What Do You Need to Buy a Gun in Virginia? ID, Age, and Forms

To buy a gun in Virginia, you need a valid Virginia government-issued photo ID, you need to meet the age and residency rules, you need to pass a background check run by the Virginia State Police, and you need to be free of the state and federal disqualifications that would block the sale. Handgun buyers must be at least 21 and Virginia residents; rifle and shotgun buyers must be at least 18. Most buyers are also limited to one handgun every 30 days.

Age and Residency

Federal law sets the age floor at licensed dealers: 21 for a handgun, 18 for a rifle or shotgun.¹ Virginia does not raise the bar above that.

For a handgun, you must be a Virginia resident. Federal law prohibits licensed dealers from selling handguns to residents of another state. Nonresidents can still buy long guns from a Virginia dealer as long as the sale complies with the laws of both Virginia and the buyer’s home state.²

Lawful permanent residents follow the same ID and residency rules as U.S. citizens. Non-immigrant aliens face a stricter path: generally, they cannot buy from a dealer unless they have lived in the state for at least 90 continuous days and fall into a qualifying category, such as holding a valid U.S. hunting license.³

What to Bring to the Store

Bring a valid photo ID issued by a Virginia government agency showing your name, date of birth, and sex. A Virginia driver’s license is the standard choice. If your license is newly issued or a duplicate, at least 30 days must have passed since that card’s issue date. If it hasn’t, bring a copy of your DMV driving record showing that the original issue date was more than 30 days ago.²

If your ID doesn’t show your current address, bring a second document to prove residency. Acceptable options include a current lease, a utility or phone bill, a voter registration card, an automobile registration, or a current bank check.²

You will also need cash or a card for the background check fee: $2 for Virginia residents, $5 for nonresidents.² The dealer collects it at the counter.

The Forms and the Background Check

At the counter you complete two forms. The federal ATF Form 4473 collects your personal information and asks a series of yes-or-no eligibility questions covering criminal history, drug use, mental health, and immigration status.⁴ The Virginia SP-65 collects similar information and gives consent for the state criminal history check. Both must be finished before the dealer can submit the request.⁵

Answer every question carefully. Knowingly lying on the 4473 is a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.⁶

The dealer sends your information to the Virginia Firearms Transaction Program, which runs one combined query against state criminal records, protective order files, mental health commitment databases, and the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System.² Three outcomes are possible:

Approval. The dealer receives an approval number and you can take the firearm home.
Delay. The system needs more time to research something in your records. If the State Police notifies the dealer that a response will not be available by the end of the dealer’s fifth business day, the dealer may complete the sale.⁷
Denial. Your records show a disqualification and the sale cannot go through.

Most checks return in minutes.

Who Cannot Buy

Before you spend time on the paperwork, confirm you’re not in one of the prohibited categories. Federal law bars firearm possession by anyone who:

Has a felony conviction (any crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment).
Is a fugitive from justice.
Unlawfully uses controlled substances or is addicted to them.
Has been adjudicated mentally defective or involuntarily committed to a mental institution.
Is subject to a qualifying protective order restraining them from harassing or threatening an intimate partner or their child, issued after a hearing where they had the opportunity to participate.
Has a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
Received a dishonorable discharge from the Armed Forces.
Has renounced U.S. citizenship.

These are codified in 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) and apply nationwide.¹

Virginia adds more. A felony conviction carries a lifetime state ban on possessing firearms, ammunition, or stun weapons, with mandatory minimum prison sentences on violation depending on the prior felony.⁸ A misdemeanor conviction for assault and battery of a family or household member triggers a three-year state ban if the offense occurred on or after July 1, 2021. “Family or household member” includes current and former spouses and anyone with whom you share a child.⁹ Two misdemeanor drug possession convictions within a 36-month window bar you from buying a handgun under Virginia law.

The One-Handgun-Per-30-Days Limit

Virginia prohibits anyone who is not a licensed dealer from purchasing more than one handgun in any 30-day period. Violating the limit is a Class 1 misdemeanor.⁷

You are exempt if you hold a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit, are a law-enforcement officer, are replacing a handgun that was stolen or irretrievably lost, or are trading in a handgun at the time of purchase. Antique firearms are also exempt. Outside those categories, if you have a specific need for a second handgun inside the 30-day window, you can apply to the Department of State Police for a certificate based on an enhanced background check.

Buying From a Private Seller

Virginia requires a background check for almost every private sale where money or anything of value changes hands. The seller and buyer must visit a licensed dealer, who runs the same check used for sales from the dealer’s own inventory.¹⁰

Bring the same ID and proof of residency you’d bring for any other purchase. The dealer collects the $2 state background check fee and may charge an additional service fee of up to $15 on top of their own transfer fee, which typically runs $20 to $75.¹⁰ Call ahead. Prices vary, and some dealers won’t facilitate transfers on firearms they don’t stock.

A few narrow exceptions to the private-sale check exist: voluntary gun buyback programs, firearms shows where the Department of State Police conducts checks on-site, and certain transactions handled through licensed consignment sales.¹⁰ Willfully completing a private sale without verifying the buyer’s eligibility is a Class 1 misdemeanor for both parties.

If You’re Denied

If the check comes back denied and you believe it’s wrong, you have two paths. Under Virginia law, you can access and correct your criminal history records through the State Police, and you have 30 days from the denial to file a civil action challenging it.⁷

You can also challenge the denial through the FBI, since the Virginia check queries the federal NICS database. The FBI’s preferred route is an electronic submission through its challenge portal, using the NICS Transaction Number from your denial. The FBI has 60 calendar days to respond with a final decision.¹¹

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
2
Virginia State Police. Virginia Firearms Transaction Program
3
GovInfo. Nonimmigrant Aliens Purchasing Firearms and Ammunition in the United States
4
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record Revisions
5
Virginia State Police. 2025 Virginia Firearms Dealers Procedures Manual
6
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Prosecutors Aggressively Pursuing Those Who Lie in Connection With Firearm Transactions
7
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.2:2 – Criminal History Record Information Check Required for Sale of Certain Firearms
8
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.2 – Possession or Transportation of Firearms by Convicted Felons
9
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.1:8 – Purchase, Possession, or Transportation of Firearm Following Assault and Battery of a Family or Household Member
10
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.2:5 – Criminal History Record Information Check Required to Sell Firearm
11
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Challenges / Appeals