To find out whether your rights have been restored in Virginia, use the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s online search tool at restore.virginia.gov. Enter your date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number. If the tool confirms a restoration order, your rights to vote, serve on a jury, hold public office, and serve as a notary are back. If your record isn’t found, your rights have not been restored, and you’ll need to apply to the Governor.1Commonwealth of Virginia. Restoration of Rights Process
What the Search Result Actually Tells You
A confirmation from the online tool means the Governor has signed an order restoring four civil rights: voting, jury service, holding public office, and serving as a notary public. That’s it. The search does not tell you anything about firearms. Under Virginia law, the Governor restores those four rights, and a separate circuit court petition handles gun rights.1Commonwealth of Virginia. Restoration of Rights Process
People confuse these two restorations all the time. Getting a “yes” on the civil rights lookup does not make it legal for you to own or carry a firearm. Acting on that assumption can produce a new felony charge.
If the tool returns “not found,” read it as one of two things: either no restoration has been granted, or an application is still pending review. If you cannot reach the online tool or the result seems wrong, contact the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office through restore.virginia.gov to ask about your status by phone or mail.
Why Your Sentence Date Matters
Whether the online tool finds you depends heavily on when you finished your sentence and who was governor at the time. Virginia’s approach has shifted with each administration.
Governor Terry McAuliffe (2014–2018) issued a blanket executive order in 2016 restoring voting rights to Virginians who had completed incarceration and supervised release. Governor Ralph Northam (2018–2022) went further, automatically restoring voting rights to anyone not currently incarcerated. Under both, tens of thousands of people had rights restored without filing individual applications.
Governor Glenn Youngkin ended that practice after taking office in January 2022. He restored rights to a final group of 3,496 people on May 20, 2022, then moved to case-by-case review requiring individual applications.1Commonwealth of Virginia. Restoration of Rights Process Restorations granted under McAuliffe or Northam on or before that date still stand. Anyone whose sentence ended after that window has had to apply.
Governor Abigail Spanberger took office in January 2026. Because Virginia governors have broad discretion over this process, application requirements and processing speed may shift under the new administration. Any policy updates will appear at restore.virginia.gov.
What to Do If Your Record Isn’t Found
To be eligible for restoration, you must have a felony conviction and no longer be incarcerated.1Commonwealth of Virginia. Restoration of Rights Process The application goes through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website. Once you submit, that office reviews your records with state agencies to see whether you meet the Governor’s standards.
A few things worth knowing before you file:
- Virginia’s application has historically asked whether the conviction involved a violent or nonviolent offense. Standards and timelines can differ between the two.
- Past administrations have asked about unpaid court costs, fines, and other legal financial obligations. Whether those affect eligibility depends on current policy.
- There is no guaranteed timeline. Each application is reviewed individually, and processing times vary.
If the Governor approves your request, the Secretary of the Commonwealth mails you a personalized restoration order.1Commonwealth of Virginia. Restoration of Rights Process Keep that document somewhere safe. You may need to show it when registering to vote, and federal courts require proof of restoration before you can serve on a federal jury.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service
Registering to Vote Once Your Rights Are Back
Restoration makes you eligible to vote. It does not register you. You still need to complete voter registration separately through Virginia’s Department of Elections citizen portal, at your local general registrar’s office, or at the DMV.3Virginia Department of Elections. View Your Info
If you were registered before your conviction, don’t assume that old registration carried over. It may not be active. Use the portal to check, and re-register with your current address if needed.
Firearms Are a Separate Process
The Governor’s civil rights restoration explicitly leaves firearms out. To regain the legal right to possess a gun in Virginia, you must petition the circuit court in the jurisdiction where you live, and you cannot file that petition until your civil rights have already been restored by the Governor.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.2
The court has full discretion. You must show good cause, and the local prosecutor may respond and argue against the petition. If the court grants it, the clerk forwards a copy to the Central Criminal Records Exchange so law enforcement databases reflect the restored status.
Federal law adds a second layer. Anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment is federally prohibited from possessing a firearm.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Under federal definitions, a state conviction generally stops counting once civil rights have been restored, unless the restoration order itself restricts firearm possession. The interaction between state and federal law here is complex, and getting it wrong is a federal felony. If you have any doubt, talk to a firearms attorney before buying or handling a gun.