Non-Resident permit · AR → PA
Is an Arkansas Non-Resident Permit Valid in Pennsylvania?
None issued, so none recognized. Arkansas keeps its permits resident-only (requires Arkansas residency for 90+ continuous days (§ 5-73-309(2)); exception — active-duty US Armed Forces members and their spouses are exempt from the residency requirement). Your route to carrying in Pennsylvania runs through a permit you are eligible to obtain elsewhere.
Why
- Arkansas does not issue carry permits to non-residents (requires arkansas residency for 90+ continuous days (§ 5-73-309(2)); exception — active-duty us armed forces members and their spouses are exempt from the residency requirement).
AG rule: where Pennsylvania grants reciprocity, ONLY individuals who are both residents of the issuing state AND 21 or older may carry in Pennsylvania — non-resident permits are never recognized. Several states are recognized only for specific license classes (see overrides). Virginia became the 30th recognized state in Feb 2026. Not recognized: CA, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, MN, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, SC, VT, WA.
The permit (Arkansas)
- Permit
- Concealed Handgun Carry License (CHCL)
- Issued by
- Arkansas State Police
- Issue policy
- Shall-issue
- Issued to non-residents?
- No — Requires Arkansas residency for 90+ continuous days (§ 5-73-309(2)); exception — active-duty US Armed Forces members and their spouses are exempt from the residency requirement.
The destination (Pennsylvania)
- Recognition policy
- Honors a named list of 30 states
- Permitless carry
- No
- Duty to inform
- No (present permit on demand)
- Magazine limit
- No state limit
Carry rules in Pennsylvania
Recognition is only half the question. Once you're inside Pennsylvania, its carry rules apply to you exactly as they do to locals.
- No Pennsylvania statute requires a carrier to proactively inform police; carry the license and produce it on lawful demand.
- Pennsylvania sets no state magazine-capacity limit for handguns.
- Pennsylvania is not a permitless-carry state: concealed carry there requires a permit Pennsylvania recognizes.
- Carrying a firearm in any vehicle, loaded or unloaded, requires a valid LTCF or a recognized reciprocal license (18 Pa.C.S. § 6106).
Off-limits places in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania bans carry in 3 kinds of places. The first on the list:
- Court facilities (18 Pa.C.S. § 913)
- Elementary and secondary school buildings, grounds and buses (18 Pa.C.S. § 912; statutory 'other lawful purpose' defense)
Arkansas vs Pennsylvania: what changes at the state line
Crossing from Arkansas into Pennsylvania changes 3 rules: permitless carry (Yes (18+) → No); duty to inform police (Yes → No); out-of-state permits honored (All states → 30 states).
| Rule | Arkansas | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Permitless carry | Yes (18+) | No |
| Duty to inform police | Yes | No |
| Magazine limit | None | None |
| Out-of-state permits honored | All states | 30 states |
| Open carry | Yes, no permit | Yes, no permit |
Going the other way, a Pennsylvania non-resident permit in Arkansas: recognized — and permitless carry applies.
Driving on from Pennsylvania
How an Arkansas non-resident permit fares in the states bordering Pennsylvania:
- Delaware — No such permit issued
- Maryland — No such permit issued
- New Jersey — No such permit issued
- New York — No such permit issued
- Ohio — No such permit issued
- West Virginia — No such permit issued
Frequently asked questions
- Does Pennsylvania honor an Arkansas resident permit?
- Recognized — carry with your permit. That differs from the non-resident permit on this page, because Pennsylvania treats the two permit types differently.
- Can a Pennsylvania non-resident permit holder carry in Arkansas?
- Recognized — and permitless carry applies. Reciprocity is decided by the destination state, so the answer in this direction depends on Arkansas's law, not Pennsylvania's.
- Does Arkansas issue non-resident carry permits?
- No. Arkansas issues carry permits to residents only (requires Arkansas residency for 90+ continuous days (§ 5-73-309(2)); exception — active-duty US Armed Forces members and their spouses are exempt from the residency requirement). Non-residents who want multi-state coverage usually obtain a non-resident permit from a state that offers one, such as those listed in our non-resident permit guide.
Official sources
- PA Office of Attorney General — Concealed Carry Reciprocity (per-state map data) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Pennsylvania State Police — Carrying Firearms in Pennsylvania — accessed 2026-08-08
- PA OAG press release — Virginia becomes 30th reciprocity state — accessed 2026-08-08
- Chester County Sheriff — PA License to Carry Firearms Information — accessed 2026-09-27
- Centre County Sheriff — License to Carry Firearms — accessed 2026-09-27
- City of Philadelphia — Application for a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearm — accessed 2026-09-27
- Arkansas State Police — Concealed Handgun Carry Licensing (recognition of all states since 2013) — accessed 2026-08-08
- ASP — Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry Licensing Code §§ 5-73-301–329 (eligibility, § 5-73-321 recognition, § 5-73-315) — accessed 2026-08-08
- ASP — Weapons Possession and Use Code §§ 5-73-101–133 (Aug 1, 2025; § 5-73-120 permitless carry, § 5-73-119) — accessed 2026-08-08
- ASP — Locations Where Possession of a Handgun is Prohibited (July 31, 2023) — accessed 2026-08-08
- ASP — Code of Arkansas Rules, CHCL (July 8, 2025; notification duty on ID request) — accessed 2026-08-08