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Visitation

How to Get on Someone's Approved Visitor List in North Carolina Prisons

Getting approved to visit someone in a North Carolina prison starts with one thing: a completed visitor application. Here's how to handle the paperwork so you don't get stuck waiting.

• 2 min read Verified from official sources

You can't visit a North Carolina prison until your visitor application is approved by facility staff. This is the gatekeeper step. Treat the application like a formal request: fill it out carefully, attach everything required, and double-check before you turn it in.

Start by contacting the prison where the person is currently housed. Ask for the current visitor application form and instructions for returning it. Using the right form matters. An outdated or incomplete packet can slow everything down.

Documents to Attach

  • ✓ If the visitor is under 16, include a copy of the minor’s birth certificate with the visitor application.

Once you submit the application, you wait. Visits can't happen until facility staff approve it, even if you have everything else ready. If you're planning travel or coordinating with other family members, build your plans around the approval date, not the day you mailed the form.

Tip: Haven't heard back in a while? Follow up with the prison directly. Keep it simple: ask whether your visitor application has been approved and whether they need anything else from you.

Being approved gets you on the visitor list, but visits aren't unlimited. Under normal circumstances, offenders are allowed no more than one visiting session per week. If several people want to visit, coordinate ahead of time so one week doesn't get overcrowded while another goes unused.

Each visiting session normally must not exceed two hours. If you're bringing children or driving a long distance, plan around that limit. Make the most of your time once you're inside.

There's also a group-size limit. The normal maximum is three approved visitors per session. Even if more than three people are on the approved list overall, only three can visit at once under normal circumstances. You may need to rotate visits or split family members across different weeks.

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