A Name Search That Only Reports Convictions

The Virginia State Police Civil and Applicant Records Exchange, CARE, runs the public check, and its criminal history page is blunt about speed: there is no expedited or same day service, and normal turnaround is 15 business days after the mail arrives, sometimes 15 to 20. Anyone may use form SP-167, individuals, the general public, private companies and out of state agencies alike, and the form is generated on the State Police application site, printed, signed and notarized, and mailed with payment. Dissemination follows section 19.2-389 of the Code of Virginia.

The instructions carry the fact that shapes every result: the SP-167 runs a search for Virginia convictions only, and a requester who needs Virginia charges, dismissals and pending charges as well must attach a completed fingerprint card. A result that reads No Conviction Data says in the same line that it does not preclude the existence of an arrest record. For the sheriffs and clerks who hold the arrest and the case, see the Virginia county pages.

  • $15 or $20: the SP-167 criminal history search, or the combined criminal history and sex offender registry search, with nonprofit volunteer rates of $16 and $8 on proof of tax exempt status.
  • Notarized, 15 business days: the subject signs section 1 before a notary, anyone else receiving the result signs section 2 before a notary, and the mailed answer takes about three weeks.
  • Convictions only: the name search reports Virginia convictions; arrests, dismissals and pending charges appear only when a fingerprint card is attached.
  • July 1 and December 1, 2026: the dates the sealing framework took effect and the broadened expungement rule for any charge not ending in conviction takes effect.

Written by SearchSystems.net from Virginia's own systems: the Virginia State Police criminal history record check page, the SP-167 instructions, the State Police application site that generates the SP-167, the Civil and Applicant Records Exchange page, the State Police seal order notification page for agencies, the State Police business screening services page, Code of Virginia section 19.2-392.2 on expungement of police and court records, Code of Virginia section 19.2-392.6 on automatic sealing of convictions, Code of Virginia section 19.2-392.5 on the effect of sealing, the Virginia courts criminal sealing forms page, the Virginia courts case status and information page, each read on October 15, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Filling in and paying for the SP-167

The form is built on the State Police application site: choose SP-167, enter the subject, confirm, generate the PDF and print it, one form per request. The person searched signs section 1 before a notary, and if the result is to go to someone else, that recipient signs section 2 before a notary too. A person requesting their own record for themselves notarizes only section 1 and may use the NotaryCam online notary for an extra $15, which does not work for fingerprint searches.

Payment is a business check, certified check or money order to Virginia State Police, or Visa or MasterCard written on the form; personal checks are refused, and a returned check, dishonored money order or declined card adds a $50 handling fee under section 2.2-4805. The packet goes to the Civil and Applicant Records Exchange at P.O. Box 85076, Richmond, VA 23285.

In the Richmond area the form can be dropped at headquarters, 7700 Midlothian Turnpike in North Chesterfield, with two forms of identification and exact payment in cash or money order, but it is not processed the same day; a note with a phone number lets the requester collect it when done. Next day air both ways, at the requester's cost, is the only way to shorten the wait, and card payments take a little longer than money orders.

A requester abroad chooses VISA as the purpose to receive a notarized letter with the result, and the results page marks each form No Conviction Data, No Criminal Record Name Search Only, No Criminal Record Fingerprint Search, No Sex Offender Registration Record or Criminal Record Attached. The Virginia background check guide covers the SP-230 that licensed Virginia employers use without notarization for conviction data, and the national check under the Child Protection Act on form SP-325.

Back to the topics

Fingerprint searches and the statutory agencies

Only certain agencies get the complete record from CARE: the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, foster care and adoption agencies, the Lottery, public school boards, security guard companies, the State Corporation Commission, the Board of Elections, volunteer fire and rescue departments, visa and passport applicants, the Racing Commission, social services departments and Dominion Energy among them, and for those marked by statute a fingerprint search of state and FBI files costs $13.75 for the State Police and $13.25 for the FBI, $27 in all.

Those same entities can use the Non Criminal Justice Interface, which returns a name search electronically within 72 hours, as the CARE page explains; it requires a Virginia location, a signed agreement, a billing account and electronic billing. The State Police will not release their own arrest reports to the public and send anyone with an error in a record to the arresting agency.

Back to the topics

Challenging a record by fingerprint, free

A person who finds their name on a record that is not theirs reports it to a local sheriff, police department or State Police headquarters and asks to be fingerprinted for the purpose of challenging a criminal record. The official confirms identity, takes the prints, writes on letterhead that both were done, and the letter and prints go to the Manager of the Central Criminal Records Exchange at P.O. Box 27472, Richmond, VA 23261-7472.

There is no charge, and within five workdays the person receives written confirmation of whether they are the person of record and what modification was made. Corrections of a true record come only from the contributing agency; CARE audits the record and coordinates the change with that agency and accepts no changes from anyone else. The exchange dates from 1966, and since January 1, 1968 agencies and clerks have been required to submit arrest fingerprints and dispositions, which is why the Virginia criminal records guide treats the clerk's disposition as the key document.

Back to the topics

Expungement of a charge that did not convict

Section 19.2-392.2 lets a person acquitted, or whose charge was nolle prossed or otherwise dismissed, petition the circuit court of the city or county where the case was disposed of, with no court fees or costs for filing. The petition carries the arrest date, the arresting agency, the charge, the disposition date and the name used at arrest, the petitioner asks the exchange to send the court their criminal history electronically, and the Commonwealth's attorney has 21 days to object or to give written notice of no objection, which for a misdemeanor lets the court rule without a hearing.

A petitioner with no prior record whose arrest was for a misdemeanor is entitled to the order absent good cause shown by the Commonwealth; otherwise the court asks whether the continued existence of the record would be a manifest injustice. A victim of identity theft files a fingerprint set with the petition. The version of the section effective December 1, 2026 widens eligibility to anyone arrested, charged, summonsed or indicted and not ultimately convicted, provided no facts sufficient for guilt were stipulated or found, and allows one petition to cover charges from separate occurrences. The State Police validate the record but do not judge eligibility.

Back to the topics

Sealing, automatic and by petition, since July 1, 2026

Virginia's sealing chapter is separate from expungement. The State Police seal order notification page says the broader framework, including the department's duty to notify agencies that hold affected records, took effect July 1, 2026. Under section 19.2-392.6 a conviction for a listed offense with an offense date on or after January 1, 1986, including misdemeanor petit larceny, trespass, marijuana possession and disorderly conduct, is automatically sealed once seven years have passed without another reportable conviction anywhere other than a traffic infraction, unless the person was convicted the same day of something not eligible.

The State Police compile the eligible offenses at least monthly, the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court and the circuit clerks receive the lists, the chief judge enters an order, and the clerks notify the State Police. Petition sealing in circuit court remains available under sections 19.2-392.12 and 19.2-392.12:1, and the courts publish the criminal sealing forms.

Section 19.2-392.5 explains the effect. Sealing bars public access at the exchange, the courts, police departments, sheriffs and the Department of Motor Vehicles, a law enforcement agency answers an inquiry by saying no record exists, and the person may deny the arrest to a state agency or private employer, but not when applying to a police department, when a statute or federal law requires the question, or in national security positions, and a sealed record still appears in sentencing reports and custody proceedings.

Background screening companies must register with the State Police, pay a $30,000 annual license fee, and suppress sealed records from the seal order files they receive, with dissemination of sealed information prohibited under section 19.2-392.16; the business screening page explains who must register and how the seal order portal works.

Back to the topics

Court searches and what the sheriff keeps

The courts' case information page offers a statewide search of adult criminal cases in the juvenile and domestic relations district courts and criminal and traffic cases in the general district courts and selected circuit courts, plus locality searches for each circuit court, which is where an arrest shows as a charge and a disposition before the exchange ever sees it. The sheriff or police department that made the arrest holds the booking record and the incident report, which the State Police will not release on their behalf, and the Virginia court records guide covers each clerk.

For custody after sentencing, the Virginia inmate search guide covers the Department of Corrections and the regional jails, and Virginia wants and warrants covers people being sought.

Back to the topics

Questions about Virginia arrest records

Does the $15 Virginia check show arrests?
No. The SP-167 name search reports Virginia convictions only, and a no conviction result expressly does not rule out an arrest record; attach a fingerprint card to see charges, dismissals and pending cases.
How long does the State Police check take?
About 15 business days after the mail arrives, sometimes 15 to 20, with no expedited or same day service even for forms dropped at headquarters.
Who has to sign before a notary?
The person searched in section 1, and anyone else who is to receive the results in section 2; a self request going back to the subject needs only section 1.
Is there a fee to expunge a dismissed charge?
No. Section 19.2-392.2 says a person pays no court fees or costs to file the petition in the circuit court where the case was disposed of.
Which convictions are sealed automatically?
Listed misdemeanors such as petit larceny, trespass, marijuana possession and disorderly conduct, with offense dates from 1986, after seven years without another reportable conviction.
How do I prove a Virginia record is not mine?
Be fingerprinted at a sheriff, police department or State Police headquarters for a record challenge, free, and the exchange answers in writing within five workdays.

Back to the topics

Virginia readers can continue with the Virginia background check guide for the SP-230 and fingerprint checks, Virginia court records for the statewide and circuit court searches, Virginia inmate search for the Department of Corrections and regional jails, the Virginia sex offender registry guide, the Virginia public records law guide, and the Virginia county pages for every sheriff and clerk.