What shows up on a Virginia background check
Last updated: May 2026
Virginia criminal-history records are maintained by Virginia State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE). Whether you are about to apply for a job, an apartment, or a professional license, the most useful thing you can do is understand exactly what an employer or landlord will see — and what changes if you successfully clear your record.
FCRA notice
The background-check services we link to are not consumer reporting agencies as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Reports generated by these services may not be used in whole or in part to make decisions about employment, tenant screening, insurance, credit, or any other purpose that requires FCRA compliance.
ExpungeReady earns a commission on some links on this page. We only recommend services we believe are useful for personal-records research. Always verify your own records directly with the state repository or the FBI before relying on any third-party report.
What Virginia employers actually see
On a standard private background check ordered through a consumer-reporting agency, a Virginia employer typically sees:
- Felony and misdemeanor convictions that have not been sealed
- Pending charges
- Non-conviction arrests within the 7-year window unless already expunged
- Marijuana possession cases that occurred before July 2021 are subject to automatic sealing
Virginia follows the federal FCRA 7-year limit. Beginning July 2025, Virginia's expanded sealing and automatic sealing statutes (Va. Code § 19.2-392.6 et seq.) provide broader eligibility than the older expungement statute.
How to see your own Virginia record
Official source: Virginia State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE)
Cost: $15 by mail
Turnaround: 4–6 weeks
Where to start: https://www.vsp.virginia.gov/Sections-Bureaus/Criminal-Records.aspx
The official Virginia record only covers in-state arrests and convictions. If you have lived in multiple states, or want to see what private aggregators have collected about you, run a personal records check first — it shows the same data an out-of-state employer's consumer-reporting agency would pull.
What changes after expungement in Virginia
A successful expungement of a non-conviction (acquittal, dismissal, nolle prosequi) under Va. Code § 19.2-392.2 removes the case from public reports. The newer sealing remedy under § 19.2-392.7 applies to certain convictions after waiting periods and removes them from most background-check sources. Private third-party background-check companies must remove sealed entries on request.
Frequently asked questions
Will marijuana possession be automatically sealed in Virginia?
Yes. Under Va. Code § 19.2-392.6, qualifying misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions are subject to automatic sealing. The Virginia State Police is implementing the program in phases. Even if your case has not yet been auto-sealed, you can petition the court to seal it manually using the same statute.
How do I check my own Virginia criminal record?
Virginia maintains its criminal-history records through Virginia State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE). You can request your own record for $15 by mail; results typically arrive in 4–6 weeks. Pulling your own record before applying for a job is the single most useful step you can take.
Do private background checks show Virginia sealed or expunged records?
Private consumer-reporting agencies are required to remove sealed or expunged records once notified, but they often retain old copies and may continue to report them by mistake. After your order is granted, request a free annual personal-records report from each major reporting agency and dispute any entries that still show the old data.