Do Active-Duty Military Need a Fishing License in Virginia?

Active-duty military personnel and their immediate family members stationed and living in Virginia are eligible for resident hunting and fishing licenses.

Licenses for Active-Duty Military

Active-duty military personnel and their immediate family stationed and living in Virginia are eligible for resident hunting and fishing licenses.

Licenses for Disabled Military & Veterans

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries offers a free lifetime hunting and fishing license for Virginia resident veterans who are totally and permanently service-connected disabled. They also offer annual discounted hunting and freshwater fishing licenses to 70% and greater service-connected disabled veterans as well as a discounted hunting, fishing, and saltwater license for non-resident permanently disabled veterans.

Additionally, the department offers a special fishing license for disabled active-duty military personnel, which is issued at no cost and is valid for one year from the date of issuance.

Residency Qualifications

Persons meeting the following criteria may purchase a state resident license:
Individuals who, for two or more months immediately prior to purchasing a license, have been a domiciliary resident of Virginia and who execute a certificate of residency.
Member of the U.S. armed forces, their spouse, and their dependents when the armed forces member (i) resides in Virginia, (ii) is on active duty, and (iii) is stationed at a military base within or on a ship based in Virginia.

Persons meeting the following criteria may purchase a city or county resident license:

U.S. citizens who have been a bona fide resident of the city or county for six months immediately prior to purchasing a license for that city or county.
Legal voter of the city or county for which license is purchased.
Residents of a city whose limits are wholly within the county for which the license is purchased, provided the resident has physically resided within the city at least six consecutive months immediately preceding purchase.
Any student regularly enrolled in and boarding at a preparatory school or institution of higher education located in Virginia may purchase a city or county license for the city or county in which the school is located upon presenting a certificate of enrollment to the licensing agent.

In addition to resident licenses, active-duty military personnel and their immediate family stationed and living in Virginia are also eligible for resident hunting and fishing licenses.