| Form number | BP-A0224 |
|---|---|
| Title as printed | NOTIFICATION TO VISITOR (p. 1) · NOTIFICACIÓN AL VISITANTE (p. 2) |
| Form-face date | Printed under the “CDFRM” mark, but does not survive text extraction or rendering from BOP’s published PDF — not stated here |
| Prescribed by | “Prescribed by P5267” |
| Replaces | “Replaces BP-224(52) of May 99” |
| Governing Program Statement | 5267.09, Visiting Regulations — December 10, 2015 (CN-1 August 1, 2023) |
| Governing regulation | 28 C.F.R. § 540.51(e); 28 C.F.R. part 511, subpart B — “Searching and Detaining or Arresting Non-Inmates” |
| Published by BOP? | Yes — BP_A0224.pdf |
| Pages | 2 — page 1 English, page 2 a Spanish instructional template |
| Distribution as printed | “FILE IN SECTION 3 UNLESS APPROPRIATE FOR PRIVACY FOLDER SECTION 3” |
| Privacy Act notice on the form? | No |
| False-statement warning? | Yes — 18 U.S.C. § 1001, stated as “$250,000 or imprisonment of not more than five years or both” |
Checked against the BOP form set · 2026-09-07 · How we verify
BP-A0224 is the single sheet a visitor signs at the front entrance of a federal prison. It carries two posted notices, an eighteen-item contraband checklist, and a declaration backed by a federal false-statement statute — and the rules behind it are on our Visiting Regulations and Searching and detaining visitors pages, with the practical side on Inmate visitation.
Most people sign it in ninety seconds. This page walks it block by block, in printed order, so you can read it before you are standing at the desk.
What this form is
The regulation behind the signature is 28 C.F.R. § 540.51(e), which provides that “[s]taff shall have the visitor sign a statement acknowledging that the guidelines were provided and declaring that the visitor does not have any articles in his/her possession which the visitor knows to be a threat to the security of the institution,” and that “[s]taff may deny the visiting privilege to a visitor who refuses to make such a declaration.” That regulation binds the Bureau and is the reason the form exists. Program Statement 5267.09 then tells staff how to carry it out: “Visiting room staff employees are to make the institution’s written guidelines for visiting available to visitors. The Notification to Visitor form (BP-A0224) may be retrieved via the Sallyport Policy/Forms page.” (PS 5267.09 at p. 18.)
It is a fillable PDF: typed labels and notices extract cleanly, checkboxes and column layout do not, so every block below is named by the label BOP prints. The footer says “Prescribed by P5267” — the Visiting Regulations series — and “Replaces BP-224(52) of May 99.”
On this page
Block by block
Header — “BP-A0224 NOTIFICATION TO VISITOR CDFRM”
The form number, title, and the “CDFRM” mark BOP uses on its central-office form set, above “U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS.” A short date stamp sits under the CDFRM mark where other BOP forms print a month-and-year revision date; on BOP’s published PDF it is set in an embedded font that yields no readable text and does not render, so this page does not state it.
“Date:” · “Time:” · “Officer’s Name:” · “Institution:” · “Location:” · “Name of Inmate To Be Visited:” · “Register No.:”
Seven staff-completed fields across the top three lines. The time field records when you arrived, not just the date. “Name of Inmate To Be Visited” and “Register No.” tie the form to a specific incarcerated person — which is why it is filed with that person, not in a visitor file.
“NOTICE TO ALL PERSONS: CONSENT TO SEARCH”
“Federal Bureau of Prisons (Bureau) staff may search you and your belongings (bags, boxes, vehicles, container in vehicles, jackets, coats, etc.) before you enter, or while you are on or inside, Bureau grounds or facilities.
Consent to Search Implied. By entering or attempting to enter Bureau grounds or facilities, you consent to being searched in accordance with Bureau policy and Federal regulations in volume 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 511. If you refuse to be searched, you may be prohibited from entering Bureau grounds or facilities.”
Reproduced verbatim from BP-A0224 at p. 1.
The heading says “Consent to Search Implied,” and that word does the work: the block reports a rule that already applied when you turned into the parking lot; it does not create consent by your signature. 28 C.F.R. § 511.14 provides that “[b]y entering or attempting to enter a Bureau facility or Bureau grounds, non-inmates consent to being searched in accordance with these regulations and Bureau policy.”
This paragraph is not written for the form — it is the text of the entrance sign. Program Statement 5510.15 requires that “[a]n easily readable sign must be posted at all entrances to Bureau facilities,” in both English and Spanish, and sets out the sign copy word for word. (PS 5510.15 at pp. 6–7.) The two notices printed on BP-A0224 are that sign, reproduced inside a document you sign.
“NOTICE TO ALL PERSONS: PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTS”
“You are prohibited from engaging in prohibited activities or possessing prohibited objects on Bureau grounds, or in Bureau facilities, without the knowledge and consent of the Warden. Violators may be detained or arrested for possible criminal prosecution, either by Bureau staff, or local or federal law enforcement authorities.
Prohibited Activities include any activities that could jeopardize the Bureau’s ability to ensure the safety, security, and orderly operation of Bureau facilities, and protect the public, including, but not limited to, violations of Titles 18 and 21 of the United States Code, Federal regulations, or Bureau policies.
Prohibited Objects include, but are not limited to, weapons; explosives; drugs; intoxicants; currency; cameras of any type; recording equipment; telephones; radios; pagers; electronic devices; and any other objects that violate criminal laws or are prohibited by Federal regulations or Bureau policies.”
Reproduced verbatim from BP-A0224 at p. 1.
The “Prohibited Objects” list is a straight reproduction of the regulation. 28 C.F.R. § 511.12 defines “[p]rohibited objects,” by reference to 18 U.S.C. § 1791(d)(1), as “any objects that could jeopardize the Bureau’s ability to ensure the safety, security, and orderly operation of Bureau facilities, and protect the public,” and gives the same examples in the same order. Currency is on that list, and so is a camera of any type — which in practice means a phone.
“PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS” — the eighteen-item checklist
The printed question is: “Are any of the following items in your possession, or in possession of children in your party under 16 years of age?” Eighteen items follow, in nine rows of two, each with its own Yes box and No box:
| Left column | Right column |
|---|---|
| Tobacco Products | Narcotics |
| Explosives | Marijuana |
| Weapons | Camera |
| Ammunition | Food Items |
| Metal Cutting tools | Alcoholic Beverages |
| Recording Equipment | Prescription Drug* |
| Telephones-any type | Intoxicants |
| Radios | Pagers |
| Electronic Devices | Firearms |
Reproduced from BP-A0224 at p. 1, in the printed row order. Each item carries a Yes and a No box; the boxes do not survive text extraction. The asterisk on “Prescription Drug” is the form’s.
The asterisked note reads: “All types of medication carried must be listed in the following space, and must be left at the entry area:” followed by a ruled space — an instruction to declare and leave medication, not a prohibition on bringing it.
The list is longer than the regulation’s example list — tobacco, ammunition, metal cutting tools, food items and firearms appear here but not in § 511.12(b), which the regulation permits since its list is expressly “not limited to” the items named. And the question extends to children under 16 in your party, so the adult signing answers for a diaper bag as well as a pocket.
The text above the signature line — and everything below it
This is the declaration a visitor signs, and it is the operative text of the document:
“I have read, I understand, and I agree to the above. If I am visiting with an inmate, I also understand and agree to abide by the visiting guidelines provided me by this institution. I declare that I do not have articles in my possession which I know to be a threat to institution safety, security, or good order. I am aware that if I have questions about what is authorized, I should consult with the officer. I am aware that the penalty for making a false statement is a fine of not more than $250,000 or imprisonment of not more than five years or both (pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1001). I am aware that the visiting area, including restrooms in the visiting area, may be monitored to ensure institution security and good order.”
Reproduced verbatim from BP-A0224 at p. 1, the paragraph immediately above the signature line.
Three things stand out. The declaration is knowledge-limited. It says you do not have articles “which I know to be a threat” — not that nothing prohibited is anywhere in your car. That wording tracks § 540.51(e) exactly.
The false-statement figures are right. The five-year term matches 18 U.S.C. § 1001. Section 1001 itself states no dollar amount; the $250,000 comes from 18 U.S.C. § 3571(b)(3), the ceiling for an individual convicted of a felony. BOP is not consistent about this across its own forms: DOJ-361, Certification of Identity prints “$10,000” for the same statute.
The monitoring notice covers restrooms. 28 C.F.R. § 540.51(h) lets the Warden “establish procedures to enable monitoring of the visiting area, including restrooms located within the visiting area,” and requires notice “to both visitors and inmates of the potential for monitoring.” For the restrooms it sets a higher bar — monitoring “when there is reasonable suspicion that a visitor and/or an inmate is engaged, or attempting or about to engage, in criminal behavior or other prohibited behavior.” The sentence on the form is that required notice.
“Printed Name/Signature” and the identifying fields
Below the declaration, in printed order: “Printed Name/Signature”; “Street Address/City and State”; “Vehicle License No.” and “Year, Color, Make and Model of Vehicle”; a space for “Names of children under 16 years of age for whom I am responsible”; and, for anyone not visiting an incarcerated person, “Name of Organization” and “Purpose of Visit.” Then one staff line — “Printed Name/Signature of Staff Witness” — which is a witness signature, not a certification that anything on the form is accurate.
“FILE IN SECTION 3 UNLESS APPROPRIATE FOR PRIVACY FOLDER SECTION 3”
The filing instruction at the foot of the page. Section Three is a section of the incarcerated person’s central file — Program Statement 5800.17 lists it as “Section Three: (Mail, Visits, Property, etc.),” holding items such as the approved visiting list. (PS 5800.17 at p. 17.) The sheet you sign at the front desk is filed with the person you came to see, and is retrievable like anything else in the central file.
Page 2 — the Spanish template
The second page is headed “NOTIFICACIÓN AL VISITANTE” and opens with this instruction in both languages:
“This template is provided to assist Spanish-speaking inmates who are not fluent in English to complete the corresponding Bureau form. It is a template only for instructional purposes, and should not be filled in.”
Reproduced verbatim from BP-A0224 at p. 2. The bold is the form’s.
Note that the boilerplate says the template assists Spanish-speaking inmates even though BP-A0224 is completed by a visitor; that is BOP’s standard Spanish-template wording, carried onto a visitor form.
What the form does not carry
No Privacy Act notice, no OMB control number and no paperwork-burden statement — on a form that collects a name, home address and vehicle registration. No deadline: nothing on BP-A0224 expires. And no appeal block — the form offers no mechanism for contesting anything that happens after you sign it.
What happens after you sign it
Two regulations govern what can happen next.
Searches. 28 C.F.R. § 511.15 permits searches “either randomly or based on reasonable suspicion.” For random searches, non-inmates “will be given the option of either consenting to random searches as a condition of entry, or refusing such searches and leaving Bureau grounds” — but a person who refuses and expresses an intent to leave “may still be required to be searched if ‘reasonable suspicion’ exists.” Section 511.16 sets out the methods and provides that “[w]henever possible, pat searches of your person will be performed by staff members of the same sex.” Two of those methods have their own pages: ion spectrometry and whole body imaging.
Denial or removal. 28 C.F.R. § 511.17 provides that “[a]t the Warden’s, or his/her designee’s, discretion … you may be denied entry to, or required to leave, a Bureau facility or Bureau grounds if: (a) You refuse to be searched under this subpart; or (b) There is reasonable suspicion that you may be engaged in, attempting, or about to engage in, prohibited activity that jeopardizes the Bureau’s ability to ensure the safety, security, and orderly operation of its facilities, or protect the public.” Separately, § 540.51(e) permits staff to “deny the visiting privilege to a visitor who refuses to make such a declaration.” These are discretionary standards, and this page does not predict how any warden will apply them.
What to do if it is wrong
The route is not the one most people assume. The Bureau’s administrative remedy program is closed to visitors: 28 C.F.R. § 542.10 states that its purpose “is to allow an inmate to seek formal review of an issue relating to any aspect of his/her own confinement,” and that it “applies to all inmates in institutions operated by the Bureau of Prisons … and to former inmates for issues that arose during their confinement.” A visitor cannot file a BP-9.
That leaves two paths. The incarcerated person can raise it, because a restriction on their visiting is an aspect of their own confinement — the administrative remedy program page has the sequence and the timing. The visitor can write to the warden — dated, describing what happened, naming the institution, the date and the time, all of which appear on the form itself.
Applied Insight — Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA, Managing Director: The mistake we see most often is treating the checklist as a formality and answering everything “No” on autopilot — with a phone in a coat pocket or prescription medication in a handbag. The form itself gives you the way out: consult the officer, and list the medication rather than carry it in.
Legal representation is provided by Elizabeth Franklin-Best and the firm’s attorneys. See also Federal Bureau of Prisons policy and what families should know about federal prison.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Notification to Visitor Form
What am I signing at prison visitation?
BP-A0224, Notification to Visitor. The declaration above the signature says you have read the posted notices, will follow the institution’s visiting guidelines, do not have articles you know to be a threat to institution safety or security, know the false-statement penalty, and know the visiting area including its restrooms may be monitored.
Does signing the form give the prison permission to search me?
The form reports a rule rather than creating one. 28 C.F.R. § 511.14 provides that “[b]y entering or attempting to enter a Bureau facility or Bureau grounds, non-inmates consent to being searched in accordance with these regulations and Bureau policy.” The consent notice on BP-A0224 is the same text the Bureau must post at every entrance.
What happens if I refuse to sign it?
28 C.F.R. § 540.51(e) provides that “[s]taff may deny the visiting privilege to a visitor who refuses to make such a declaration,” and § 511.17 permits denial of entry or removal at the Warden’s discretion where a person refuses to be searched. Both are discretionary standards.
What do I do about prescription medication?
The form’s own note says: “All types of medication carried must be listed in the following space, and must be left at the entry area,” and provides a ruled space for the list.
Where does the signed form go?
Into Section 3 of the incarcerated person’s central file — the filing line reads “FILE IN SECTION 3 UNLESS APPROPRIATE FOR PRIVACY FOLDER.” Program Statement 5800.17 identifies Section Three as the “(Mail, Visits, Property, etc.)” section. (PS 5800.17 at p. 17.)
Reviewed for legal accuracy by Elizabeth Franklin-Best, Esq., Principal Attorney·September 2026