Obtaining an Illinois Concealed Carry License (CCL) allows you to carry a loaded handgun that

 is “completely or mostly concealed from view of the public”.

The basic steps to obtain your Illinois Concealed Carry License are:
 

1.    Obtain your Illinois State Police User ID (see ISP Firearms Services Bureau Home Page)

2.    Obtain your State of Illinois Firearm Owner's Identification Card (see ISP Firearms Services Bureau Home Page)

3.    Obtain the required training from an authorized instructor (see Illinois State Police - Concealed Carry Instructor Search)

4.    Have your fingerprints taken by an authorized Live Scan vendor

5.    Apply for your license (see ISP Firearms Services Bureau Home Page)
 

A.    While the order above can vary, the first three steps must be completed before your application is complete.

B.    Obtaining your FOID can take weeks, so that can be initiated prior to the other steps.

C.   (Note that the address on your FOID card should match your driver's license.)

D.   Some vendors may require that you already have a FOID card prior to taking the training.

E.    Submitting fingerprints is not required, However, without them, the ISP is given an additional 30 days to process your application to allow for a manual background check.

F.    As the fingerprints are only valid for 30 days, do not have them taken until you are close to completing the application.

G.   Your instructor may be able to assist you in completing all of the steps, although additional charges will apply.
 

Detailed application steps are on the ISP CCL site. 

Additional CCL questions and answers are posted in a Q&A page on this site, and on the ISP web site.