Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Opens to the Public November 4, 2026. Only the First 5,000 Applicants Will Get In.

Michel & Associates, P.C. | October 13, 2026

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched its new Federal Firearm Rights Restoration (FFRR) program under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c). For the first time in decades, people who are federally prohibited from possessing firearms have a working federal process to ask for their rights back.
The key dates:

• November 4, 2026: The application opens to the public. Only the first 5,000 applicants can apply, on a first come, first served basis.
• January 4, 2027: The application reopens for 500 more applicants. The $30 application fee starts at this stage.
• After that: DOJ has said only that it will open access to the public at large once it is “confident of the effectiveness of [its] processes.” It has not announced a date.
If you want to be in the first group, you need to be ready to apply the day the portal opens. Spots are expected to go quickly. The rest of this alert explains how to get ready now.

Why Preparation Matters

Three features of the process make advance preparation essential:

• First come, first served. DOJ has capped the November 4 public window at 5,000 applicants. There is no announced waitlist or carryover for people who miss the cutoff.
• A 30-day clock. Once you start the online application, you have 30 days to complete and submit it. If you miss that deadline, you must start over. DOJ itself recommends gathering your documents before you begin.
• Your access link and PIN. The system issues you a unique link and PIN. DOJ has warned that it cannot recover a lost link and PIN, and you may have to start your application again. Save them somewhere secure.
Many of the required records (court files, certified criminal history reports, medical records, military records) can take weeks or months to obtain. Start requesting them now.

Is Applying the Right Move for You? Check Before You File

Anyone federally prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) may apply. However, DOJ will presumptively deny applicants who fall into certain categories unless they can show extraordinary circumstances. These “presumptive disqualifiers” include, among others:

• Current status: awaiting sentencing; incarcerated or still serving any part of a sentence (including probation, parole, or unpaid fines and restitution); in a diversion program; subject to certain domestic violence restraining orders; or required to register as a sex offender for a prohibiting offense.
• Permanent: any felony conviction involving violent or serious conduct (for example, homicide, sexual assault, robbery, burglary, arson, kidnapping, stalking, domestic violence, or firearm brandishing or discharge).
• 10-year: a felony drug trafficking, threat, explosive, or certain firearm-related conviction, or a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, within the last 10 years.
• 5-year: any other felony, or a misdemeanor assault, battery, stalking, or threat conviction, within the last 5 years.
• Mental health: for a § 922(g)(4) prohibition, failing to first use an available state relief-from-disability program (see below).
A denial carries consequences. Under the rule, a denial for reasons other than a presumptive disqualifier triggers a 5-year bar on reapplying. Applicants must also disclose all prohibiting history, including convictions that were expunged, pardoned, or set aside. Relief obtained through knowing misstatements or omissions is void. We strongly recommend a case evaluation before you file.

What Every Applicant Needs

Regardless of the reason for your prohibition, gather the following:

• State criminal history records covering the last 25 years, or since age 18, whichever is shorter. These must show arrests (or a clear record) in every place you have lived, plus any other arrest. If a statewide report is not available, local law enforcement records may be used. California residents will typically need a Record Review from the California DOJ for California history, plus reports from any other state where they have lived.
• Residential history for the same period, so you can identify every jurisdiction whose records you need.
• Three character references. Each must be unrelated to you by blood or marriage, have known you for at least 3 years, and not be prohibited from possessing firearms themselves. You will need each person’s first and last name, email address, and how they know you. References will receive an email link and PIN and will be asked to swear, under penalty of perjury, to matters such as your good character, the absence of recent crimes, drug use, or alcohol abuse, and that you are not a danger to yourself or others. Confirm they are willing before you list them.
• Valid government photo ID for fingerprinting: a state driver’s license, state non-driver ID, U.S. passport or passport card, or military ID.
• A method of payment, for applications filed once the $30 fee begins. You can pay by ACH, credit or debit card, or PayPal through Pay.gov. A fee waiver or reduction may be requested for indigency, but you must state your reasons.
• Any prior state applications for expungement, set-aside, pardon, or restoration of rights (including firearm rights), along with any decision.

All court and government documents must be true digital copies. Documents not in English require an English translation and a translator’s certificate of completeness and accuracy. Accepted file types are jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, doc, docx, txt, pdf, xls, and xlsx. Scan your documents in advance.

A note on fingerprints: do not get fingerprinted in advance. Fingerprints must be taken after you submit the first part of the online application. You will receive an email with a case number and QR code, which you then take to a participating U.S. Post Office. Fingerprints from anywhere other than the USPS electronic process will not be accepted.

Additional Documents by Type of Prohibition

Felony Conviction (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)), State or Federal

Provide as many of the following as you are able:

• Charging document (indictment, information, or complaint)
• Judgment of conviction
• Official document showing the date you completed the final requirement of your sentence (for example, end of probation or parole, payment of restitution, or completion of community service)
If applicable:
• Plea agreement
• Factual basis for the plea
• Presentence report or other sentencing document (in California, the probation officer’s report)

Mental Health Commitment or Adjudication (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4))

Required:

• The order of mental health commitment or adjudication as a mental defective
• Medical records stating the diagnosis that caused the commitment or adjudication
• A current certification from a licensed mental health professional stating either that (1) you no longer suffer from the disease or condition that caused the disability, or (2) the disease or condition has been successfully treated or is stably managed such that you are unlikely to be a danger to yourself or others

If applicable:

• Any petition that sought your commitment or adjudication
• Any order restoring your mental competency and rights
The application also includes a separate authorization for release of mental health medical information.
Important for mental health applicants: use your state program first. If the state where your prohibition arose has a relief-from-disability program, DOJ will presumptively deny your FFRR application if you are eligible for that program but have not applied, if your state application is still pending, or if it was denied. If a qualifying state program grants you relief, you may not need FFRR relief at all. California has such a program: a hearing for relief under Welfare and Institutions Code section 8103 (California DOJ form BOF 4009C). California clients with a § 922(g)(4) prohibition should talk with us about the state process before applying federally.

 
Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9))

Provide as many of the following as you are able:
• Charging document
• Underlying investigative (police) reports
• A document showing your relationship to the victim
• Judgment of conviction
• Official document showing the date you completed the final requirement of your sentence
If applicable:
• A document showing your conviction was rendered nugatory (has no current effect) or that your civil rights were restored
• Any police report of your involvement in domestic violence since your original arrest

Military Conviction or Dishonorable Discharge (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and (g)(6))

Applies to a felony conviction by general court-martial or a discharge under dishonorable conditions (including dismissal of an officer, cadet, or midshipman).

Required:
• DD Form 214, DD Form 214-1, and/or DD Form 215
If applicable:
• Charge sheet (DD Form 458)
• Judgment of the court
• Certificate of completion of appellate review

Veterans who served within the last 25 years (or since age 18, if shorter) must also provide their DD Form 214, 214-1, and/or 215, even if military service is not the basis of their prohibition.

 
Renunciation of U.S. Citizenship (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(7))

• Formal renunciation of nationality (8 U.S.C. § 1481(a)(5) and (6))
• An explanation of why you renounced your citizenship

Foreign Records

If you lived outside the United States, or have foreign criminal, mental health, military, or expungement history, you will need:
• Foreign law enforcement records covering the same 25-year (or since age 18) period for every place you lived outside the U.S., and records of any other foreign arrest
• Records of any foreign equivalent of a felony or domestic violence conviction, mental health commitment or adjudication, dishonorable discharge, or expungement, pardon, or restoration of rights
• Certified English translations of all non-English documents

 
Other Prohibitions

DOJ lists all § 922(g) categories as eligible to apply, including unlawful drug users (g)(3), certain aliens (g)(5), and persons subject to qualifying domestic violence restraining orders (g)(8). DOJ has not published category-specific document lists for these prohibitions. Many of them, however, are current-status presumptive disqualifiers (for example, a current restraining order or current unlawful drug use, other than marijuana-only cases). Please contact us to evaluate your situation.

If You Cannot Get a Document

If a required document is not available from an official source, you must submit a sworn statement that (1) includes the details the document would contain, and (2) describes your efforts to obtain it and why it is unavailable. Keep records of every request you make (dates, agencies, and responses).

What Will the Application Look Like?

DOJ has not yet published the online application itself (OMB Form No. 1123-0017). Its website still lists the form as “coming soon.” However, the final rule (28 C.F.R. Part 107) and recent Federal Register notices describe its contents. Based on those sources, the application will be completed online through an FBI-hosted system and is expected to include:
• Three webforms: (1) the Application to Restore Federal Firearms Rights; (2) an Authorization for Release of Information (academic, residential, employment, criminal, and other records); and (3) an Authorization for Release of Medical Information (Mental Health)
• Identifying information: name and prior names, Social Security number, date and place of birth, citizenship, passport number, alien registration number (if any), and FBI number (if known)
• Contact information for you or your attorney
• A list of every crime or activity that makes you prohibited
• Criminal history: federal, military, state, tribal, local, juvenile, and foreign records, and information about sentence completion
• Mental health, medical, substance abuse treatment, and military records, where relevant
• Information about spouses, current and former partners, children, and any victims
• Uploads of supporting documents
• Three character references, contacted directly by DOJ
• Electronic fingerprints, submitted through USPS after the first part of the application is filed
• A sworn affirmation that the information is true and complete
DOJ estimates the electronic form itself takes about 65 minutes to complete. That estimate does not include the time needed to gather records.
After you submit, DOJ “restoration specialists” may contact you with questions. If your application is found incomplete, you generally have 30 days after notice to fix it, or it will be closed. Grants of relief are published in the Federal Register.

Important Limits

• Federal relief only. FFRR does not automatically restore state or tribal firearm rights. California clients may face separate state-law prohibitions that require separate relief.
• Presidential pardons. A full presidential pardon removes the federal firearm disability where the person’s only conviction was federal. Anyone with a state conviction or another prohibiting status may still need to apply.
• State restoration. A state set-aside or restoration does not remove a federal prohibition based on a federal conviction, and may not remove one based on a state conviction.

Your Action Checklist

1. Contact us for a case evaluation, including a presumptive disqualifier review.
2. Map your residential history for the last 25 years (or since age 18).
3. Request your state criminal history records from every state where you have lived.
4. Request certified court records for every prohibiting conviction or order.
5. For mental health prohibitions: request commitment orders and medical records, schedule your current evaluation with a licensed mental health professional, and evaluate any available state relief program first.
6. For veterans: request your DD Form 214 and other military records.
7. Line up three qualified character references and confirm they are willing.
8. Scan everything into accepted digital formats.
9. Be ready to start the application on November 4, 2026, and finish within 30 days.

How We Can Help

Michel & Associates has extensive experience with firearm rights restoration. We can evaluate your eligibility, identify presumptive disqualifiers and strategies to address them, request and organize your records, prepare sworn statements for unavailable documents, coordinate your character references, and prepare and submit your application as your legal representative.
To schedule a consultation, contact us at (562) 216-4444 or [email protected].

Official DOJ Resources

• FFRR home page: https://www.justice.gov/ffrr
• Who can apply: https://www.justice.gov/ffrr/who-can-apply-federal-firearm-rights-restoration
• Presumptive disqualifiers: https://www.justice.gov/ffrr/federal-firearm-rights-restoration-presumptive-disqualifiers
• Required documents: https://www.justice.gov/ffrr/federal-firearm-rights-restoration-required-documents
• Mental health / § 922(g)(4) relief: https://www.justice.gov/ffrr/relief-18-usc-922g4
• Frequently asked questions: https://www.justice.gov/ffrr/federal-firearm-rights-restoration-frequently-asked-questions
• Final rule (91 Fed. Reg. 54054, Aug. 20, 2026): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/20/2026-16981/application-for-relief-from-disabilities-imposed-by-federal-laws-with-respect-to-the-acquisition

This alert is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. DOJ’s program details may change before or after launch.