Getting on an Inmate’s Visiting List: What the BP‑A0629 Background Check Means
Want to visit someone in federal custody? Getting approved starts with paperwork. The BP‑A0629 visitor questionnaire is the form the Bureau of Prisons uses to decide whether you'll be added to an inmate's visiting list.
The BP‑A0629 is the visitor questionnaire used to screen and approve people for visiting privileges. Fill it out and send it to the institution address printed on the form. Until they receive your completed questionnaire, you're not even being considered - so treat this as the first required step, not optional paperwork.
The information you provide isn't just for recordkeeping. The Bureau of Prisons can use it as the basis for an investigation connected to your correspondence with the incarcerated person and your admission to visit. During that process, the BOP may share what you provided with federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies.
Note: Assume anything you write can be checked and shared during an investigation tied to correspondence or visiting approval - including disclosure to law enforcement.
Be truthful on BP‑A0629. Making false statements on the questionnaire can trigger federal criminal penalties under 18 U.S.C. § 1001: a fine of up to $250,000, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.
Practical Advice
- ✓ Fill out BP‑A0629 completely and accurately so you can be considered for visiting privileges.
- ✓ Return the completed questionnaire to the institution address listed on the form (don’t send it somewhere else).
- ✓ Expect the information you provide to be used as part of an investigation related to correspondence or admission to visit, including possible disclosure to federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies.
- ✓ Don’t guess or “clean up” details - false statements can carry serious federal penalties (up to a $250,000 fine, up to five years in prison, or both).
Leave out required information or submit an incomplete form, and your request can stall - sometimes indefinitely until you provide what's missing. The fastest path is the simplest one: complete the questionnaire carefully, double-check your answers, and send it to the institution address shown on the BP‑A0629.
Find an Inmate at FCI McDowell, WV
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
