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Paying the $25 visitation background fee for Dakota Unit: vendor and fee comparison

• 2 min read • corrections.az.gov
Paying the $25 visitation background fee for Dakota Unit: vendor and fee comparison

Applying to visit someone at Dakota Unit (ASPC-Y DAKOTA II) as an adult? You'll pay a one-time, non-refundable $25 background check fee. This applies whether you're signing up for in-person visits, phone visits, or video visits. The whole process is electronic. You'll submit your Application to Visit an Inmate online, and the $25 fee gets paid the same way - no paper payments accepted.

You can pay the $25 background fee through three vendors: Keefe, JPay, or GTL. If you go with GTL, your payment routes through either CheckFreePay or Western Union - and the transaction fees differ depending on which one processes it.

  • ✓ Storefront / walk-up payments (still handled electronically through the vendor)
  • ✓ Phone (telephonic) payments
  • ✓ Mobile app payments
  • ✓ Internet payments
  • ✓ Remember: the visitation background fee must be paid electronically
Paying the $25 visitation background fee for Dakota Unit: vendor and fee comparison

The base fee is $25, but your total depends on the vendor and payment method. Keefe keeps it simple: no transaction fee, period. Pay online, through the app, by phone, or at a storefront - same price. JPay tacks on a $0.95 transaction fee no matter how you pay. GTL's fees vary. For online, mobile app, or phone payments, GTL charges $1.00 (same for CheckFreePay and Western Union). Storefronts are where costs jump: GTL via CheckFreePay charges $2.50 per transaction, while GTL via Western Union charges $4.50. If you're watching your budget, avoid GTL storefront payments.

Bottom line: Keefe costs the least - no transaction fee at all. GTL storefront payments cost the most, especially through Western Union.

  1. Use Keefe if you can - it charges no transaction fee for this $25 payment whether you pay online, by phone, in the app, or at a storefront.
  2. If you’re using JPay or GTL, stick to online/app/phone when possible - JPay is $0.95 and GTL is $1.00 for those methods, which is usually cheaper than storefront options.
  3. If storefront is your only workable option with GTL, pick CheckFreePay over Western Union - GTL storefront is $2.50 with CheckFreePay versus $4.50 with Western Union.

Have your Application Visitor ID number ready before you pay. You'll need it so the $25 fee gets matched to the right application.

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