How to Get on an Inmate's Approved Visitor List at FCI Petersburg Med

The Bureau of Prisons uses a system called Web Visiting (WebV) to organize visitor information and link it to a specific incarcerated person. WebV stores your details in a record connected to inmate data pulled from the BOP inmate management system, so staff can quickly see who is approved to visit whom. On visit days, access control runs through ACES/Web Visiting. The system logs and tracks everyone entering and exiting BOP facilities: staff, contractors, approved volunteers, and approved visitors. This is how the facility controls access and keeps accurate records of who is inside at any given time.

The approval process starts on the inmate's side. Your loved one requests a Visitor Information form, then sends it to you (and any other friends or family they want to add). You fill it out and submit it for approval.

Step2 What Visitors Provide

• ✓ Your name
• ✓ Your relationship to the inmate
• ✓ Your date of birth
• ✓ Your sex
• ✓ Your race
• ✓ Your ethnicity
• ✓ Your driver’s license or state ID number
• ✓ Your passport number
• ✓ Your alien registration number
• ✓ Your legal residence
• ✓ Your phone number
• ✓ Your date of approval (once approved)

Once your information is entered, WebV ties your visitor record to the correct inmate by pulling identifying details from the BOP inmate management system. That inmate data can include the person's name, register number, housing unit assignment, and work detail. This helps staff make sure approvals and future visit activity are linked to the right person.

After you submit the requested information, BOP staff use it to run a background investigation and decide whether you're suitable to visit. This is a routine part of the process. The background check itself doesn't happen inside WebV, but once the review wraps up, staff enter the relevant details about approved visitors into WebV.

Once you're approved, WebV keeps your information on file as an approved inmate visitor, along with the date of approval. Because the system is linked to inmate data pulled from the BOP inmate management system, your approved status is stored in a way that connects you directly to that specific inmate.

Your approval isn't just a checkbox in a file. ACES/Web Visiting logs and tracks everyone entering and exiting BOP facilities, including approved visitors. Staff use it to account for who comes in and who leaves.

1. Check in with the facility for status and timing. Visitor approvals and processing times can vary, so the most direct way to get a facility-specific update is to contact the institution.
2. Use BOP Central Office if you need a broader contact point. You can call (202) 307-3198 or send written correspondence to Federal Bureau of Prisons, 320 First St., NW, Washington, DC 20534.
3. Plan for a slower response if you email Central Office. The Bureau processes emails in the same manner as written correspondence, and it may take about 20 to 30 working days for a response.