How to Schedule Your First Visit Online: Step-by-Step Guide to TDCJ's Visitation Portal
Scheduling a tablet video visit in TDCJ starts online. The setup is usually straightforward once you know the checkpoints that can block you. Use the steps below to create your account, complete the required questions, and get your visit on the calendar.
Tablet video visits are scheduled through the TDCJ visitation portal. The key thing to know up front: you have to build your own visitor account. TDCJ staff cannot create one for you, so plan on handling every registration step yourself.
Note: Tablet video visits are scheduled through the official TDCJ visitation portal (the Online Visitation Scheduler).
Start by creating an account in the scheduler. You'll enter the email address you want tied to your visitor profile. After you submit it, TDCJ sends a confirmation email with two things: a 7-digit validation code and a link. Click that link to continue registration, and have the code ready when the portal asks for it.
Tip: Use an email you can access right away. Staff cannot create an account for you, and once an account is tied to an email address, that email cannot be changed.
After clicking the email link, the portal walks you through the rest of account setup. You'll typically re-enter your email, type in the 7-digit validation code, create a password that meets the on-screen requirements, and confirm it. If your password gets rejected, don't guess. Read the requirement list on that screen and adjust until it's accepted.
Warning: The Background Questionnaire is not optional. All questions must be answered before you can move forward and finish creating your account.
Don't see the validation email? Check your spam or junk folder and search your inbox for the scheduler message. If you already started registration and need to get back in, use the portal's built-in login and account recovery options to request another email or reset your access.
Once your account is set up, the next step is adding the inmate and submitting a relationship request through the scheduler. Until TDCJ staff approves it, that relationship shows as pending on your home page. After staff confirms the connection, it moves into the "Verified Inmate Relations" section.
Verification is what unlocks scheduling. Once the relationship is verified, look next to the inmate's name. If you see a "Schedule Visit" button, you're ready to book.
When "Schedule Visit" is available, select it next to the verified inmate and follow the prompts to choose your visit details. The portal shows the dates and times you can request. Pick what works and submit through the scheduler.
Note: Sometimes the “Schedule Visit” button is blank or replaced with “Call Unit.” If that happens, call the inmate’s unit of assignment to schedule.
Common Problems
- ✓ You are waiting on staff to “set up” your login: visitors must create their own accounts, staff cannot create visitor accounts.
- ✓ You used the wrong email address: once an account is created for an email address, that email cannot be changed (and the account cannot be deleted).
- ✓ You never received the registration email: the portal sends a message with a 7-digit validation code and a link. Check spam/junk folders and search your inbox.
- ✓ You cannot finish signup: the Background Questionnaire blocks you until every question is answered.
Having login trouble? Stick with the portal's own recovery flow (the options on the login screens) rather than creating a new account with a different email. If you're stuck on the Background Questionnaire page, scroll carefully and make sure every single item has an answer selected. The system won't let you continue until the questionnaire is complete.
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