Getting Approved to Visit FCI Edgefield: What to Expect During the Background Check

The process starts on your loved one's end. They need to request the Visitor Information form and send it to each person they want to add as a visitor.

Once you receive the form, fill it out and submit it to the BOP for approval. The details you provide aren't just for contact purposes - BOP staff use them to run background investigations and decide whether you're suitable to visit.

The BP-A0629 visitor questionnaire is upfront about what happens next: approval can involve a background inquiry. The form explains that institution staff may contact law enforcement or crime information agencies to determine whether adding you to someone's visiting list could create a management problem.

Along with the questionnaire, you’ll be signing an authorization that allows information to be released to the Warden for a suitability decision. Specifically, the BP-A0629 authorization covers records of criminal offenses you’ve been arrested and convicted for, and information related to those convictions.

Submitting the Visitor Information form kicks off the review - BOP staff use what you provide to run background investigations and decide whether you can visit. One thing that confuses people: WebV doesn't run the background check. It's a separate system. After the background process wraps up, staff enter approved visitor information into WebV.

WebV is the BOP's system for organizing visiting information. It pulls basic inmate details - name, register number, housing unit, work detail - from the BOP's inmate management system. Staff use these details to match visitors to the right person.

• ✓ Approved visitor name
• ✓ Relationship to the inmate
• ✓ Date of birth
• ✓ Sex
• ✓ Race
• ✓ Ethnicity
• ✓ Driver’s license or state ID number
• ✓ Passport number
• ✓ Alien registration number
• ✓ Legal residence
• ✓ Phone number
• ✓ Date of approval

Once you're approved and your information is entered, WebV becomes the day-to-day tool staff use to track visitors. That's why completing the paperwork carefully matters: WebV isn't the background-check engine, but it's where your approved visitor information ends up - and what staff reference when you arrive.

1. Have the inmate request the Visitor Information form - that’s the first step that starts the approval process.
2. Complete the questionnaire fully and submit it for approval - your information is used by BOP staff to initiate background investigations and determine suitability to visit.
3. Read the background-inquiry language before you sign - the BP-A0629 warns that institution staff may need to send an inquiry to law enforcement or a crime information agency as part of the suitability decision.
4. Sign the authorization knowingly - the form includes an authorization allowing release of criminal offense records and related conviction information to the Warden.
5. Don’t leave blanks or “skip” sections - the BP-A0629 says processing can be suspended and you can receive no further consideration if requested information isn’t furnished.
6. Be truthful and consistent - the form warns that false statements can carry criminal penalties under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 (fine and/or imprisonment).

Once you're approved, expect your identity to be checked against what's on file. WebV stores your name, ID numbers, and approval date. Front office staff use this information to verify visitors - so what you provide during the approval stage is exactly what they'll reference when you show up.