To get a Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP), you must show that you have demonstrated competence with a handgun in person. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B)....
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
To get a Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP), you must show that you have demonstrated competence with a handgun in person. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B). There is no minimum number of hours, no required curriculum, no live-fire minimum spelled out in the statute, and no required score. The court accepts any one of nine training pathways, including a catch-all for "any other firearms training that the court deems adequate." You pick one pathway, complete it, and give the clerk of the circuit court proof of completion when you apply. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(A), (B).
Two practical points. First, the current statute requires that competence be demonstrated "in person," so online-only training does not satisfy it on its own. A live, instructor-supervised range or classroom component is the operative limit on the otherwise generous pathway list. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B). Second, your proof of competence does not expire, and no court may require an additional demonstration once you have established it. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B).
Virginia is not a permitless-concealed-carry state. A valid CHP is required to carry a concealed handgun, and the prohibition on concealed carry without a permit comes from Va. Code 18.2-308. The permit exemption for permit holders is in Va. Code 18.2-308.01(A). Open carry of a handgun is generally legal without a permit, but that is a separate question from the training rules covered here.
Nonresidents follow a parallel rule under Va. Code 18.2-308.06(B), with two small wording differences. See "Nonresident Track" below.
The CHP is a court-issued permit. A resident applies in writing to the clerk of the circuit court of the county or city where he resides (or, for a member of the U.S. Armed Forces stationed outside the Commonwealth, where he is domiciled). The applicant must be 21 years of age or older. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(A). The court reviews the application for the competence showing and for disqualifications under Va. Code 18.2-308.09, and the clerk issues the five-year permit. Nonresidents apply instead to the Virginia Department of State Police. Va. Code 18.2-308.06(A).
Under Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B), the court must require proof that the applicant has demonstrated competence with a handgun in person, and the applicant may demonstrate it by any one of the following:
The statute uses an inclusive "or" between pathways 8 and 9. You only need one. Once you produce proof under any single pathway, the court may not require an additional demonstration of competence. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B).
The phrase "in person" is the operative limit on the pathway list. The current text of Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) requires that competence be demonstrated "in person," which means an online-only course with no live instructor contact does not satisfy the statute by itself.
Pathways 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 all involve live instruction. The cleanest answer for a student is to take a live course taught by an NRA-, USCCA-, or DCJS-certified instructor, or a course at a law-enforcement agency, college, training school, or organization that uses such an instructor. Pathway 5 (organized shooting competition, current military service, or honorable discharge) and pathway 6 (prior Virginia license) are documentary; they prove qualifying experience another way.
Pathway 9 (court catch-all) is where ambiguous cases land. If your training does not slot cleanly into pathways 1 through 8, the court has discretion to accept it. Some clerks publish local lists of pre-approved courses or instructors. Many do not. Call the issuing clerk of the circuit court in your county or city before paying for a course you are not sure about.
Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) lists three acceptable forms of proof. Any one of these constitutes evidence of qualification:
You hand this to the clerk along with your CHP application and one valid form of government-issued photo identification. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(A). You do not have to surrender the original; a photocopy is enough.
No expiration. The statute is explicit: "no applicant shall be required to submit to any additional demonstration of competence, nor shall any proof of demonstrated competence expire." Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B). A certificate from a course you took years ago is statutorily current, and local clerks cannot impose a recency requirement.
One caution about your application itself: making a materially false statement in a CHP application is perjury, punishable as provided in Va. Code 18.2-434. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(C).
Read Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) carefully and you will notice what is absent:
Virginia builds the floor at "in-person competence demonstrated once" and leaves the rest to instructors, organizations, and individual courts.
Renewals are governed by Va. Code 18.2-308.010. A person who has previously held a Virginia CHP "shall be issued, upon application as provided in 18.2-308.02, a new five-year permit unless it is found that the applicant is subject to any of the disqualifications set forth in 18.2-308.09." Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(1).
In practice this means no retraining. Renewal runs through 18.2-308.02, but because 18.2-308.02(B) provides that proof of demonstrated competence does not expire and no additional demonstration may be required, a renewal applicant does not take another class or hit the range. The renewal applicant also does not have to appear in person; the application, including a photocopy of valid photo identification, may be submitted by United States mail. Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(1).
Timing matters. If a new permit is issued while the existing one is still valid, the new permit takes effect when the old one expires, provided the court receives the application at least 90 days but no more than 180 days before the existing permit expires. Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(2). There is also a deployment provision: if a permit holder in the Virginia National Guard, the U.S. Armed Forces, or the Armed Forces Reserves has a permit expire during an active-duty deployment outside his county or city of residence, the permit remains valid for 90 days after the deployment ends, on display of the deployment orders. Va. Code 18.2-308.010(B).
Nonresidents 21 years of age or older apply to the Virginia Department of State Police, not to a circuit court. Va. Code 18.2-308.06(A). The nine training pathways at Va. Code 18.2-308.06(B) mirror the resident pathways with two textual differences:
A third small difference: nonresident pathway 3 also recognizes instructors certified by "a similar agency of another state" alongside the NRA, the USCCA, and DCJS. Va. Code 18.2-308.06(B)(3). Otherwise the framework is the same. The "in person" requirement applies, the three proof formats are identical, and the no-expiration treatment of qualifying proof carries through. Nonresident applicants also submit fingerprints, two photographs, and a photocopy of one valid photo ID, and the State Police may charge a fee not to exceed $100. Va. Code 18.2-308.06(A), (C). The State Police implement the nonresident application process through regulations promulgated under the Administrative Process Act. Va. Code 18.2-308.06(E).
Training is not the only cost of a resident permit, but the statutory fees are modest. The clerk charges $10 for processing or issuing a permit; the local law-enforcement agency conducting the background investigation may charge a fee not to exceed $35 (which includes any FBI assessment); and the State Police may charge a fee not to exceed $5. The total assessed for processing a resident application may not exceed $50. Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A). Certain retired law-enforcement officers and others listed in the statute pay no permit fee. Va. Code 18.2-308.03(B).
Reliable choices for a first-time Virginia resident applicant:
Pathway 9 is real but risky. If you take a course that does not fit any of pathways 1 through 8, you are asking the individual court to accept it as "adequate." Some do, some do not. Confirm in advance with the clerk.
Instructor certification matters more than the course title. The statute repeatedly conditions on instructor certification (NRA, USCCA, or DCJS) rather than on a course's brand name. A class taught by an uncertified instructor without one of those endorsements does not slot into pathways 2, 3, or 7 on that basis. Get the instructor's certifying body and certification number on the certificate.
Can I use a course I took out of state? Yes, if it fits a pathway. A course taught by an NRA-certified instructor satisfies pathway 7 because that pathway turns on instructor certification, not on where the class was held. A hunter education course approved by a "similar agency of another state" satisfies pathway 1 by its own terms. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B)(1), (7).
Do I need to pass a shooting test? No. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) sets no marksmanship standard. Pathways 1 through 8 require completion of a course, not a score; pathway 9 leaves the standard to the court. An individual instructor may set internal pass-fail criteria for issuing a certificate, but the statute does not impose one.
What if I lost my certificate? Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) accepts "an affidavit from the instructor, school, club, organization, or group that conducted or taught such course or class attesting to the completion of the course or class by the applicant." A notarized affidavit from the instructor or training school is statutorily sufficient.
Do I need a Virginia-law-specific class? No. Nothing in Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) requires that the training cover Virginia-specific firearms law, prohibited places, transportation rules, or use-of-force doctrine. The statute requires only demonstrated competence with a handgun. That said, a course that omits Virginia-specific law leaves a gap that shows up on first contact with law enforcement and in any criminal case. The training requirement is a statutory floor, not a curriculum recommendation.
Does an out-of-state CCW permit substitute for Virginia training? No. Virginia recognizes a valid out-of-state concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit for carry purposes if the holder is at least 21, carries a government-issued photo ID, displays both on demand, and has not previously had a Virginia permit revoked. Va. Code 18.2-308.014(A). That recognition lets you carry on the out-of-state permit; it does not by itself satisfy a training pathway for a Virginia CHP application. If you want a Virginia permit, satisfy a Virginia pathway directly.
Students do not need any of this. Where pathways 3 and 7 of Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) refer to a "DCJS-certified" or "state-certified" instructor, they mean an instructor certified through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. DCJS administers its own firearms instructor certification standards under its regulatory authority. A student satisfying the competence requirement only needs proof that the course met one of the nine pathways; the instructor's DCJS, NRA, or USCCA certification is what makes pathways 2, 3, and 7 work. For the current DCJS instructor standards, consult DCJS directly rather than relying on a course brand name.
The Virginia statutes in this section were verified against the Code of Virginia as published, current as of January 1, 2025. The current text of Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) carries both the "in person" requirement and the recognition of the United States Concealed Carry Association alongside the National Rifle Association. The General Assembly amends Title 18.2 frequently. Before relying on any single pathway, confirm the current text of Va. Code 18.2-308.02 and 18.2-308.06 on the Virginia Legislative Information System, since a later session can change the pathway list or add requirements.
| Item | Authority | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| In-person competence requirement | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) | Required for all initial applicants |
| Minimum classroom hours | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) | None specified |
| Minimum range hours | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) | None specified |
| Minimum round count | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) | None specified |
| Required curriculum | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) | None specified |
| Number of qualifying pathways | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) | Nine; complete any one |
| Expiration of proof | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) | No expiration |
| Additional demonstration | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) | Court may not require it |
| Acceptable proof formats | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) | Certificate copy, instructor affidavit, or document evidencing completion or competition |
| Minimum age / issuer | Va. Code 18.2-308.02(A) | 21+; clerk of the circuit court |
| Resident permit fees | Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A) | $10 clerk, up to $35 local LE, up to $5 State Police; $50 total cap |
| Renewal training requirement | Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(1), 18.2-308.02(B) | None; proof does not expire |
| Renewal in-person appearance | Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(1) | Not required; mail-in |
| Renewal window | Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(2) | 90 to 180 days before expiration |
| Nonresident pathways | Va. Code 18.2-308.06(B) | Same nine, with State-Police-approved competition (pathway 5) and State-Police-deems-adequate catch-all (pathway 9) |
| Nonresident fee cap | Va. Code 18.2-308.06(C) | Up to $100 |
| Out-of-state permit recognition | Va. Code 18.2-308.014(A) | Recognized for carry; not a training substitute |
If you are advising a Virginia CCW student: pick one of the nine pathways at Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B), take the class in person from a certified instructor, get a dated certificate showing the instructor's certifying body and certification number, and keep a photocopy in your application packet. There is no hour minimum, no round-count minimum, and no expiration. Renewal requires no retraining. For a nonresident, the rules are the same with one change: catch-all decisions go to the Virginia State Police, not a circuit court. Va. Code 18.2-308.06(B).
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