How Long Will My Cedar Creek Visitor Application Really Take?

Washington DOC processes visitor applications in the order they're received. The baseline guidance: up to 45 business days, longer if your application needs additional review. The current real-world estimate? According to the Prison & Video FAQ, processing is taking approximately 50 business days from submission due to high volume. That's why two people can apply weeks apart and get very different results. Your place in line matters, and extra review adds time.

Worried your application didn't go through? It's tempting to submit another one "just in case." Don't. DOC's guidance is clear: submitting more than one application can void your previous application and restart the processing timeframe. A duplicate can cost you your spot in line. Instead of helping, it creates a delay while staff sort out multiple submissions tied to the same visitor.

You won't get a step-by-step countdown while your application sits in the queue. The main milestone? An email notification once DOC has processed your application. That "processed" email is your green light. It means your application made it through review - not just that it's sitting in line.

• ✓ Make sure each person who plans to visit submitted their own application - DOC requires a separate application for every proposed visitor, whether they’re a minor or an adult.
• ✓ Plan for the visit room to work like a capacity-limited line: visits are first come, first served, and you can be turned away if the room is full.
• ✓ Don’t assume “approved” means “guaranteed entry” on a specific day - build in extra time and flexibility in your plans in case you arrive and capacity is reached.

Traveling to Cedar Creek? Plan around the processing window - not the day you hit "submit." DOC's baseline is up to 45 business days; the current high-volume estimate is about 50 business days from submission. Hold off on firm travel arrangements until you've gotten the email confirming your application has been processed. Even when most applications move smoothly, additional review can extend the wait. Last-minute changes are expensive.

Need to update relationship information or send supporting documents? Mail copies to the Statewide Visit Unit: Department of Corrections Attn: Statewide Visit Unit Post Office Box 41118 Olympia, WA 98504-1118 Include enough identifying information to match your documents to the right file: your name and date of birth, plus the incarcerated person's name and DOC number if you have it.

Stuck and need help? Contact the DOC Family Services Team at docFamilyServicesUnit@doc.wa.gov. For a faster, more useful answer, keep your email simple and specific: your full name, the date you submitted, your contact information, and exactly what you need clarified (for example, whether documents should be mailed to the Statewide Visit Unit).