Virginia Private Investigator License

The Virginia private investigator (PI) license is a certificate for detectives working in this state. In addition, here PIs should meet a number of requirements. Make sure to follow all rules and regulations to become a qualified specialist.

General requisites

The most common conditions include basic information about the applicant. Moreover, these are more or less similar to Vermont’s requirements for detectives. To follow those simple requisites, the candidates must:

• be 18 years old or above;
• meet all development training requisites;
• have a US citizenship or be an official resident;
• have a high school diploma or GED;
• provide fingerprints.

Private detectives’ scope of the field

In fact, investigators are civilian peers of police inspectors. In addition, these professionals deal with various areas of their field:

• Finding missing people
• Background inspections
• Personal protection assistance
• Employee theft
• Insurance fraud
• Divorce cases
• Video observation
• Child custody matters

Out of all these spheres, you should decide which area you want to deal with. However, the most important factors are your nature and personal interests.

The initial training

In order to become a detective, you need to complete the initial training. Specifically, the latter contains 60 hours of training for beginners. It is made up of various topics. Some of them are:

• Orientation- information about the state’s codes and ethics
• Law- contains basic law, civil and criminal law
• Documents- including photographs, audiotapes, courtroom evidence, etc.
• Types of investigation- accidents, background, insurance, financial and fraud topics
• Investigative skills- subjects related to surveillance, research, and interviewing

Firearms endorsement

This condition is not mandatory for all future operatives. In fact, it only refers to those who want to carry or gain access to a firearm. Also, the purpose of carrying a gun must be connected with investigative duties. To find out more, contact the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.

The firms

In this state, all inspector firms must have a surety bond. Moreover, the minimum amount of the bond is $100,000. Consider that this condition is only for those who want to set up their own company. Therefore, individual operatives do not have to follow this rule.

Furthermore, it is also possible to add a new category to your registration. For that purpose, the applicants should contact the Additional Registration Category webpage. Candidates who have been accused of a crime should fill in another form.

Continuing education

Importantly, your permit is valid for 24 months. Thus, it would be best if the applicants extend their permits. Accordingly, to be able to do so, you have to provide an additional document. That is to say, the applicants should prove that they completed 8 hours of continuing education.

Payments for the authorization

To have a licensed investigation agency, you have to make several payments. If you want to obtain a one-year permit, you should pay $550. However, in the case of a two-year license validity, the candidates should pay $800. The fingerprint fee is $50. Each of the additional authorization classes costs $50.

In the case of individuals, the requirements differ. The candidates have to pay $39 as an application fee. The fingerprint fee is the same as for agencies.

Private Investigators’ salary

By analyzing the job market, you will have a better understanding of your salary. According to BLS’s reports, operatives earn about $52,790 per year. However, if you get more experienced, you will earn up to $96,950.