Virginia Background Check from Abroad
State criminal history check
Virginia Background Check from Abroad
Yes, by post. Attach a fingerprint card if you need more than convictions.
- Fee
- Confirm the current fee with CARE before sending
- Processing
- Fifteen business days from receipt; there is no expedited service
- From abroad
- Possible
What to send, and where
| Agency | Virginia State Police, Civil and Applicant Records Exchange |
|---|---|
| Form | SP-167, Criminal History Record Request |
| Fee | Confirm the current fee with CARE before sending |
| Payment | As directed on the form. |
| Processing | Fifteen business days from receipt; there is no expedited service |
| Post to | Civil and Applicant Records Exchange, 7700 Midlothian Turnpike North, Chesterfield, VA 23235 |
The Virginia State Police, Civil and Applicant Records Exchange page for this request
Specific to Virginia
- SP-167 on its own searches Virginia convictions only. For dismissals and pending charges as well, attach a fingerprint card.
- The form needs two notarised signatures, including yours. Plan a consular appointment before you post it.
Getting fingerprinted where you are
Local police, a private fingerprinting service, a U.S. post if it still offers it, or ink at home. Take more than one card. Use the FD-258 unless Virginia specifies its own form above, in which case order that form first and allow for it reaching you overseas.
After it arrives
A Virginia criminal history check is a state document, so it is authenticated by Virginia, not by the U.S. Department of State. Most states require the response to be notarised or certified before the authenticating authority will touch it, and several sell a notarised version for exactly this purpose. Buy it at the time rather than discovering later that you have to start again.
We handle the apostille
Once your Virginia check exists we can authenticate it, legalise it for a non-Convention country, and have it translated. Tell us the destination and the deadline.
Questions people actually ask
Can I request my Virginia record from outside the United States?
Yes, by post. Attach a fingerprint card if you need more than convictions.
What does it cost?
Confirm the current fee with CARE before sending As directed on the form.
How long does it take?
Fifteen business days from receipt; there is no expedited service. Add international postage in both directions on top of that.
Do I need the Virginia check as well as the FBI one?
Only if the authority asking has said so. The FBI record already includes arrests that Virginia reported federally. Ask before paying for both.
Will it need an apostille?
If it is going to a foreign authority, yes. A Virginia check is a state document, so it is authenticated by Virginia rather than by the U.S. Department of State, and it usually has to be notarised or certified first.
This guide is published by a private document processing service. It is not legal advice and we are not a government agency. Requirements change without notice, so confirm anything critical with the mission before you post documents.
