How to Complete the Missouri Department of Corrections Visiting Application

To visit someone in a Missouri state prison, submit the Missouri Department of Corrections visitor application online at web.mo.gov/doc/pubVisit. MODOC runs a criminal history check on every applicant, notifies the incarcerated person of the decision, and gives denied applicants 30 days to appeal or a one-year wait before reapplying.1Missouri Department of Corrections. Visiting

Who Can Apply

MODOC accepts applications from a wide range of people connected to the incarcerated individual:

  • Immediate family: spouse, legal guardian, parents, in-laws, siblings, children, grandparents, great-grandparents, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
  • Extended family: uncles, aunts, and cousins.
  • Significant other, friends, and clergy.

You can visit only one incarcerated person in the MODOC system, unless you are an immediate family member of more than one.1Missouri Department of Corrections. Visiting

If you are on probation or parole, you need written approval from your supervising officer before your application moves forward.2University of Michigan Law School. Guidelines for R and O Visits Dishonesty on the application, or a background that raises security concerns, is grounds for denial.

Confirm the Facility First

Transfers happen regularly, so confirm where the person is currently housed before applying. MODOC’s Offender Search tool at web.mo.gov/doc/offSearchWeb returns any active offender’s facility assignment by name or department number.3Missouri Department of Corrections. MODOC Offender Search It does not return results for people already discharged.

How to Complete and Submit the Application

The application lives on MODOC’s online portal at web.mo.gov/doc/pubVisit, and the department publishes step-by-step instructions to walk you through the form.1Missouri Department of Corrections. Visiting

Fill every field completely and honestly. The department warns that a lack of transparency is itself grounds for denial. You’ll be asked for your full legal name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, employment history, and any criminal history. MODOC cross-checks what you disclose against law-enforcement databases, so leaving out an arrest or conviction doesn’t hide it. It just changes the reason for denial from your record to your dishonesty.

What Happens After You Apply

MODOC staff run a criminal history check once your application is received. The department doesn’t publish a processing timeframe, so apply well ahead of any planned visit.

You will not be notified directly. The incarcerated person is told of the approval and passes that news along to you.1Missouri Department of Corrections. Visiting Staying in touch by phone or the facility’s messaging platform while you wait helps avoid confusion.

If You’re Denied

A denial is not final. You have two options:

  • Appeal within 30 days. Send a written appeal to Missouri Department of Corrections, Attn: Deputy Division Director of Adult Institutions, 2729 Plaza Drive, PO Box 236, Jefferson City, MO 65102. The department reviews and responds in writing.
  • Reapply after one year. If the appeal fails or you miss the 30-day window, you can submit a new application once a full year has passed since the denial.1Missouri Department of Corrections. Visiting

Identification You’ll Need on Visit Day

What each visitor presents at the door depends on age:

  • Adults 18 and older: a valid photo ID, such as a current driver’s license or Missouri Department of Revenue ID card.
  • Teens 13 to 17: a current school photo ID with the teen’s name, or a valid federal or state government-issued ID.
  • Children under 13: no separate ID, but they must be accompanied by an approved adult visitor.

Any visitor under 18, unless married to the incarcerated person, must be accompanied by an approved adult.1Missouri Department of Corrections. Visiting

Each visit is limited to three visitors per incarcerated person, plus up to three additional children age five and under. Children six and under can sit on the incarcerated person’s lap, unless the incarcerated person is a sex offender. Supervising children during the visit is the accompanying adult’s job.

Dress Code

Staff will turn you away at the door if your clothing doesn’t comply, and changing at the facility is not an option. Prohibited items include:

  • Tight, excessively baggy, transparent, or revealing clothing
  • Anything with gang symbols, racial imagery, inflammatory language, or inappropriate graphics
  • Camouflage patterns
  • Skirts, dresses, or shorts that end above the top of the kneecap when standing
  • Wrap-around or slit skirts and dresses
  • Pants with holes or slits
  • Shirts or tops leaving the chest, cleavage, back, stomach, or shoulders exposed
  • Headwear of any kind, unless verified for religious purposes and still subject to search

Wear appropriate undergarments and shoes. Bras and undergarments with wire or metal supports are discouraged because they trigger metal detectors and can delay entry.1Missouri Department of Corrections. Visiting

What You Can Bring Inside

Leave almost everything in your car. The visiting room generally allows only:

  • Coins for vending machines, carried in a clear sandwich bag or transparent plastic pouch.
  • Essential medical supplies (nitroglycerin, insulin and supplies, oxygen, asthma inhalers) in original containers, limited to the dosage needed for the visit.
  • Infant supplies in one clear carry-all: up to six diapers, one blanket, three clear plastic bottles of prepared infant beverage, one clear no-spill toddler cup, three unopened containers of baby food, one plastic pacifier or teether, one small plastic spoon, and one unopened package of baby wipes.

You cannot bring items into the visiting room to give to the incarcerated person. Purses, wallets, and phones stay in the vehicle.1Missouri Department of Corrections. Visiting

Once you’re on prison grounds, you, your children, your packages, and your vehicle are all subject to search. Every visitor passes through a metal detector, and pat-downs can happen as a routine condition of entry.

Contraband Is a Criminal Offense

Bringing prohibited items into a Missouri correctional facility is not just a rule violation. MODOC warns that entering a facility with drugs, alcohol, firearms, or any other prohibited item violates Missouri Revised Statutes Section 217.360.1Missouri Department of Corrections. Visiting RSMo 221.111 sets the penalties:

  • Controlled substances without a valid prescription: Class D felony.
  • Alcohol or other intoxicants: Class E felony.
  • Weapons (guns, knives, or anything endangering institutional safety): Class B felony.
  • Other prohibited personal property: Class A misdemeanor.4Missouri Revisor of Statutes. RSMo 221.111

MODOC also prohibits substances that may be legal outside the facility, including tobacco and cannabis. Legal purchase off-site does not protect you on correctional grounds. Money is treated as contraband as well: any cash found on an incarcerated person is confiscated and deposited into the inmate canteen fund.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. RSMo 217.365 Do not attempt to pass cash during a visit.