In Virginia, anyone convicted of a felony, unfortunately automatically loses their civil rights. These civil rights include the right to vote, serve on a jury, run for office, become a notary public, and carry a firearm. The Constitution of Virginia gives the Governor the sole discretion to restore civil rights, not including firearm rights (in order to receive your firearm rights back, you must first apply to have your rights restored from the state, then petition your local circuit court for those rights). Individuals who need to check the status of their civil rights or who need to request the restoration of their rights are encouraged to contact the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office.

• To be eligible for restoration of civil rights, an individual must have a prior felony conviction and be free from any term of incarceration and/or supervision (parole and/or probation) resulting from felony conviction(s).
• The Secretary of the Commonwealth gives priority consideration to individuals who request restoration of their civil rights. An individual seeking restoration of their civil rights may contact the Secretary of the Commonwealth by clicking here or by calling (804) 786-2441.
• The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office has identified individuals who may meet the Governor’s standards for restoration of rights and those individuals will be considered for possible restoration in the order of when they were released from supervision.

To check on the status of your civil rights or to begin the process of rights restoration, please visit: https://www.restore.virginia.gov