FOID Card for 18-20 Year Olds:
Parental Consent

While Illinois generally requires applicants to be 21 years of age to obtain a FOID card independently, the Act provides a pathway for persons aged 18 through 20 to acquire a card with parental or guardian consent. Active-duty members of the United States Armed Forces and the Illinois National Guard who are under 21 may apply without parental consent if they meet the other eligibility requirements and annually submit proof of active-duty status to the Illinois State Police.^[1]

Parental Consent Requirements

Under 430 ILCS 65/4, a person between 18 and 20 years of age may apply for a FOID card with written consent from a parent or legal guardian if they have never been convicted of a misdemeanor other than a traffic offense or adjudged delinquent and meet the other eligibility requirements. The consent requirement has several specific conditions:

• The consenting parent or legal guardian must not be prohibited from obtaining a valid FOID card. The statute requires eligibility, not an issued card (430 ILCS 65/4(a)(2)(i-5))
• The parent or legal guardian must sign a consent affidavit, have it notarized, and submit it with the FOID card application
• Only a parent or legal guardian may provide consent -- other relatives, family friends, or mentors do not qualify
• The parent or guardian must not have a revoked or suspended FOID card at the time of consent

If the consenting parent or guardian's FOID card is subsequently revoked because they no longer qualify, the under-21 cardholder's FOID card may also be revoked.^[1]

Liability Assumption

Written consent also makes the parent or legal guardian liable for damages resulting from the applicant's use of firearms or firearm ammunition. The parent or legal guardian who provides written consent assumes civil liability for any damages resulting from the applicant's use of firearms or firearm ammunition. This means if the 18-to-20-year-old FOID cardholder causes injury or property damage with a firearm, the consenting parent or guardian may be held financially responsible in a civil lawsuit.^[1]

What the 18-20 Year Old FOID Card Allows

A FOID card issued to a person aged 18 through 20 satisfies the FOID Act's card requirement for firearm and ammunition possession. Other restrictions on possession still apply. The cardholder may:

• Possess firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns) and ammunition
• Purchase long guns (rifles and shotguns) from licensed dealers, subject to the required background-check process and a wait of at least 72 hours after the purchase agreement unless a statutory exception applies^[2]
• Receive firearms through private transfers after a dealer background check or ISP approval of the recipient's FOID eligibility. Unless an exception applies, the recipient must provide a transfer record to a licensed dealer within 10 days

On September 17, 2026, DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the federal handgun-sale restrictions in 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1) and (c)(1) are unconstitutional as applied to otherwise law-abiding adults aged 18 to 20. This is an executive-branch legal opinion. It does not amend Illinois law or establish how an Illinois dealer currently processes a purchase. Read the OLC opinion. Under Illinois eligibility requirements, an 18-to-20-year-old FOID cardholder may possess a handgun (for example, one received as a gift or through a private transfer). ^[3]

Limitations Compared to 21+ FOID Holders

Apart from the federal dealer handgun-sale provisions discussed above, persons aged 18 through 20 are ineligible for a Concealed Carry License (CCL). Under 430 ILCS 66/25, CCL applicants must be at least 21 years of age. An 18-to-20-year-old FOID cardholder may possess firearms at home and transport them unloaded and enclosed in a case, but a FOID card alone does not authorize concealed carry or carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle. Statutory exceptions still apply.^[4]

FOID Eligibility and Supervised Use Under 18

Applicants under 18 may qualify for a FOID card with written parental or guardian consent if they meet the Act's other eligibility requirements. Unemancipated minors may possess firearms without their own FOID card while in the custody and immediate control of a parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis who holds a valid FOID card. This is an exemption from the FOID possession requirement, and it does not waive other firearm restrictions or licensing requirements.^[1]