Penmate Inmate Support Guides
significant-relationship-visitor-approval-georgia

Getting approved as a 'Significant Relationship Visitor' (Georgia prisons)

Not immediate family but want to visit someone in a Georgia state prison? You'll likely need approval as a

• 2 min read • gdc.georgia.gov
Getting approved as a 'Significant Relationship Visitor' (Georgia prisons)

Georgia prisons use “significant relationship visitor” for people who aren’t considered immediate family but still have a meaningful connection that could support the person’s rehabilitation. Examples can include step-parents, step-siblings, in-laws, an uncle or aunt, cousins, half-brothers or half-sisters, nephews or nieces, step-sons or step-daughters, and also people like friends, employers, pastors, and other supportive relationships.

The biggest thing to know up front: the offender has to start this request. You can’t kick off the approval on your own from the outside, so your first step is to ask the person you want to visit to initiate the significant-relationship visitor request from inside the facility.

The approval request is done using the “Significant Relationship Visitor Application for Visitation Privilege.” The offender completes that form and then sends it to the Warden/Superintendent for review. If you’re waiting on approval, it helps to stay in touch with your loved one so you know when the form has been submitted for review.

Supporting Docs

  • ✓ Be ready to provide supporting documentation if the facility asks for it to verify the relationship.
Getting approved as a 'Significant Relationship Visitor' (Georgia prisons)

After the Warden/Superintendent reviews the application, the offender is notified of an approval or disapproval. From there, it’s on the offender to tell you whether you were approved to visit as a significant relationship visitor. Before you travel, confirm with your loved one that the approval has come through so you don’t make a long trip only to be turned away at the door.

Note: The public guidance doesn’t give a specific processing timeline, and approval is ultimately based on the facility’s review. If you’re trying to plan a trip, check in with your loved one (and the facility if needed) about where the request stands.

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