currently living in nyc, moving to lakewood, nj summertime. please point me to steps required to obtain a handgun premise permit.

also is there minimum timeframe that i need to be an nj state resident before i apply? thanks.

In NJ there is no such thing as a premise permit. There is a statutory exemption that allows you to possess firearms on your property, owned or rented. You are also allowed to transport firearms when moving to your new home so long as they are unloaded and cased, or unloaded and locked in the trunk of your vehicle. There are other exemptions you need to learn about but I'm trying to keep this brief and to the point.

Any firearm must be legal in NJ, but I am not aware of anything that would be NY legal but not NJ legal.

Once you get to NJ and you have updated your drivers' license you should apply for your Firearms Purchasers ID Card. This will allow you more freedom to transport long guns in NJ and also enable you to purchase handgun ammo in the State. If you intend to buy any handguns you should apply for a Permit to Purchase a Pistol (or multiples thereof) at the same time as the FPIC because it is the exact same process and you'll have to do it twice if you apply for handgun purchase permits at a later date. PtPP are valid for up to 180 days and can be used to acquire 1 handgun per permit with at least 30 days between each acquisition. Your FPIC allows you to acquire any number of long guns with no time limits.

The FPIC becomes invalid 30 (or 35, I can't remember) days after you change address, so if you are going to rent temporarily before moving to a permanent residence it is worth waiting until you have your permanent address otherwise you'll just have to start over.

There is no requirement (and no advantage) to register any firearms you already possess when you move into NJ.

thanks Mr. Stu. i neglected to mention that here in nyc i do not own nor have i ever owed  a firearm.