Getting Approved to Visit FCI Sandstone: Forms, Background Checks, and ID Requirements

Getting approved to visit FCI Sandstone starts with paperwork and ends at the front desk with ID verification. Before you make the drive, call 603-342-4000 to confirm the visiting schedule. Visits can be restricted or canceled for safety reasons, severe weather, or other incidents that affect operations.

The approval process starts with your loved one. They need to request a Visitor Information form and send it to you. Once you fill it out and submit it, the Bureau of Prisons reviews your application and runs suitability and background checks.

1. Ask the inmate to request the Visitor Information form - they have to initiate the process so the form can be sent to you.
2. Fill out the form carefully - use accurate, consistent personal information so it matches your records.
3. Submit the completed form for BOP approval - approval happens through the BOP after your paperwork is turned in.
4. Call before you travel - confirm the visiting schedule with FCI Sandstone at 603-342-4000 so you do not arrive on a day or time that is restricted.

When you apply (and once you're approved), the BOP's visiting and access-control systems store a range of personal details. The Web Visiting (WebV) system can include your name, relationship to the inmate, date of birth, sex, race and ethnicity, legal residence, phone number, and approval date. It also records identifying document numbers: driver's license or state ID, passport, or alien registration number. The ACES entry/exit tracking system may store additional identifiers like your Social Security number, a digital image, and a fingerprint.

• ✓ Full name
• ✓ Relationship to the inmate
• ✓ Date of birth
• ✓ Sex
• ✓ Race and ethnicity
• ✓ Legal residence (current residence)
• ✓ Phone number
• ✓ Driver’s license or state ID number (if provided)
• ✓ Passport number (if applicable)
• ✓ Alien registration number (if applicable)
• ✓ Social Security number (may be stored in the access system)
• ✓ Digital image (may be stored in the access system)
• ✓ Fingerprint (may be stored in the access system)
• ✓ Date of approval

Everyone recorded in the BOP's access system goes through a background check. At minimum, an NCIC check validates the information you provide.

That check pulls from the personal information in your visitor record: date of birth, driver's license or state ID number, passport number, and potentially your Social Security number. When you arrive for a visit, staff compare what you present against what's already in the system. Discrepancies can be corrected when appropriate.

Bring a legal ID every time you visit. No exceptions. Staff check your ID at every entry.

The BOP uses ACES/WebV to log everyone entering and exiting its facilities: approved visitors, staff, contractors, and volunteers. When you check in and out, your identity information, contact details, and relationship to the inmate are recorded and used operationally.

Next Steps

• ✓ Ask your loved one to request the Visitor Information form and send it to you
• ✓ Complete the form fully and accurately, using information that matches your legal documents
• ✓ Submit the form for BOP approval and wait for the decision
• ✓ Call FCI Sandstone at 603-342-4000 before traveling to confirm the visiting schedule and any day-of instructions