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Legal Information: Virginia

Restraining Orders

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Laws current as of July 8, 2024

Do I have to register my protection order in Virginia to get it enforced?

According to federal law, all states, including Virginia, must enforce an out-of-state protection order.1 Virginia state law gives full protection to an out-of-state protection order as long as you can show the officer a copy of the order and can truthfully tell the officer that you believe the order is still in effect.2

It does not have to be entered into the state or national registry in order to be enforced by a Virginia police officer, but the officer does need to believe that it is a valid order.

1 18 U.S.C. § 2265
2 Va. Code §16.1-279.1(F)

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