Is a California Resident Permit Valid in New Jersey?

Why

• New Jersey does not recognize any out-of-state carry permit.

NJSP FAQ (last reviewed 12/17/2025): 'No. New Jersey does not have reciprocity with any other state. You must obtain a New Jersey Concealed Carry Permit if you wish to carry a handgun in New Jersey.'

Carry rules in New Jersey

Crossing into New Jersey swaps the rulebook. Here is what changes for a visiting carrier.

• New Jersey imposes a duty to inform: you must tell an officer you are carrying. If stopped or detained while carrying in public or traveling with a handgun in a vehicle, the permit holder must immediately disclose that they are carrying (or that a handgun is stored in the vehicle) and display the permit; violating the disclosure duty is a fourth-degree crime (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.4(b)).
• New Jersey limits magazine capacity to 10 rounds — a limit that applies to visitors, and one of the easiest laws to break by accident.
• New Jersey is not a permitless-carry state: concealed carry there requires a permit New Jersey recognizes.
• The statutory ban on functional (loaded, readily accessible) handguns in vehicles for permit holders (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6(b)(1)) is enjoined by federal court order and listed by NJSP as not enforceable as of 12/11/2025 — vehicle-carry rules remain in active litigation; the duty to disclose a handgun in the vehicle still applies.

Off-limits places in New Jersey

New Jersey bans carry in 6 kinds of places. The first on the list:

• Courthouses, courtrooms and government administration buildings (incl. police stations)
• Schools, colleges, universities, school buses and child care facilities

See all 6 places you can't carry in New Jersey →

California vs New Jersey: what changes at the state line

Crossing from California into New Jersey changes 2 rules: duty to inform police (No → Yes); open carry (Restricted → No).

Going the other way, a New Jersey resident permit in California: not recognized.

Driving on from New Jersey

How a California resident permit fares in the states bordering New Jersey:

• Delaware — Not recognized
• New York — Not recognized
• Pennsylvania — Not recognized

Check a whole route with the Trip Checker →

Frequently asked questions

Does New Jersey honor a California non-resident permit?

Not recognized. The answer is the same as for the resident permit on this page.

Can a New Jersey resident permit holder carry in California?

Not recognized. Reciprocity is decided by the destination state, so the answer in this direction depends on California's law, not New Jersey's.

Where does New Jersey publish its official reciprocity list?

New Jersey 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.