Bill on serving legal documents to foreign companies in Virginia passes House and Senate

A bill from State Del. Charlie Schmidt was recently approved by lawmakers, seeking to streamline and specify the methods used when serving process and subpoenas on foreign corporations and nonparty businesses in Virginia, reports the Virginia State House.

Both legislative chambers gave final passage to the bill, which was enrolled on March 30, 2026, after the House voted 96-0 and the Senate 40-0 in favor.

Filed as HB1500 on Jan. 23, 2026, and detailed in session materials as “Civil and criminal actions; service of subpoena for certain electronic records,” the bill covers both civil and criminal matters requiring subpoenas or process service.

The summary below is based on the full text of the bill and uses interpretation to explain the newly enacted provisions.

The new legislation provides clarification for how out-of-state corporations and LLCs may be served with legal documents in Virginia, including requirements for responding to subpoenas when a registered agent is present within the state. Additionally, it adds protocols for serving subpoenas that seek electronic records. Under the bill, qualified nonparty businesses—regardless of whether they are located inside or outside Virginia—can be served for such subpoenas by hand, certified mail, commercial delivery, fax or electronically if the firm does, or has done, business in the state.

Of the votes in the House, the bill passed with the support of 61 Democrats and 35 Republicans.

In the Senate, backing came from 21 Democrats and 19 Republicans.

Del. Charlie Schmidt (Democrat, 77th District) served as the sole sponsor of the bill.

Schmidt holds a Bachelor of Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University earned in 2004, along with a Juris Doctor from Charlotte School of Law obtained in 2012.

Schmidt, a Democrat, won election to the 77th House District seat in 2026, succeeding Michael Jones in the Virginia State House.

As outlined in Virginia’s legislative process, bills introduced in either legislative chamber are referred to committee, possibly amended, and, if advanced, proceed to full votes in the House and Senate. Measures passing both chambers are sent to the governor for signature, veto or default enactment. The regular session starts annually on the second Monday in January, with hundreds of bills introduced each year, but only a fraction are enacted.

Information in this article was obtained from the Virginia State House. The source data can be found here.