How to Get Approved to Visit Someone at FCI McDowell: Step-by-Step Visitor Application

At FCI McDowell - like all Bureau of Prisons facilities - you can only visit if the inmate has added you to their visiting list and you've been cleared. When someone arrives at a new BOP facility, they create that list. It can include relatives (even extended family) and certain other approved categories of visitors.

If your loved one just arrived or was recently transferred, there's a common snag: the visiting list might not exist yet. In that case, immediate family members may still be allowed to visit before a formal list is set up - as long as the relationship can be verified through the inmate's Pre‑Sentence Report.

To get on an inmate's approved visiting list, you'll fill out the Bureau of Prisons Visitor Information form, BP‑A0629. This is the form the institution uses to review and approve visitors.

• ✓ Legal name
• ✓ Date of birth
• ✓ Address (including ZIP code)
• ✓ Telephone number (including area code)
• ✓ Race and sex
• ✓ Citizenship
• ✓ Social Security number (if a U.S. citizen)
• ✓ Alien registration number (if not a U.S. citizen)
• ✓ Passport number
• ✓ Relationship to the inmate

Once you're approved, your visitor information is stored in the BOP's Web Visiting System (WebV). This includes your name, relationship to the inmate, date of birth, sex, race/ethnicity, address, phone number, identification numbers (driver's license/state ID, passport, or alien registration number), and approval date.

The approval process includes background checks. The BOP's ACES/Web Visiting system runs checks on everyone entered into the system - at minimum, an NCIC check to verify the information you provided.

1. Get the BP‑A0629 Visitor Information form - this is the form prospective visitors complete to be considered for placement on the approved visiting list.
2. Gather your personal details before you start - have your legal name, date of birth, address, phone number, race/sex, citizenship status, and your SSN (or passport/alien registration number) ready so you can fill it out cleanly.
3. Fill in your relationship to the inmate - the form asks how you’re connected to the person you want to visit.
4. Sign the authorization section - your signature is what authorizes release of criminal record information to the Warden as part of the review.
5. Return the completed form to the institution as instructed - once it’s received, staff can begin the suitability review process.

Not sure where to start? Check with the inmate first. They create the visiting list when they arrive at a new BOP facility, so they'll know whether they've already added you and whether you need to complete BP‑A0629 to get cleared.

After you submit your application, the institution reviews your information and may contact law enforcement or crime information agencies as part of the process. ACES/Web Visiting runs background checks - including, at minimum, an NCIC check - to verify what you provided. The outcome depends on whether your identifiers match and whether anything in your record raises concerns. You could be approved, denied, or held up while questions get resolved. Keep an eye out for follow-up requests, and be ready to confirm identifying information if asked.

When someone first enters federal prison or gets transferred, their visiting list sometimes hasn't been created yet. If that's your situation, immediate family may still be allowed to visit before a formal list exists - as long as the relationship can be verified through information in the inmate's Pre‑Sentence Report.