At the time of assembly for the purpose of juror selection, the identity of each member of the jury venire shall be verified as provided in this section. Prior to being selected from the jury venire, a potential juror shall verify his identity by presenting to the person taking jury attendance any of the following forms of identification: his Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card; his social security card; his valid Virginia driver's license or any other identification card issued by a government agency of the Commonwealth, one of its political subdivisions, or the United States; or any valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the juror and issued by an employer of the juror in the ordinary course of the employer's business. If the juror is unable to present one of these forms of identification, he shall sign a statement affirming, under penalty of perjury, that he is the named juror.
§ 8.01-353.1.Jurors to provide identification.
Chapter 11. Juries · Article 4. Jury Service · Last amended 2011 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceRequires each prospective juror to prove identity at the start of jury selection by presenting a voter registration card, Social Security card, driver’s license, other government-issued identification, or a photo employee identification card, or, failing that, to sign a sworn statement affirming who they are.
Full Text of § 8.01-353.1
Plain-English Summary
Before a prospective juror ever gets asked a question during selection, this section requires proof of who they are. At the moment the venire assembles, each person must show identification to whoever is taking attendance — a Virginia voter registration card, a Social Security card, a valid Virginia driver’s license or other government-issued identification card, or a photo employee identification card issued by their employer.
Not everyone carries one of those on a given day, so the section builds in a fallback: a juror without any qualifying identification can instead sign a statement, under penalty of perjury, affirming that they are the person named on the summons. Either path satisfies the identity-verification requirement before selection moves forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What forms of identification can a juror present to verify identity?
A Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card, a Social Security card, a valid Virginia driver’s license or other government-issued identification card, or a valid photo employee identification card issued by an employer.
What if a juror does not have any of these forms of identification?
The juror must sign a statement, under penalty of perjury, affirming that he is the named juror.
When does this identity verification take place?
At the time of assembly for the purpose of juror selection, prior to being selected from the jury venire.
Who checks a juror’s identification?
The person taking jury attendance.
Is a Virginia driver’s license the only acceptable form of identification?
No. It is one of several accepted options, along with a voter registration card, Social Security card, other government-issued identification, or an employer photo identification card.
Amendment History
2010, c. 765; 2011, c. 470.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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