How to Get Your Concealed Carry Permit in Virginia

To get a concealed carry permit in Virginia, file Form SP-248 with the clerk of the circuit court in the city or county where you live, along with proof that you can safely handle a handgun and a fee of up to $50. The court has 45 days to run background checks and either issue the five-year permit or tell you in writing why you were denied.¹ Virginia is a shall-issue state, meaning the court must approve you if you meet the statutory qualifications.

Who Qualifies

You have to be at least 21 and a resident of the Virginia city or county where you apply. Active-duty service members stationed elsewhere can apply where they are domiciled. There is no minimum length of residency.¹

The disqualifiers in Virginia Code § 18.2-308.09 do most of the work in deciding who gets a permit. You are ineligible if any of the following applies to you:

Any felony conviction, a pending felony charge, or a felony acquittal by reason of insanity within the last five years.
Two or more misdemeanor convictions in the five years before you apply, if at least one is a Class 1 misdemeanor. A judge may deny on two or more lower-level misdemeanors. Traffic infractions and reckless driving do not count.
A single conviction within the last three years for DUI, public intoxication, any assault offense, sexual battery, unlawful discharge of a firearm, or brandishing a firearm.
A stalking conviction at any time.
Involuntary commitment to a mental health facility or adjudication of mental incapacity.
An active protective order, restraining order, or substantial risk order that bars you from buying or transporting firearms.
Addiction to or unlawful use of marijuana or a controlled substance.
Anything other than U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency.

The application walks through these one at a time as yes-or-no questions.²

Proving Handgun Competency

Virginia requires in-person proof of competency. An online-only course will not satisfy the court. You only need one of the following, and the court cannot ask for more than what you provide:²

A hunter education course approved by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources or an equivalent out-of-state agency.
A firearms safety or training course from the NRA or USCCA.
A firearms course from a law-enforcement agency, college, or private firearms school, taught by an instructor certified by the NRA, USCCA, the state, or the Department of Criminal Justice Services.
Evidence of equivalent experience from organized competitive shooting.
Current military service or an honorable discharge, shown by a DD-214.

Once you have submitted acceptable proof, it never expires. You will not have to retrain at renewal.²

Filing the Application

Download Form SP-248 from the Virginia State Police website. Use the current version rather than an older copy from a third party.² Fill it out completely and answer every question honestly. A materially false statement on the application is perjury under § 18.2-434.¹

Take the finished application, your proof of competency, and a valid government-issued photo ID to the clerk of the circuit court in your city or county. Some clerks process these applications only during limited hours, so call ahead. No payment is due until the clerk accepts the application as complete.³

The total fee is capped at $50, covering the court’s processing, the local law-enforcement investigation, and the State Police background check. Pay by any method the court accepts for other fees.³

What Happens After You Apply

From the day the court receives a complete application, the clock is 45 days. During that period, state and federal authorities run background checks on the information you supplied. If you are approved, the court mails the permit to your address and notifies the State Police.⁴

If the 45 days pass without a decision either way, the clerk must certify on your application that the deadline has passed and send you a copy. That certified copy works as a de facto permit for 90 days when carried with a government-issued photo ID, and stays valid until the court either issues your five-year permit or finds you disqualified. If you are later found disqualified, you must surrender the de facto permit.²

A denial has to come with a written explanation. You then have 21 days to request an in-person hearing before the circuit court to contest it.⁵

Where the Permit Does Not Let You Carry

A Virginia permit is not a license to carry everywhere. Virginia bans firearms outright in courthouses, the Capitol building and Capitol Square, state-owned or state-leased government buildings, airport terminals, polling places on election days, places of worship during services (unless you have what the law considers a good and sufficient reason), and child-care facilities and preschools during operating hours. Local governments can also ban firearms in their own buildings, parks, recreation centers, and streets adjacent to permitted events, so long as they post notice.

You may carry into a restaurant or bar that serves alcohol, but you cannot drink while doing so. Consuming alcohol while carrying concealed on those premises is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Carrying concealed while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs anywhere in public is a Class 1 misdemeanor.⁶ Federal law separately prohibits firearms in federal buildings where federal employees regularly work, and in federal courthouses.⁷ National parks in Virginia follow state law on the grounds themselves, but firearms remain prohibited inside park buildings like visitor centers and ranger stations.⁸

Renewal, Address Changes, and Other States

The permit is good for five years. Renewal is simpler than the initial application: you can mail the renewal form and a photocopy of your photo ID to the circuit court that issued the original permit, and you do not need to prove competency again.⁹ Submit the renewal 90 to 180 days before expiration. If the new permit issues while the old one is still active, the new five-year term starts the day the old one ends, so you lose no time. The same $50 cap applies.²

If your court offers electronic reminders and you opted in on the application, the clerk will email you at least 90 days before expiration. If the reminder does not arrive, the permit still expires on its printed date. Active-duty members of the Virginia National Guard, Armed Forces, or Armed Forces Reserves get an automatic extension if their permit expires during a deployment outside their home jurisdiction; the permit stays valid for 90 days after the deployment ends, and you should carry a copy of your deployment orders to show law enforcement.⁹

Moving within Virginia requires a replacement permit showing the new address. Bring your current permit and a change-of-address form from the State Police to the clerk of the circuit court that issued the permit. The replacement fee is capped at $10.¹⁰

Virginia currently honors concealed carry permits from every U.S. state and territory, provided the holder is at least 21, carries a government-issued photo ID, and has not had a Virginia permit revoked.¹¹ Whether another state honors your Virginia permit depends on that state’s own law. Some states recognize Virginia permits through reciprocity agreements, others recognize all out-of-state permits, and roughly ten do not honor any out-of-state permit. Check the destination state’s rules before every trip.

1
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.02 – Application for a Concealed Handgun Permit Virginia Resident or Domiciliary
2
Virginia State Police. Resident Concealed Handgun Permits
3
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.03 – Permits To Carry Certain Concealed Weapons
4
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.04 – Processing of the Application and Issuance of a Concealed Handgun Permit
5
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.08 – Denial of a Concealed Handgun Permit Appeal
6
Virginia State Police. Nonresident Concealed Handgun Permits
7
govinfo.gov. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
8
National Park Service. Firearms in National Parks
9
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.010 – Renewal of Concealed Handgun Permit
10
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.011 – Replacement Permits
11
Virginia State Police. Reciprocity and Recognition