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Lobbyists:  Processes and Regulations

Virginia law requires registration with the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth prior to engaging in lobbying, unless he or she satisfies one of the exemptions set forth in statute.  A lobbyist is any individual who is employed in any manner or who is reimbursed for expenses, or who represents an organization, association or other group for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence executive or legislative action through oral or written communication with an executive or legislative official; this includes anyone who solicits others to influence an executive or legislative official.

I would like to register as a lobbyist:

To register, one must complete a registration form available below and pay a $50 registration fee per principal.  You must register for each principal on whose behalf you will be lobbying.  All lobbyist registrations are required annually and expire April 30.  One who engages in lobbying entirely outside the capital city must register within fifteen days of engaging in lobbying.  One may terminate a lobbyist registration by filing a lobbyist disclosure report including information through the last day of lobbying activity.

I need to submit my lobbying disclosure:

Lobbyist disclosure forms must be filed with the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth by July 1 for the twelve-month period beginning May 1 and ending April 30.

Online Services: 

For online registration or online submittal of Disclosure Statements, see below.

Application	Purpose
Lobbyist Registration Database	Obtain information about filed lobbyist registrations through a searchable online database.
Lobbyist User Account	At no charge, lobbyists may set up an account with the Secretary of the Commonwealth that enables them to register online.
Lobbyist Registration	Lobbyists may register online with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. (see online preview/tutorial)
Lobbyist Disclosure Statements	Lobbyists may file disclosure statements online with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. You will need to have a PIN# to complete this process. If you do not have a PIN# or you have forgotten your PIN#, please contact the Lobbyist Specialist at (804) 786-2441 or lobbyist@governor.virginia.gov (see online preview/tutorial)
Lobbyist Calendar	A list of important dates for lobbyists.
Legislative Information System	Online access to the General Assembly's Legislative Information System.
Lobbyist-in-a-Box	A subscription-based legislative tracking service provided by the Virginia Interactive and the General Assembly's Division of Legislative Automated Systems (DLAS).

If you are having difficulty accessing the Lobbyist-in-a-Box or Lobbyist Registration, please contact Virginia Interactive:  804.786.3794; 1-877-482-3468 (toll free), or customerservice@virginiainteractive.org.

Publications

The publications below are available for viewing, downloading, and printing.

• Code of Virginia Lobbyist Registration Act (.pdf file, 116 k)
• Lobbyist's Registration Form (.pdf file, 131 k)
• Signature Verification Form (.pdf, 68 k)
• Online Lobbyist Registration Signature Form (.pdf, 43k)
• Lobbyist Disclosure Statement (.pdf file, 32 k)
• Disclosure Statement Instructions (.pdf file, 62 k)

Please send all hardcopy registration and disclosure forms to:

Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
Lobbyist Specialist
1111 East Broad Street, 4th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219

For further information contact:

Chris Frink, Lobbyist Specialist
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
1111 East Broad Street, 4th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 692-0116

or use our Inquiry Form