Non-Resident permit · ID → MT
Is a Idaho Non-Resident Permit Valid in Montana?
Yes on both counts: permit reciprocity and permitless carry. Montana recognizes Idaho non-resident permits and separately allows eligible adults to carry without one.
Why
- Montana's official reciprocity list includes Idaho.
- Montana allows permitless carry, which extends to visitors who may legally possess a handgun.
MCA 45-8-329 recognizes another state's permit if that state requires a criminal-records background check before issuance and the holder carries the permit plus photo ID; it imposes no issuing-state residency condition. The AG list (last updated Oct 2024) excludes Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island because their laws do not expressly require background checks; Vermont issues no permits. Recognition is largely moot for eligible adults because carry is permitless.
The permit (Idaho)
- Permit
- Idaho Concealed Weapons License (CWL)
- Issued by
- County sheriff
- Issue policy
- Shall-issue
- Issued to non-residents?
- Yes — Idaho AG guidance directs applicants to 'the county sheriff where you reside or where you intend to apply if you are not an Idaho resident' - non-residents may apply to an Idaho county sheriff.
The destination (Montana)
- Recognition policy
- Honors a named list of 43 states
- Permitless carry
- Yes
- Duty to inform
- No (present permit on demand)
- Magazine limit
- No state limit
Carry rules in Montana
Crossing into Montana swaps the rulebook. Here is what changes for a visiting carrier.
- No statutory duty to proactively inform an officer. A traveler carrying under reciprocity must have the permit in immediate possession plus photo ID (MCA 45-8-329).
- Montana sets no state magazine-capacity limit for handguns.
- Montana allows permitless concealed carry for people who may legally possess a handgun, including eligible visitors.
- Montana has no prohibitions on carrying a loaded weapon in a motor vehicle (MT DOJ).
Off-limits places in Montana
- Restricted portions of state or local government office buildings (unless holding a Montana or recognized permit, MCA 45-8-328)
- Courtrooms and spaces controlled by a Montana court (unless authorized by the judge)
- Montana public schools (unless authorized by the school board)
- Federal offices and buildings (federal law)
Frequently asked questions
- Is a Idaho non-resident permit valid in Montana?
- Yes on both counts: permit reciprocity and permitless carry. Montana recognizes Idaho non-resident permits and separately allows eligible adults to carry without one.
- Do I have to tell police in Montana that I am carrying?
- No statutory duty to proactively inform an officer. A traveler carrying under reciprocity must have the permit in immediate possession plus photo ID (MCA 45-8-329).
- Does Montana limit magazine capacity?
- Montana sets no state magazine-capacity limit for handguns.
- Can I carry in Montana without any permit?
- Montana allows permitless concealed carry for people who may legally possess a handgun, including eligible visitors.
- Where does Montana publish its official reciprocity list?
- Montana publishes its recognition policy on an official state page, linked in the sources on this page. That page is the authority — check it shortly before travel, because recognition lists change without much notice.
Official sources
- Montana DOJ — Concealed Weapons (AG recognition list) — accessed 2026-08-08
- MCA 45-8-329 — Concealed weapon permit reciprocity (MCA 2025) — accessed 2026-08-08
- MCA 45-8-321 — Permit to carry concealed weapon (MCA 2025) — accessed 2026-08-08
- MCA 45-8-316 — Carrying concealed weapons (MCA 2025) — accessed 2026-08-08
- MCA 45-8-328 — Carrying concealed firearm in restricted government offices (MCA 2025) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Idaho Office of the Attorney General - Concealed Weapons — accessed 2026-08-08