How to Fill Out the Federal Visitation Form BP-A0629

Are any of your friends or family members facing imprisonment for the first time? The loss of privileges and some rights while serving time in large correctional facilities can be quite scary for the inmates and their loved ones. More so, when it is not clear on where or how the inmate spends their days behind bars.

One easy way to get assurance about the inmates’ whereabouts is by maintaining regular communication via phone, mail, or visits. Then, are you planning to visit an inmate in a federal prison any time soon? Have you filled out Form BP-A0629? If not, here is a quick guide on how to fill out a federal visitation form:

What is Form BP-A0629?

Form BP-A0629 is the Visitors’ Information Form created by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Here, the Bureau uses the form to vet anyone wishing to visit an inmate held at any of the federal prisons. In turn, a prospective visitor, including a minor, is to submit a dully-filled form BP-A0629 to the prison officials where the inmate is housed.

An inmate may add any of the following persons to the approved visitors’ list:

  • Members of his/her immediate family

They include the father, mother, step-parent(s), foster parent(s), brothers, sisters, legal spouse, registered domestic partner, children,  and relatives. The relatives include cousins, in-laws, uncles, aunts, and grandparents.

  • Up to 10 friends or associates
  • Foreign officials
  • Religious members and leaders
  • Civil group members
  • Former or prospective employers
  • Sponsors
  • Parole advisors
  • Attorneys

The Purpose of the BOP Visitation Form

A visitors’ application form is part of the security measures implemented at federal prisons, ensuring all incoming visitors pause no threat to the prison community. Hence, the prison officials may approve or turn down the application if any security threat is identified.

Getting Hold of the Federal Visitation Form

All inmates are allowed to decide who they want to visit. Hence, they receive ample BOP visitation forms upon arrival at the correctional facility. These forms are also available at www.bop.gov.  They are to use these forms any time they want to invite a friend or loved one to visit them. To do so, they must get the BOP Visitation Form and indicate the name of the visitor that is to appear in the approved visitors’ list. The form is then sent to the said visitor, giving them a chance to fill in the required details and get approval for visitation. Upon receiving the form, the visitor is to fill it accurately, completely, and legibly. Otherwise, the returned form may be rejected.

Contents of the Form BP-A0629: How to Fill Out the Federal Visitation Form

Form BP-A0629 has two sections; the upper part to be filled by the inmate, and the lower part to be filled by the prospective visitor. On the upper section, the inmate fills their name, registration number, name and address of the institution where they are held, and the date of filling the form.

Next, there is a pre-written request by the inmate to the person whose details appear in the below sections to be included as one of the approved visitors for the inmate. Further,  it alerts the prospective visitor that part of the procedure to approve this application is by gauging their suitability via a criminal background check. Hence, prison officials may contact law enforcement agencies to check on the applicant’s background information.

Next, the prospective visitor is asked to fill out both the questionnaire and release forms that form part of this form BP-A0629. Finally, the prospective visitor is alerted that it is not mandatory to supply any of the said information and that no penalties will be considered against them. Still, an incomplete application form will result in the suspension of the application process until all the essential information is supplied. And, providing false information may result in a fine of not more than 250,000 or 5-year imprisonment, or both.

Here is a summary of the lower section of Form BP-A0629 to be filled by the prospective visitor:

  • The visitor’s legal name
  • Date of birth
  • Current physical address including zip code
  • Current telephone number including area code
  • Visitor’s race and sex
  • The visitor’s US citizenship status
  • SSN or Alien Registration number
  • Passport number
  • Driver’s license number and state of issuance

Further, the prospective visitor is to state the following details:

  • Their relationship with the requesting inmate
  • If the applicant intends to visit the named inmate
  • If the applicant knew this inmate before he/she got incarcerated
  • If so, how long have they known the inmate, and where this relationship developed
  • Whether the applicant has ever been convicted of a crime
  • If so, indicate the number, date, place, and nature of the conviction
  • If the applicant is a former inmate, to indicate if they are currently on probation, parole, or any other type of supervision
  • If so, the applicant is to provide the name, address, and telephone number of the supervising officer
  • When they intend to visit the inmate
  • Whether the applicant is in touch with other inmates via phone, mail, or official prison visits
  • If so, to provide the names of the incarcerated persons and their current location

Finally, there is a section for the authorization to release information. It is a pre-written express authorization release request by the prospective visitor to law enforcement agencies. It directs the agencies to release any information they may have regarding the applicant’s past criminal records, to the warden in charge where the inmate is held. The applicant is to sign this authorization to release information. If the applicant is aged below 18 years, the parent or legal guardian shall sign on their behalf.

The BP-A0629 form includes a template providing instructions to Spanish-speaking inmates who may not be fluent in English. It helps them understand the kind of information expected of them and where to fill out those details.

Returning the Form BP-A0629

Ensure you fill all the above information accurately, completely, and legibly. Then, send the form back to the prison, addressing it to the prison institution’s address highlighted at the top part of the form.

Approving the Visitor Application

The prison officials take between 30 to 60 days to process and approve the visitor’s application. This duration is subject to the volume of applications received, the number of prison staff available to review the applications, and the time it takes to conduct a background check on the prospective visitor. Then, the inmates should send the form BP-A0629 to the prospective visitor at the earliest time possible.

If approval of your application is taking longer than expected, you are advised to contact the warden in charge and find out what is going on. It could be that you sent the application to the wrong address. Or, the application was denied.

Rejected Visitation Forms

When an application is denied, the prison officials shall inform the applicant in writing, sighting the reasons for the rejection. Likewise, the prison officials will notify the inmate that the application was denied. Only, they will not disclose the reasons for the disapproval to the inmate. Depending on the reasons provided, the prospective visitor may need to furnish additional information to complete the visitation application process.

FIND INMATES, ARRESTS
WARRANTS & RECORDS
FREE SEARCH
×