Restoration of Rights Process
- An individual is eligible to apply to have his/her rights restored by the Governor if he/she has been convicted of a felony and is no longer incarcerated.
- Individuals who would like to have their civil rights restored are encouraged to contact the Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC) through the website.
- The SOC works with other various state agencies to consider who may be eligible to have their rights restored.
- All individuals, who apply to have their rights restored, will be thoroughly reviewed by the SOC, including checking their records with various state agencies to ensure the individual meets the Governor’s standards for restoration of rights.
- Upon the Governor’s approval, SOC will issue personalized restoration orders to individuals.
Individuals are eligible to apply to have their rights restored after being released from incarceration.
Please note: The Governor does not have the authority to restore firearms rights. If you have had your civil rights restored and are seeking restoration of your firearm rights, please contact your local circuit court.
Are your rights restored?
Anyone convicted of a felony in Virginia automatically loses their civil rights - 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. Individuals seeking restoration of their civil rights are encouraged to submit a request to have their rights restored on the Secretary of the Commonwealth website.
Check the Status of Your Civil Rights
Frequently Asked Questions
Anyone convicted of a felony in Virginia automatically loses their civil rights - 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.
The Governor will consider restoration of rights for any individuals that have finished any and all terms of incarceration.
The Restoration of Rights office will prepare a personalized restoration order for each individual who has his/her rights restored. A copy of the order will be available on the online portal and will also be mailed to the individual if there is a current mailing address on file.
The review process usually takes 3 months after an individual has submitted a request for their restoration of rights. Click here to request your rights be restored.
Individuals can check their status on the Secretary of Commonwealth's website.
If an individual has been convicted in another state and now resides in Virginia, they may request to have their rights restored by clicking here.
Your rights can be restored by the Governor of Virginia. Click here to request your rights be restored.
The Governor does not have the authority to restore firearms rights. Contact your local circuit court for information about restoration of firearms rights.
Again, this action does not restore the right to ship, transport, possess or receive firearms, which must be restored by a court in accordance with Va. Code §18.2-308.2. If you were convicted in Virginia Circuit Court, you must petition the circuit court in the jurisdiction where you reside to regain state firearms privileges. For out-of-state or federal felony convictions, you must petition the court of conviction to regain firearm privileges.
Noncitizens are not eligible to vote, serve on a jury or run for office, but may be eligible to serve as a notary public. Click here to request your rights be restored.
If you would like to request your rights be restored, please use the online portal to submit your information by clicking here.
If you have any problems or questions, you may contact our office by email at rormail@governor.virginia.gov.
