Open a jurisdiction to review its dated requirements and official sources. Use the compact tables to compare which states participate.
All 51 jurisdictions · Compact status table · Plan the crossing: offshore · 911 ground · IFT
Can I work a 13-week contract here on my home-state licence?
Yes — privilege alone covers a contract here
The Commission states privilege carries no time limit and is not restricted to declared emergencies, so a 13-week contract is covered provided the medic holds an unrestricted licence in another Member State, is affiliated with an agency authorised in Virginia, and practises under a physician medical director.
The Commission states privilege carries no time limit and is not restricted to declared emergencies, so a 13-week contract is covered provided the medic holds an unrestricted licence in another Member State, is affiliated with an agency authorised in Virginia, and practises under a physician medical director. Confidence is medium and quote_supports is partial because this is the Commission speaking nationally, not Virginia speaking about Virginia. It is reversed for anyone who already holds a Virginia licence of any status — see compact.privilege.home_state_licenses.
EMS Compact Commission · emscompact.gov · verified 4 Oct 2026 · Partly supported
Requirements include source links and review dates. Expand each source quotation for the supporting text. Unverified and incomplete information is labelled alongside the relevant requirement.
The items most likely to cost you a start date.
Blocks practice
Virginia will accept a current EMS certification from any state or territory, but grants certification through Legal Recognition at the EMT level only. A paramedic arriving from another state cannot be certified as a paramedic in Virginia through this pathway.
The most consequential single fact in the Virginia record, and easy to miss because the page reads as welcoming. What a paramedic must do instead — an accredited Virginia programme, a challenge process, or nothing — is not stated on this page. Virginia is a compact member, in force and submitting data, so a paramedic from a Member State can work here on privilege at paramedic level without touching Legal Recognition. The cap bites when you need the Virginia certification itself, or when your home state is not a member.
State EMS office · vdh.virginia.gov · verified 9 Aug 2026
The Virginia Office of EMS will accept and consider application from providers with current EMS certifications from ANY state or U.S. territory for certification in Virginia at the EMT level only through Legal Recognition.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
Adds a requirement
No test is required to be granted Legal Recognition, but recertifying requires Virginia continuing education plus passing both Virginia's practical examination and the National Registry cognitive examination before the recognition period ends.
The recognition period can be as short as the time left on your home-state card, so the window to sit two examinations is not necessarily a year. National Registry allows six attempts at the cognitive exam, with 20 hours of remedial education required after three failures.
State EMS office · vdh.virginia.gov · verified 9 Aug 2026
No initial test is required for Legal Recognition.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
The office that issues the card, and the law it issues it under.
3 of 5 answered from a source · 2 written up as absences
Who actually issues an EMS licence in Virginia?
Virginia Department of Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services
The Virginia Office of EMS will accept and consider application from providers with current EMS certifications from ANY state or U.S. territory for certification in Virginia at the EMT level only through Legal Recognition.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
Where is Virginia's EMS licensing office online?
Partly supported
Virginia gives the out-of-state case its own page with a title written from the reader's point of view, which is rare and useful.
Where do I actually submit an application in Virginia?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
Who do I call or email about Virginia licensure?
(804) 888-9100
Partly supported
From the National Registry's State EMS Offices directory, which carries the Registry's own warning: 'Information provided on this page is for convenience. Always verify information directly with the State EMS Office.'
Which statute or rule governs EMS licensure in Virginia?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
Levels, term, and what your National Registry does and does not buy you.
4 of 6 answered from a source · 2 written up as absences
What levels does Virginia issue, and what does my cert become there?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
How long does a Virginia licence last before renewal?
Partly supported
This is the Legal Recognition term specifically, not Virginia's ordinary certification term. 'Whichever is shortest' means a medic six months from their home-state expiry gets six months of Virginia certification, so the clock you arrive with is the clock you keep.
Once granted, certification through Legal Recognition will be valid for a maximum of one calendar year OR the time left on the present certification, whichever is shortest.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
Do I need National Registry to get licensed in Virginia?
No
Partly supported
Not required to enter on Legal Recognition — a current state certification from any jurisdiction is the qualifying credential. It becomes required within the year: recertifying means passing the National Registry cognitive exam. So Registry is deferred, not avoided.
No initial test is required for Legal Recognition.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
Do I have to keep National Registry current to keep a Virginia licence?
Yes
Partly supported
Stated for recertification after Legal Recognition. Whether the same holds for a provider who entered Virginia by the ordinary route was not established.
successfully pass the Virginia practical and National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians cognitive examination
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
Does Virginia make me sit its own exam?
Yes
Deferred rather than waived. No test is required to get Legal Recognition, but you must pass Virginia's own Psychomotor Competency Verification and the National Registry cognitive exam to keep the certification past the recognition year.
In order to recertify, providers must complete the required Virginia EMS continuing education criteria prior to their certification expiration date and successfully pass the Virginia practical and National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians cognitive examination.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
What criminal history bars me from licensure in Virginia?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
The EMS Compact — formally REPLICA, the Recognition of EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact. Enacted, in force, and verifiable status are separate dated facts, plus what privilege covers.
7 of 10 answered from a source · 3 written up as absences
What do I have to satisfy for compact privilege to apply in Virginia?
Partly supported
These are the Commission's national conditions, not a Virginia statement. Whether Virginia imposes anything further has not been established from a Virginia source — see compact.privilege.state_specific_restrictions.
Be at least 18 years of age. Section 4.B.1 2 Hold a current, unrestricted license in at least one EMS Compact participating state, as an EMT, AEMT, Paramedic, or a state-recognized level between EMT and Paramedic. Section 4.B.2 3 Affiliate with an EMS agency in the remote state that provides EMS medical direction. Section 4.B.3 4 Adhere to the Commission's Professional Code of Conduct . Rules 4.0(E) and 4.6 Then, as you practice: follow the local scope of practice, protocols, and laws of the state you are working in, under Rule 4.4 of the Commission's administrative rules.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
Which situations does compact privilege cover in Virginia?
Not established in the cited source
No Virginia enumeration of covered circumstances located. The Commission frames privilege as applying at all times rather than by enumerated circumstance, but that is a national statement and has not been confirmed against Virginia rule.
When do I need full Virginia licensure instead of privilege?
Not established in the cited source
Not stated by Virginia or by the Commission for Virginia specifically. The only universal exclusion the Commission states is that privilege never applies in a state where you already hold a licence — see compact.privilege.home_state_licenses.
Can I work a 13-week contract in Virginia on my home-state licence?
Yes — privilege alone covers a contract here
Partly supported
The Commission states privilege carries no time limit and is not restricted to declared emergencies, so a 13-week contract is covered provided the medic holds an unrestricted licence in another Member State, is affiliated with an agency authorised in Virginia, and practises under a physician medical director. Confidence is medium and quote_supports is partial because this is the Commission speaking nationally, not Virginia speaking about Virginia. It is reversed for anyone who already holds a Virginia licence of any status — see compact.privilege.home_state_licenses.
Does it expire? There is no time limit. Your Privilege to Practice remains valid as long as you continue to meet eligibility requirements: an active, unrestricted EMS license in a participating Home State, affiliation with an EMS agency authorized in the remote state, practice under a local EMS Medical Director in compliance with the remote state's laws and rules, and adherence to the Professional Code of Conduct . Does it only apply during emergencies? No. The Compact applies at all times, not only during declared emergencies.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
I have an old or inactive Virginia card — can I still use compact privilege here?
The Commission states that even an inactive license makes that state a Home State, and that a Home State is not a Remote State, so Compact privilege does not apply there. This is the Commission speaking nationally; this source does not establish whether the state offers inactive status or its reactivation pathway, so both remain unknown.
In this scenario, although the EMS practitioner holds an inactive license from Kansas, the state is still considered a Home State, since the individual holds a license there, rather than a Remote State. The EMS Compact uniquely allows an individual to have multiple Home States, which are not defined by residency or workplace affiliations. Consequently, the Privilege to Practice is only authorized in Remote States, provided the EMS Practitioner meets the provisions outlined by the EMS Compact. As Kansas is not a Remote State for this practitioner, the Privilege to Practice does not apply here.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
Does Virginia add anything on top of the compact?
Not yet verified
Whether Virginia imposes registration, notification, a fee, or a medical-director attestation on privilege holders has not been established. The state's own administrative code has not been read for compact provisions, and silence on the state EMS office's public pages is not evidence of absence.
Where does an employer verify my privilege for Virginia?
Partly supported
Quick Verify is embedded on the Commission homepage and keyed to the 12-digit National EMS ID, which is neither your state licence number nor your NREMT number.
Quick Verify allows EMS clinicians, agencies, and the public to validate a clinician
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
Has Virginia passed the EMS Compact into law?
Nothing recorded
Current EMS Compact Commissioner page identifies Virginia's enacted Compact law and reports 2016-03-01 as the signing date. The obsolete Commission State Laws table source and its caveat were removed because this state-specific page directly supplies the law citation and enactment fact.
In Virginia, the REPLICA legislation was signed into law on March 1, 2016, making Virginia the third state to enact the EMS Compact.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
Is Virginia's compact law actually in effect yet?
Partly supported
The Virginia General Assembly states the default effective date for regular-session bills is July 1 unless otherwise specified. The complete official [HB 222 enrolled act](https://legacylis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+HB222ER+pdf=) contains the EMS Compact and a 10-member-state implementation trigger and July 1, 2021 expiration condition, but no separate act-wide emergency or general effective-date clause. March 1, 2016 was Governor approval/enactment, not the default effective date. The current Compact law is in force; NEMSCD integration and contract eligibility are separate.
Bills enacted at a Regular Session (or the Reconvened Session which follows) are effective the 1st day of July following adjournment of the Regular Session, unless another date is specified.
vga.virginia.gov · State legislature
Can my Privilege to Practice actually be verified in Virginia?
The Commission's state-specific Commissioner page identifies Virginia as fully integrated with NEMSCD. This establishes current database integration, distinct from enactment and statutory effect. The page does not publish the initial connection date, so connected_date remains null.
The route in when privilege does not cover you.
5 of 9 answered from a source · 4 written up as absences
Will Virginia recognise my out-of-state certification at all?
Yes
It exists, and it is capped at EMT. See the protocol quirk — this is the single most consequential fact on the Virginia record for anyone above EMT level.
The Virginia Office of EMS will accept and consider application from providers with current EMS certifications from ANY state or U.S. territory for certification in Virginia at the EMT level only through Legal Recognition.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
What does Virginia call its out-of-state pathway?
Legal Recognition
Virginia does not call it reciprocity. Searching its site for 'reciprocity' finds a contact form; the pathway itself is Legal Recognition, and the terminology gap is enough to make a traveller think there is no pathway at all.
Candidates for Legal Recognition must complete an online application and submit digital copies of EMS credentials to the Division of Accreditation, Certification & Education of the Office of EMS.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
Where do I start a reciprocity application for Virginia?
Virginia warns that the online application times out, so gather documents before starting.
Candidates for Legal Recognition must complete an online application and submit digital copies of EMS credentials to the Division of Accreditation, Certification & Education of the Office of EMS.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
What does Virginia require from an out-of-state applicant?
Current EMS certification from any state or U.S. territory
Digital copies of a current state certification card, CPR card, and driver's licence or U.S. passport
A demonstrated connection to Virginia
Partly supported
The document list is quoted directly. The residency-or-affiliation condition is from 12VAC5-31-1393, which was not read for this record — it is recorded here because it changes who can use the pathway, and it should be re-sourced from the regulation.
You will be required to have the following documentation in a digital format in order to make your application for legal recognition. A current: State certification card Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) card Driver's license or U.S. Passport
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
What does it cost to get licensed in Virginia from out of state?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
How long will Virginia take to process my application?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
What background check does Virginia require, and how do I do it from out of state?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
Can I start working in Virginia before full approval?
Yes
Partly supported
Legal Recognition is time-limited and effectively provisional — it buys you up to a year in which to complete Virginia's own examinations. Virginia does not label it temporary, which is why confidence is medium.
Once granted, certification through Legal Recognition will be valid for a maximum of one calendar year OR the time left on the present certification, whichever is shortest.
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
Does my National Registry have to be current to apply in Virginia?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
The renewal clock and what it costs in hours.
0 of 7 answered from a source · 7 written up as absences
How often do I recert in Virginia?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
How many CE hours does Virginia want, and in what?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
Can I use NCCP hours to recert in Virginia, or does it want its own?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
What does Virginia require at renewal that other states do not?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
Does Virginia make me take a refresher course to recert?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
My Virginia cert expired — can I still get it back?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
Where do I find CE that Virginia will accept?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
Where a service record shortens the path.
0 of 4 answered from a source · 4 written up as absences
Does Virginia have a faster route for military training or veterans?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
What does Virginia's military pathway actually get me?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
Where does Virginia document its military pathway?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
Does Virginia extend its military pathway to spouses?
Not yet verified
Not attempted yet. This record was seeded from the three sources that cover all 51 jurisdictions — the Compact Commission's State Laws and NEMSCD tables and the National Registry's office directory — and Virginia's own EMS office pages have not been read.
DEA rewrote the narcotics rules for EMS in February 2026. Registration moved from the medical director to the agency itself, and the rule spells out storage, restocking and standing-order administration. These rules are federal and read the same in every state.
10 federal facts, quoted from the Federal Register · 2 of 2 Virginia facts answered from state law
What changed, and when did it take effect?
The DEA final rule implementing the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2017 (PPAEMA). It amends 21 CFR parts 1300, 1301, 1304 and following to create the EMS agency registration and the storage, delivery and recordkeeping rules below.
Who holds the DEA registration an ambulance operates under?
Before this rule most services ran narcotics under their medical director's practitioner registration. The registration now belongs to the agency, as its own DEA business-activity category.
the Act directs the Attorney General (and thus the Administrator) to allow a registered EMS agency to obtain a single registration for each State in which the EMS agency administers controlled substances, rather than requiring the agency to obtain a separate registration for each location at which it operates within that State.
Does one DEA registration cover operating in another state?
The fact that matters most to a traveler: compact privilege can carry your licence across a border, but it does not carry your agency's DEA registration. An agency running trucks in two states registers twice.
EMS agencies that wish to operate in multiple States must register with DEA in each State in which they operate.
Can a medic administer controlled substances without the medical director present?
Federal law now says yes, but only where state law agrees: EMS professionals are only allowed to make such administrations if authorized by State law. Whether your state's law does is the per-state question at the end of this section.
the Act allows emergency medical services professionals to administer controlled substances outside the physical presence of a medical director or authorizing medical professional pursuant to a valid standing or verbal order.
How do narcotics have to be stored in the vehicle?
EMS vehicles storing controlled substances must be locked when parked outside of an enclosed registered or designated location, with the controlled substances stored in a securely locked, substantially constructed cabinet or safe that cannot be readily removed.
Does a hospital-based agency need its own registration?
Hospital-based means owned or operated by a hospital. If you work for a hospital service, the drug box stays on the hospital's paper.
The CSA, as amended by the Act, expressly allows hospital-based EMS agencies to operate under the hospital's registration rather than obtaining their own separate registration.
Can the truck restock controlled substances from a hospital?
the Act allows non-hospital-based EMS agencies to receive controlled substances from a hospital for the purpose of restocking an EMS vehicle following an emergency response.
What does the DEA registration cost an agency?
this rule reflects the current fee of $888 so that, as intended, the fee for EMS registrants is the same as that for other dispensers of controlled substances.
Do municipal and fire-based services pay the fee?
Even if the EMS agency is not operated by a government fire department, if the EMS agency itself is operated by the local government, it would also be exempt from application fees.
When does an existing service have to move to the new registration?
DEA recommends agencies contact their local field office to complete the transition.
The three options for EMS agencies to transition are: (1) transition immediately on the effective date established by DEA; (2) transition at the expiration of their current registration; or (3) transition three to six months prior to their renewal date.
Does Virginia law let a medic push scheduled drugs on standing orders, the way the DEA rule assumes?
Partly supported
The quoted scope-of-practice rule establishes the protocol-and-medical-direction mechanism but does not name controlled substances. The controlled-substance-specific authority is Va. Code § 54.1-3408(B)(3), which lists 'emergency medical services personnel ... acting pursuant to an oral or written order or standing protocol' among those who may administer drugs; law.lis.virginia.gov serves the Code through a script-only viewer our checker cannot read, so that statute is cited but not quoted. Confidence stays medium until it can be quoted from a fetchable primary host.
EMS personnel shall only perform those procedures, skills, or techniques for which he is currently licensed or certified, provided that he is acting in accordance with local medical treatment protocols and medical direction provided by the OMD of the licensed EMS agency with which he is affiliated
vdh.virginia.gov · State EMS office
Does Virginia require its own controlled-substance registration for EMS agencies?
Partly supported
The Board of Pharmacy's own inspection form is the fetchable primary source; the underlying rule, 18VAC110-20-690(B), names 'emergency medical services agencies, and regional EMS councils' among the entities the Board registers, but law.lis.virginia.gov serves the Administrative Code through a script-only viewer our checker cannot read. The quote is phrased permissively ('that has been issued'), so it proves the state registration is a separate layer sitting alongside DEA rather than restating a bare 'shall register' command — hence partial. The hyphen break in '18VAC110- 20-690' is the PDF's line wrap, reproduced verbatim.
An EMS agency or regional EMS council that has been issued a controlled substance registration pursuant to 18VAC110- 20-690 (G) and a registration from DEA in accordance with federal law may receive drugs in Schedules II-VI
vdh.virginia.gov · State agency
Questions not yet settled from a primary source.
How does an out-of-state paramedic become a Virginia paramedic, given Legal Recognition is capped at EMT? Is there a challenge process, or is an accredited Virginia programme the only route?
opened 9 Aug 2026 · blocks licensure.levels, reciprocity.requirements
12VAC5-31-1393 conditions Legal Recognition on Virginia residency, Virginia agency affiliation, or a recognised need. Which of those does a 13-week traveller satisfy, and who decides?
opened 9 Aug 2026 · blocks reciprocity.requirements
What does Legal Recognition cost and how long does the Office of EMS take to grant it? Neither appears on the out-of-state page.
opened 9 Aug 2026 · blocks reciprocity.fee, reciprocity.processing_time