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Virginia State Police background check

Virginia State Police background check: choose SP-167 or an authorized fingerprint process

Virginia State Police publishes multiple criminal-history forms because the correct check depends on purpose. SP-167 covers general Virginia criminal-history requests, while authorized national programs use separate fingerprint procedures.

Search public records Enter a name and state to begin.
Use enough identifiers to separate people with similar names.
Official record path

Choose the form before collecting the result

A Virginia-only name search cannot be relabeled as a national fingerprint check after it is returned.

SP-167 is the general Virginia routeVirginia State Police publishes the SP-167 criminal-history request for individuals and general requesters.
National fingerprint checks use a separate processAuthorized programs follow fingerprint forms and account requirements rather than SP-167 alone.
Purpose determines the pathThe requester should follow the form named by the employer, licensing body or other authorized program.
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What should you know about this search?

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Direct answer

For a Virginia State Police background check, start by identifying the required form. SP-167 is the general Virginia criminal-history request path, while eligible national background checks use separate fingerprint procedures. A result should be described by the scope actually requested; a Virginia-only search does not become an FBI check simply because the same person is being screened.

Virginia’s form number is part of the record scope

Virginia State Police does not treat every background-check request as the same transaction. The published forms distinguish general Virginia criminal-history requests from specialized or national fingerprint programs. That distinction should be preserved in the page copy and in any record a researcher keeps about the search.

For a general public or private-company Virginia request, SP-167 is the familiar route. Other programs, including certain care-related national checks, operate under separate fingerprint forms and agency accounts. The requester should not choose the “bigger” check by assumption; the authorizing law or receiving organization determines which process is valid.

Virginia background-check products should be labeled precisely

Virginia routeIdentity methodDo not confuse it with
SP-167 criminal history Name and requested personal identifiers A national FBI fingerprint transaction.
Authorized fingerprint program Submitted fingerprints under the program rule A general public name search.
Sex-offender-specific search Registry-focused request where applicable A complete Virginia criminal-history report.
Court verification Case number and court identifiers The State Police repository response itself.

A Virginia request sequence that preserves scope

1
Read the receiving organization’s instructionsNote whether it asks for SP-167, a fingerprint program, or another VSP form.
2
Complete the correct requestUse accurate subject identifiers and the recipient information required by that form.
3
Keep the product label with the responseRecord whether the result is Virginia-only or a permitted national fingerprint check.
4
Verify disputed case detailUse the court record or VSP correction route when a material entry needs clarification.

Virginia checks have purpose boundaries

Form

SP-167 is not a universal screening product

Specialized programs may require different forms and fingerprints.

Recipient

Delivery rules can be part of compliance

A result produced outside the required workflow may not satisfy the requesting organization.

Scope

State-only and national searches must remain labeled

Do not merge them into one vague “Virginia background check” description.

Related guides

Virginia background check online

Where this page was verified

External sources are marked nofollow.

1
Virginia State Police - Forms and Applications
Source