How to visit, scheduling, dress code, and visitor requirements
Before visiting Halifax Correctional Unit, every visitor (adults and minors alike) must submit the DOC visitor application (forms 851_F1 or 851_F6) online and wait for Central Visitation Unit approval. Minors must be listed on an approved adult's application and attend with a parent, legal guardian, or other approved adult. Plan your outfit carefully: clothing should cover from the neck to the kneecaps, appropriate underwear is required, and you must wear footwear. Many specific items are prohibited. For video visits, home internet visitors should log into the GTL system about 15 minutes early. AFOI Visitor Center visitors should arrive at least 20 minutes before the scheduled start time. Visiting days, hours, visit length, and contact rules vary, so confirm the current schedule before booking.
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If you want to bring a child to visit someone in Virginia Department of Corrections custody, the child needs to be approved first. Once you understand how the minor application works and what paperwork to bring, the process is pretty straightforward.
Applying to visit someone in a Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) facility is mostly paperwork and waiting. Gather the right info first, know what happens after you hit submit, and the whole process gets a lot less stressful.
Video visitation is often the easiest way to stay connected when an in-person trip isn't realistic. Here's how VADOC video visits work, what you need to participate, and the rules that can end a visit early.
A VADOC video visit can be cut short or cost you your visiting privileges if the rules are broken. Here's what "breaking the rules" actually looks like, and what usually happens next.
Your first visit to a VADOC facility goes much smoother when you show up early, bring the right ID, and dress for the rules. Use the sections below to figure out what to pack and what to leave behind so you don't get turned away at the door.
VADOC visitor applications expire three years after the approval date, even if you've been visiting regularly the entire time. To keep visiting without a gap, submit a new application before that three-year mark hits.
Yes. Every visitor, adult or minor, must submit the DOC visitor application (forms 851_F1 or 851_F6) online and wait for Central Visitation Unit approval before visiting. Out-of-state applicants may face longer processing times, so apply well before your planned visit.
Yes, but the child must be registered and attached to an approved adult application. Minors must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or another approved adult during the visit.
Wear clothing that covers from the neck to the kneecaps, with appropriate underwear and footwear. For timing, log into GTL about 15 minutes early for home video visits, or arrive at least 20 minutes early if you are using the AFOI Visitor Center.
Stopped getting calls from someone at Halifax? It's usually a call-list issue, not your phone. Here's how the *44 auto-enrollment system works, what can delay activation, and what to do if calls suddenly stop.
If your loved one is in a Virginia Department of Corrections facility, video visitation is one of the main ways to stay connected. Here are your options and the key rules to know before you schedule or join a visit.
Trying to put money on someone's account at a Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) facility? The biggest thing to get right is where you send it. Mailing cash or checks to the facility won't work.
