Virginia Optometry Licensing and the 2033 Laser Rule

Virginia's route for optometrists licensed elsewhere is now short and explicit. Regulation 18VAC105-20-11, effective June 17, 2026, sets licensure by endorsement with four items: evidence of a current, active license in good standing in a U.S. jurisdiction or Canada, the application and fee, evidence that you meet Virginia's therapeutic pharmaceutical agent (TPA) certification requirements, and a current report from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). The regulation sets no years-of-practice minimum, and Virginia has no law exam; initial applicants sign a statement that they have read and will follow Virginia's optometry statutes and regulations. The date to know is further out: from January 1, 2033, every applicant must also meet Virginia's laser surgery certification requirements.

The details below come from the Virginia Board of Optometry's regulations, 18VAC105-20-10 through 18VAC105-20-80.

What do Virginia's initial licensure rules require?

Under 18VAC105-20-10, an applicant for initial licensure must meet the TPA certification requirements in 18VAC105-20-16 and:

1. be a graduate of a school accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education, with an official transcript sent to the board;
2. have NBEO send an official report of the score on each required part;
3. submit a current NPDB report; and
4. sign a statement "attesting that the applicant has read, understands, and will comply with the statutes and regulations governing the practice of optometry in Virginia."

Subsection C adopts NBEO as Virginia's written exam and, since July 1, 1997, requires passage of Parts I, II and III, including TMOD. TPA certification is not optional in Virginia: it is part of the license. If your record is missing TMOD, see TMOD and the stand-alone exam.

How is endorsement different?

For an optometrist already licensed, 18VAC105-20-11 asks for the active license in good standing, the application and fee, the TPA qualifications and the NPDB report. It is newer than most states' endorsement rules, having taken effect June 17, 2026, and it is notably light. There is no practice-years test and no Virginia exam, so a recently licensed OD from another state is not shut out. The NPDB report is the item people forget; the NPDB self-query in an optometry application explains how to order it. For other states without a years requirement, see states that license optometrists without years of practice.

Why does January 1, 2033 matter?

Subsection B of 18VAC105-20-10 reads: "On or after January 1, 2033, all applicants to practice optometry in the Commonwealth shall meet the requirements for laser surgery in 18VAC105-20-80." Until then, laser surgery certification is a separate, optional credential for Virginia licensees. From 2033, it becomes a condition of the license for every new applicant, endorsement included.

Under 18VAC105-20-80, effective May 1, 2025, a laser surgery certification application includes the application and fee, and:

• an educational attestation, on the board's form, from a dean or designee of a school of optometry or an instructor of a board-approved laser surgery course, verifying didactic and clinical training in twelve subjects: laser physics, hazards and safety; biophysics of laser; laser application in clinical optometry; laser tissue interactions; laser indications, contraindications and potential complications; gonioscopy; laser therapy for open-angle glaucoma; posterior capsulotomy; common complications of the lids, lashes and lacrimal system; medicolegal aspects of anterior segment procedures; peripheral iridotomy; and laser trabeculoplasty; and
• either passage of the Laser Section of NBEO's Laser and Surgical Procedures Examination (LSPE), with an official NBEO score report, or proctored sessions that comply with 18VAC105-20-90.

For an optometrist who expects to apply in Virginia after 2032, the planning question is which pathway you can document: an LSPE laser section result (NBEO lists $1,270 per LSPE section for exams from August 2026) or proctored sessions plus a qualifying course. ISE and LSPE: states that ask for the injection and laser exams and how states decide on laser procedures give the wider context.

Which Virginia fees apply?

From 18VAC105-20-20, as of October 2026:

• Initial application and licensure with TPA certification: $250.
• Application for licensure with TPA and laser surgery certification: $350.
• Annual renewal with TPA certification: $200; with TPA and laser surgery certification: $250.
• Reinstatement application, including renewal and late fees: $400.

When do Virginia licenses renew, and what CE is due?

Every year, on or before March 31 (18VAC105-20-60). A license not renewed by the deadline lapses; it can be renewed for up to one year with the renewal and late fees if CE is met. After more than a year, you apply for reinstatement, which the executive director may grant if you hold a current, unrestricted license elsewhere and have practiced clinically in the past 12 months, or if you have completed the CE for the lapsed period, up to two years.

Under 18VAC105-20-70, each renewal needs 20 hours of CE from the previous license period:

• At least 10 hours through real-time, interactive activities.
• For TPA-certified optometrists, at least 10 hours in ocular and general pharmacology, diagnosis and treatment of the eye and adnexa, new devices or procedures, or pain management.
• Up to 2 hours of recordkeeping, coding or practice management, up to 2 hours of CPR, and up to 2 hours earned through uncompensated care at a health department or free clinic.
• Up to 10 extra hours may be carried into the next year.

Courses must come from an approved sponsor or accrediting body listed in the rule, you attest to compliance on the renewal form, and you keep documentation for at least three years for random audits, with 30 days to respond. The exemption from CE for the first renewal is written for licensure by examination in Virginia, so an endorsement licensee should plan on 20 hours for the first March 31. Optometry CE requirements across states compares Virginia's annual 20 with biennial states.

Where does a licensing service fit in a Virginia move?

Our Optometry License, One State service is $699 for Virginia. We confirm your NBEO and TPA record, request the NPDB report and verifications, and prepare the endorsement application and statutes attestation with a question-by-question guide; you sign the attestation and pay the board. If you want laser surgery certification now, our Laser and Advanced Procedure Credential ($399 per state) assembles the course attestation and LSPE or proctored-session evidence for your application. Annual Renewal and CE Tracking ($299 per license, per year) keeps the March 31 date and 20-hour mix on track. See the Virginia licensing page to compare states.