Understanding TDCJ's Visitors List: How to Get Added and What the 10-Person Limit Means

The Visitors List is the inmate's official, approved roster of people allowed to see them during visiting hours. The key number to know: each inmate can have a maximum of 10 names on that list. If it's already full, someone has to come off before anyone new can be added.

How quickly the list can be updated depends on where the person is housed. For institutional inmates, adding or deleting names is limited to once every six months. That timeline matters. If you're trying to get added and the list is full or locked until the next change window, you could be waiting a while.

The change window is different if your loved one is in a state jail, an intermediate sanction facility (ISF), or a substance abuse felony punishment (SAFP) program. In those settings, names can be added or removed once every 60 days. If you're coordinating visits with multiple family members, that shorter window makes it easier to adjust the list when plans shift.

If you use the TDCJ Online Visitation Scheduler, your relationship with the inmate goes through a verification step first. Once TDCJ staff confirm the relationship, it moves into the "Verified Inmate Relations" section. After that, look for a "Schedule Visit" button next to the inmate's name. If it's there, you're good to book.

Can't schedule a visit? Start by checking where your relationship appears in the online scheduler. If it's not showing under "Verified Inmate Relations," staff may not have confirmed it yet. If it is verified but you still can't schedule, the next thing to check is whether your name is actually on the inmate's Visitors List, since that list is capped at 10 names.

1. Look for “Verified Inmate Relations”. If your relationship is still pending, it will not be in the verified section yet, and you usually will not be able to schedule.
2. Check the button next to the inmate’s name. If “Schedule Visit” is available, you should be able to request a visit from there after verification.
3. Call the unit if scheduling is blocked. If the scheduler does not let you proceed after verification, contact the inmate’s unit of assignment and ask whether you are on the approved Visitors List (remember the list can only hold 10 names).
4. If you are not on the list, plan the next add/delete window. The inmate may need to remove someone first if the list is full, and they can only make those add/delete changes on the allowed schedule.

Practical Tips Coordinating

• ✓ Ask your loved one whether their Visitors List is already at the 10-name maximum before you make travel plans.
• ✓ If the list is full, decide as a family who truly needs to be on it right now, and who can be swapped later.
• ✓ Time changes around the allowed update windows: once every six months for institutional inmates, and once every 60 days for state jail, ISF, and SAFP inmates.
• ✓ Keep a simple written list of who is currently on the 10, so you are not guessing when someone cannot schedule.