  • A qualifying domestic-violence restraining order; or
  • A misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

Permission to submit an application does not mean DOJ is likely to grant it.

The correct first question is not simply, “Can I open an application?” It is:

What exactly prohibits me, and is § 925(c) the correct legal remedy?

Depending on the record, a person may instead need:

  • A NICS challenge;
  • An FBI or source-agency record correction;
  • A Voluntary Appeal File and UPIN application;
  • A presidential or state pardon;
  • An expungement or set-aside;
  • Restoration of civil rights under state law;
  • Relief from a mental-health firearm disability; or
  • A legal determination that the person is not actually prohibited.

State and federal firearm restrictions must be evaluated separately. Federal relief does not automatically eliminate an independent state prohibition.

Read our guide to federal versus state gun rights restoration before assuming that one proceeding will resolve both.

Step 2: Check for DOJ Presumptive Disqualifiers

DOJ has established several categories of presumptive disqualification:

  • Current-status presumptions;
  • Permanent presumptions;
  • Ten-year presumptions;
  • Five-year presumptions; and
  • Reapplication presumptions following certain prior decisions.

A presumption does not always prevent someone from submitting an application. It means DOJ ordinarily expects to deny relief unless the applicant establishes extraordinary circumstances sufficient to overcome it.

Examples can include:

  • Still serving any portion of a sentence;
  • Awaiting sentencing;
  • Participating in certain diversionary programs;
  • Certain current unlawful statuses;
  • Particular violent or serious convictions;
  • Certain recent felony convictions;
  • Recent misdemeanor offenses involving assault, battery, stalking, or threatened violence; and
  • Certain previous denials of firearm-restoration relief.

An applicant should not rush to file merely because a limited portal window is available. A poorly timed denial may affect a future application.

Review who is eligible for federal firearm rights restoration before deciding whether January is the appropriate filing period.

Step 3: Determine When You Completed Your Entire Sentence

The date of conviction is not necessarily the date from which DOJ calculates a five- or ten-year presumption.

The applicable period may run from the date the applicant completed the final portion of the sentence. Depending on the case, that may include:

  • Incarceration;
  • Home confinement;
  • Probation;
  • Parole or supervised release;
  • Restitution;
  • Fines and monetary obligations;
  • Community service;
  • Court-ordered education;
  • Treatment or programming;
  • Electronic monitoring; or
  • Another unsatisfied penalty.

Suppose probation ended in 2018, but the applicant made the final court-ordered restitution payment in 2021. The later date may control the waiting-period calculation.

Do not rely solely on memory. Obtain official documentation showing when every component was completed.

Learn more about DOJ’s five- and ten-year waiting periods.

Step 4: Obtain State Criminal-History Records

DOJ requires criminal-history information covering the last 25 years—or since the applicant turned 18, if that period is shorter.

Applicants should obtain records from:

  • Every state where they resided during the applicable period; and
  • Every state where they were arrested, even if they never lived there.

A record may be required from a state of residence even when the applicant had no arrests there.

For example, if you lived in Ohio and Pennsylvania but were arrested while visiting Virginia, your record collection may involve all three states.

These reports should be obtained early. State criminal-history information may:

  • Omit a dismissal;
  • List an incorrect offense;
  • Fail to show the final disposition;
  • Contain incomplete sentence information;
  • Confuse two people with similar identifiers; or
  • Conflict with the underlying court file.

Those discrepancies should be identified and addressed before the DOJ application is submitted.

Step 5: Obtain the Underlying Court and Government Records

For a felony-based prohibition, relevant records may include:

  • The indictment, information, complaint, or other charging document;
  • The judgment of conviction;
  • The plea agreement;
  • The factual basis for the plea;
  • The presentence report;
  • Sentencing records;
  • Probation or supervision records;
  • Proof of release from incarceration;
  • Proof of payment of restitution and fines;
  • Proof of completed community service or treatment;
  • Post-conviction orders;
  • Pardon, expungement, set-aside, or restoration documents; and
  • Records establishing the final sentence-completion date.

Different documentation applies to mental-health disabilities, domestic-violence convictions, military matters, dishonorable discharges, foreign conduct, citizenship renunciation, and other prohibiting circumstances.

A criminal-history report is not a substitute for the source records. DOJ may need the underlying documents to understand what actually occurred.

Step 6: Address Missing or Destroyed Records

Older records are frequently incomplete, archived, sealed, or destroyed.

DOJ permits an applicant to provide a sworn statement in place of certain unavailable documents. The statement generally must:

  • Describe the information that would have appeared in the document;
  • Explain the applicant’s efforts to obtain it; and
  • Explain why the document is unavailable.

Keep proof of every record request, including:

  • Emails to clerks and agencies;
  • Certified-mail receipts;
  • Written archive searches;
  • Destruction notices;
  • Responses stating that no record was located; and
  • Follow-up requests for missing portions of a file.

The effort to locate the record may become part of the evidentiary foundation for the sworn explanation.

Read more about what to do when court or police records are missing.

Step 7: Prepare the Application Responses Before January 4

DOJ allows prospective applicants to preview the online application before the portal reopens.

The application asks for considerably more than basic identifying information. Applicants must disclose matters relating to:

  • The basis for the firearm prohibition;
  • Criminal history;
  • Arrests and dismissed charges;
  • Presumptive disqualifiers;
  • Residential history;
  • Employment;
  • Military service;
  • Mental-health history, when applicable;
  • Drug and alcohol use;
  • Prior pardons, expungements, or restoration proceedings;
  • Rehabilitation;
  • Reputation;
  • Reasons for requesting restoration; and
  • Other facts relevant to public safety and the public interest.

An accurate answer must be consistent with the court, police, criminal-history, military, medical, and administrative records DOJ may review.

The official application warns that materially false statements or omissions may result in:

  • Denial;
  • Criminal exposure; or
  • A later grant being declared void.

Preparing the answers in advance reduces the risk of making rushed disclosures during a limited filing period.

Preview DOJ’s federal firearm rights restoration application.

Step 8: Select Three Qualified Character References

DOJ requires three character references.

Each reference must:

  • Be unrelated to the applicant by blood or marriage;
  • Have known the applicant for at least three years; and
  • Not be federally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

References may be asked to make representations under penalty of perjury concerning:

  • The applicant’s character and community reputation;
  • Criminal conduct within the past five years;
  • Drug and alcohol use;
  • Mental-health concerns affecting judgment or behavior;
  • Violence or threats;
  • Suicide attempts or threats;
  • Dependability and community contribution; and
  • Whether the applicant would pose a danger if permitted to possess firearms.

Choose people who know you well enough to answer those questions truthfully and from firsthand experience.

A supervisor who has worked with you for a decade may be able to describe your judgment, reliability, responsibilities, and conduct with far more detail than a prominent person who barely knows you.

Confirm in advance that each reference:

  • Is willing to participate;
  • Meets DOJ’s requirements;
  • Understands the seriousness of the questions; and
  • Regularly monitors the email address you provide.

Learn more about evidence that can strengthen a § 925(c) application.

Step 9: Access the Official DOJ Portal on January 4

Use only DOJ’s official application page.

During the November 4 public opening, the application portal appears to have become available at approximately 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time. DOJ reached its limit of 5,000 new applicants and closed the portal within only a few hours.

That does not establish when the January portal will open. DOJ has not announced an exact time for January 4, and applicants should not assume that it will open at midnight, at 6:00 a.m., or at the same time as the November opening. The January phase will also be much smaller—only 500 additional applicants rather than 5,000—so the available spots could fill even more quickly.

Monitor DOJ’s official page closely and do not rely on unofficial websites claiming to reserve places or submit applications outside the federal system. No attorney, company, or third-party service can guarantee or reserve one of DOJ’s limited openings.

If you successfully begin an application:

  1. Preserve the unique application link and PIN immediately.
  2. Record the date and time the application was initiated.
  3. Calendar the 30-day completion deadline.
  4. Confirm that you can log back into the application.
  5. Store the access information in more than one secure location.
  6. Continue monitoring the email address used for the application.

DOJ currently warns that it may not be able to recover a lost link and PIN. During the November opening, applicants who successfully initiated an application were permitted to continue after the portal closed to new applicants. Losing the access information during a closed or capped period could therefore jeopardize the applicant’s ability to complete the application already started.

Because DOJ has not announced an exact opening time, review our analysis of when the January 2027 federal firearm-rights restoration portal may open.

Step 10: Complete the Application Within 30 Days

Once an application is initiated, DOJ provides 30 days to complete and submit it.

This is why record collection and response preparation should occur before January 4 whenever possible.

The portal instructs applicants to complete the sections in order. Before submission, applicants should download a PDF of the draft and check:

  • Names and identifying information;
  • Dates;
  • Addresses;
  • Arrest and conviction information;
  • Sentence-completion dates;
  • Explanations of unfavorable facts;
  • Presumptive-disqualifier disclosures;
  • Reference information;
  • Uploaded records; and
  • Consistency among every section.

If the application is not completed within 30 days, the applicant may have to start over. Another portal opening may not be immediately available.

Step 11: Pay the $30 Application Fee

The $30 nonrefundable federal application fee begins with the January 2027 phase.

After submission, the applicant should be redirected to Pay.gov. DOJ currently permits payment by:

  • Bank-account transfer through ACH;
  • Credit or debit card; or
  • PayPal.

The fee does not include the separate costs of fingerprints, criminal-history reports, certified court records, medical evaluations, translations, or legal representation.

DOJ allows requests for a fee waiver or reduction, including based on indigency, but has not yet published complete waiver procedures.

Step 12: Submit Electronic Fingerprints After DOJ Issues the QR Code

Do not obtain generic fingerprint cards before filing.

After the application is submitted, the applicant should receive an email from Criminal Justice Information Services containing:

  • The DOJ case number;
  • Instructions for the next step; and
  • A QR code for fingerprinting.

The applicant must use the designated electronic fingerprint process at a participating U.S. Postal Service location. DOJ states that fingerprints collected through another process will not be accepted.

Applicants can locate a participating USPS facility in advance, but they should wait for the case-specific QR code before being fingerprinted.

Read DOJ’s electronic fingerprint instructions.

Step 13: Review Carefully Before Final Submission

Once submitted, the application cannot be edited.

DOJ’s application preview also states that applicants generally cannot upload additional documents after submission unless the assigned adjudicator requests them.

That means the applicant should not plan to:

  • Correct inaccurate dates later;
  • Add a forgotten arrest later;
  • Replace an incomplete record later;
  • Rewrite an explanation later; or
  • Submit the application quickly and finish developing the evidence afterward.

Accuracy, completeness, and consistency matter before the final submission button is used.

Step 14: Monitor the Portal and Respond to DOJ

After filing, applicants are responsible for monitoring their portal and email.

A DOJ restoration specialist may request:

  • Clarification;
  • Additional records;
  • An explanation of inconsistent information;
  • Updated contact information;
  • Additional evidence; or
  • Responses concerning matters discovered during the background investigation.

Failure to respond can result in the matter being closed without a substantive decision.

DOJ has not established a guaranteed decision timeline. The initial phases of a new federal program may take considerable time to process.

What Decisions Can DOJ Issue?

DOJ may issue one of several dispositions:

Grant

A grant means DOJ determined that restoration is not likely to endanger public safety and is consistent with the public interest.

The FBI should update NICS, and the recipient may receive an RPIN for future firearm transactions. The recipient’s name and the date of the grant will be published in the Federal Register.

A federal grant does not automatically eliminate a separate state firearm restriction.

Denial

A denial means DOJ was not satisfied that the applicant met the statutory standard.

The applicant may seek judicial review in the appropriate federal district court and may be able to reapply after the applicable waiting period. Depending on the reason, a denial can create an additional presumption affecting a later application.

Indeterminate

An indeterminate disposition means DOJ lacked sufficient information to grant or deny relief. The applicant may begin again with additional information.

No Action

DOJ may close a matter without a decision if, for example, the applicant withdraws, dies, fails to respond, or the case must be closed for another administrative reason.

Questions about convictions, waiting periods, missing records, references, or what happens after filing? See our 50-question federal firearm-rights restoration FAQ.

Why Work With National Security Law Firm?

Federal firearm rights restoration is not ordinary form preparation.

The Attorney General must evaluate whether the circumstances surrounding the prohibition, together with the applicant’s subsequent conduct, record, and reputation, demonstrate that restoration would not endanger public safety or conflict with the public interest.

NSLF’s federal firearms practice is built around that burden.

Approximately 80 applications initiated during the November opening

During the first public opening on November 4, National Security Law Firm successfully initiated DOJ applications for every portal-ready client we represented for that opening—approximately 80 people.

Our team entered the opening with the files, records, responses, and application strategy already under development. That preparation allowed our clients to act when the limited portal became available.

DOJ alone controls future portal access. Our November experience cannot guarantee that NSLF or any applicant will obtain one of the 500 January openings. It does give our team direct, practical experience with the portal’s workflow, questions, technical requirements, and documentary demands.

Pre-portal experience dating back more than a year

NSLF began preparing and submitting federal firearm rights restoration matters more than a year before the public portal opened.

When DOJ announced the new process, Duane “DAK” Kees, the former United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas who leads our federal firearms practice, contacted the Office of the Pardon Attorney about NSLF’s pending matters.

On August 19, 2026, DOJ confirmed in writing that NSLF’s list of approximately 25 pre-portal clients was being reviewed and instructed the firm not to resubmit those matters through the public portal.

Those clients were separate from the approximately 80 clients for whom NSLF initiated applications during the November opening.

This does not guarantee approval or special treatment. It demonstrates that NSLF was developing federal restoration matters before the public portal existed and has worked directly with DOJ concerning the transition into the new program.

Led by a former United States Attorney

DAK was nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.

His experience helps NSLF anticipate how federal decision-makers may evaluate:

  • The original conduct;
  • Criminal and arrest records;
  • Inconsistent explanations;
  • Credibility;
  • Rehabilitation;
  • Character evidence;
  • Public-safety concerns; and
  • Whether relief serves the public interest.

The correct remedy before the newest remedy

We do not assume that § 925(c) is right for everyone.

Our attorneys analyze whether the client needs federal restoration, state relief, a pardon, a NICS challenge, a record correction, a VAF/UPIN application, or another proceeding.

Applying through the wrong process can waste time and money without resolving the actual prohibition.

Record development and application strategy

Depending on the engagement, our work may include:

  • Identifying every potential federal and state prohibition;
  • Analyzing eligibility and presumptive disqualifiers;
  • Calculating sentence-completion and waiting-period dates;
  • Obtaining court, police, probation, military, and administrative records;
  • Comparing criminal-history reports with source documents;
  • Addressing missing or inconsistent records;
  • Developing rehabilitation and reputation evidence;
  • Assisting with reference selection and preparation;
  • Drafting accurate application responses;
  • Organizing the submission for the DOJ portal;
  • Responding to requests for additional information; and
  • Advising the client concerning the decision and next steps.

We prepare applications to withstand federal review—not merely to fill every visible box.

How Much Does Legal Representation Cost?

NSLF generally charges a $5,000 flat fee for federal firearm rights restoration representation under § 925(c).

Certain matters involving additional legal or factual complexity—including some cases involving domestic violence, mental-health records, military proceedings, multiple prohibitions, or extensive criminal histories—require a $7,500 flat fee.

These legal fees are separate from DOJ’s $30 application fee and the third-party costs of fingerprints, government records, medical evaluations, translations, or similar expenses.

Learn more about federal firearm rights restoration lawyer costs and what representation includes.

Start Preparing Before January 4

January 4 should not be the day you begin trying to locate an old judgment, determine when probation ended, or discover that your criminal-history report contains incorrect information.

Give your legal team time to evaluate your case and obtain the records on which your application depends.

Book a free, confidential consultation and tell us you want to prepare for the January 2027 opening. If all you remember is the county, approximate year, and nature of the case, start there. We can discuss the representation, identify the information likely to be required, and explain the next step.

DOJ controls access to the 500 openings and decides every request for restoration. NSLF cannot reserve a portal place, guarantee access, promise relief, or control the government’s timeline.

We can help you prepare so that you are not beginning a demanding federal application from scratch when the next limited portal opens.

Book My Free Consultation Now or call (202) 600-4996.

Official DOJ Resources

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Federal firearm rights restoration is discretionary. Eligibility, strategy, timing, fees, and potential outcomes depend on the individual facts and applicable federal and state law. No lawyer can guarantee portal access, restoration, or a decision timeline. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This website is an attorney advertisement.