How to Fill Out and Submit FDC Miami Visitation Forms (BP-A0629)

To visit someone held at the Federal Detention Center in Miami, you need to be on that inmate’s approved visiting list, and the paperwork that puts you there is Bureau of Prisons Form BP-A0629, the Visitor Information form. The FDC Miami visitation form is not something you download and submit on your own. The inmate starts the process by mailing a partially completed copy to each person they want to visit; you fill in the rest, sign the release that lets the warden run your background, and mail the original back to the facility.¹ Nothing happens until staff process that form and clear you.

How You Get the Form

When an inmate arrives at FDC Miami, staff give them blank BP-A0629 forms, one for each person they want on their list.¹ The inmate writes in their own name, register number, and the facility’s mailing address, then sends you the form. If you have not received a form, contact the inmate; the request has to come from their end.

Under 28 C.F.R. § 540.44, every federal inmate who wants regular visitors must submit a proposed list to staff for investigation before anyone is cleared.² One narrow exception: immediate family members of a newly arrived or recently transferred inmate may be allowed a visit before the formal list is finalized, provided staff can confirm the relationship through the inmate’s Pre-Sentence Report. Everyone else waits for approval.

Filling Out BP-A0629

The form has 14 numbered fields and a release authorization at the bottom. Write legibly and answer every question. Blanks and unreadable entries slow the review and can get the form set aside while staff try to track down what’s missing.

The fields ask for:³

Fields 1–4: full legal name, date of birth, address with zip code, and telephone number with area code.
Field 5: race and sex.
Field 6: whether you are a U.S. citizen. If yes, your Social Security number goes in 6a. If no, your alien registration number goes in 6b and your passport number in 6c.
Field 7: your relationship to the inmate (spouse, parent, sibling, friend, and so on).
Field 8: whether you wish to visit, yes or no.
Fields 9–10: whether you knew the inmate before their incarceration, and if so, for how long and how the relationship developed.
Field 11: any criminal convictions, including the number, date, location, and nature of each.
Field 12: whether you are on probation, parole, or any other supervision, with your supervising officer’s name and contact information.
Field 13: whether you correspond with or visit any other inmates, and their names and locations.
Field 14: driver’s license number and issuing state.

Field 11 is the one that stops most people. A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you. BOP policy requires staff to weigh the nature, extent, and recency of any convictions against the facility’s security needs.⁴ Hiding a conviction is far worse than disclosing one, because the background check will surface it and the false answer gives staff a clean reason to deny you.

The Release Authorization

Below the 14 fields is the authorization that lets the warden pull your criminal records from law enforcement databases. You must sign it and print your name. Without that signature the form cannot be processed.³ An original ink signature is required, so mail the physical form; faxed or scanned copies are not accepted.

If the Visitor Is Under 18

For a minor, a parent or legal guardian must sign the BP-A0629 to consent to the visit.⁴ When the minor is a verified immediate family member of the inmate, the questionnaire portion is ordinarily not required; the parent or guardian’s signature is enough. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult during the visit itself and do not need photo ID.

Where to Mail the Completed Form

Send the original, signed form to the address the inmate wrote on it. The general mailing address for FDC Miami is:⁵

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
FDC Miami
Federal Detention Center
P.O. Box 019120
Miami, FL 33101

Put the inmate’s full name and register number on the envelope so mailroom staff can route it. Once the form arrives, the inmate’s assigned counselor begins the review.

How Long Approval Takes

Staff verify your information through law enforcement databases, including the National Crime Information Center.⁶ Under 28 C.F.R. § 540.51, staff may request additional background information from anyone who is not an immediate family member, and visiting can be denied while that information is pending.⁷ Turnaround depends on the counselor’s caseload and whether anything in your background requires a closer look. Expect at least a few weeks.

The facility will not contact you with the result. The inmate’s counselor tells the inmate whether each visitor was approved or denied, and the inmate passes that along to you.⁶ Once you’re approved, your name goes into the facility’s visitor tracking system and you can start scheduling visits.

Why Applications Get Denied

The warden can refuse visiting privileges when background information shows the visit would create a security concern or disrupt the orderly running of the institution. Common reasons include:

Too little background information available about the prospective visitor to clear them.⁷
Outstanding warrants or recent serious criminal history.
Current probation or parole status, which is not an automatic bar but may require input from your supervising officer.
Any inconsistency between what you wrote on the form and what the background check turns up.
Refusing, on the day of the visit, to sign the declaration confirming you have no prohibited articles.⁴

Visiting privileges can also be restricted after initial approval if an inmate or visitor breaks the rules, such as inappropriate conduct or an attempt to pass contraband.

If You Are Denied

An appeal has to come from the inmate, not from you. The inmate files through the BOP’s Administrative Remedy Program, which runs informal resolution (BP-8), a formal written request to the warden (BP-9), an appeal to the regional director (BP-10), and a final appeal to the General Counsel (BP-11).⁸ Each step has its own deadline, so the inmate should ask their counselor for the current time limits and file promptly after the denial.

What to Bring and Wear on Visit Day

Every adult visitor must present a valid, unexpired state or government-issued photo ID.⁴ A driver’s license, state ID, passport, or military ID all work. Children under 16 with a parent or guardian do not need ID.

Revealing or inappropriate clothing will get you turned away. Items generally not permitted include:⁹

Shorts, miniskirts, or skirts more than two inches above the knee.
Halter tops, crop tops, low-cut or backless blouses, and sleeveless garments.
See-through clothing, spandex, leotards, and bathing suits.
Hats or caps.
Clothing that resembles inmate attire, such as khaki or green military-style garments.

Bring as little as you can. The exact list of what’s allowed inside the visiting room varies by facility, and electronics, bags, and personal items beyond a small amount of cash for vending machines are generally not permitted. Call FDC Miami or ask the inmate’s unit for the current rules before you drive over.

Visiting Hours

Legal visiting hours at FDC Miami run from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily.¹⁰ All visitor entry and movement stops at 3:30 p.m. for the BOP’s nationwide 4:00 p.m. inmate count. Visitors already inside may stay through the count, but no one moves again until it clears, and there is no set time for how long that takes. Social visiting hours can differ from legal hours, so confirm the schedule with the facility or through the inmate before planning your trip.

Attorneys and Other Special Visitors

Attorneys, clergy, employers, sponsors, and parole advisors fall under the BOP’s “special visitor” category, which has its own rules. The pre-existing relationship requirement does not apply to clergy, employers, or release-planning contacts.¹¹ Attorneys with a valid state bar card and photo ID are permitted to visit; attorneys from states that do not issue a bar card must indicate where they are licensed and how that can be verified.¹⁰ Legal visits follow the same daily hours and the same 3:30 p.m. entry cutoff for the count.

1
Federal Bureau of Prisons. How to Visit a Federal Inmate
2
eCFR. 28 CFR 540.44 – Regular Visitors
3
Federal Bureau of Prisons. BP-A0629 Visitor Information
4
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5267.09 – Visiting Regulations
5
Federal Bureau of Prisons. FDC Miami
6
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Institution Supplement SST-5267.08E – Visiting Regulations
7
eCFR. 28 CFR 540.51
8
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Administrative Remedy Program
9
Federal Bureau of Prisons. General Visiting Information
10
Immigration and Customs Enforcement. FDC Miami
11
eCFR. 28 CFR 540.45 – Qualification as Special Visitor