Your First Visit to MCC Chicago: What to Expect at Check‑In

Before You Go

• ✓ Confirm the person you’re visiting has added you to their approved visiting list.
• ✓ Make sure you have been cleared by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) before you travel.

Visitor screening isn't designed to make things harder for you. It's how federal institutions determine whether a visit would create a safety or management concern. The information you provide on visitor paperwork is what they use to decide whether you can be cleared and placed on an approved visiting list. If anything is incomplete, missing, or doesn't line up, it can slow the process down or stop a visit before it starts. Treat the approval piece as the first checkpoint, not something to figure out when you arrive.

At check-in, staff are focused on one question: are you currently eligible to visit? That means two things need to be true. The inmate has you on their approved visiting list, and you've been cleared by the BOP. This is also where honesty on your visitor paperwork really matters. The BP-A0629 form specifically warns against false statements, with potential criminal penalties. If you're asked to review or confirm information, take your time and answer truthfully.

BOP visiting guidance generally allows brief physical contact. Handshakes, hugs, and kisses (in good taste) are typically permitted at the beginning and end of a visit. That said, staff can limit or prohibit contact for security reasons or to keep the visiting area orderly. Expect that the officer in the room may set the boundaries, and follow their direction even if it's stricter than you anticipated.

Practical Verifications

• ✓ Confirm you are on the inmate’s approved visiting list and that you have been cleared by the BOP.
• ✓ Confirm the current visiting schedule for MCC Chicago (hours can change).
• ✓ Ask what identification MCC Chicago requires for entry, and whether anything must match the name on the approved list exactly.
• ✓ Ask if you need an appointment or if visits are walk‑in.
• ✓ Confirm the person you’re visiting is currently housed at MCC Chicago (not temporarily moved).
• ✓ Ask about any current health or screening procedures that could affect entry.

1. Verify you’re approved before you leave - you can only visit if the inmate has placed you on their approved visiting list and you have been cleared by the BOP.
2. Gather what you’ll need to check in - bring the identification MCC Chicago requires and any visitor paperwork the facility tells you to complete.
3. Fill out forms carefully and truthfully - the BP‑A0629 visitor form warns that false statements can bring criminal penalties under 18 U.S.C. § 1001.