What you will need

When making a booking, visitors will be asked for the inmate’s name and their Master Index Number (MIN). They will also be asked to provide their own Visitor Identification Number (VIN).

When making a booking for the first time, an adult visitor will be allocated a VIN, provided they give a suitable form of identification (ID), such as a Drivers Licence or Medicare card number. 

Identification (ID) required for a visit

The first time an adult visits an inmate they are required to provide appropriate forms of ID from a CSNSW approved list, such as a current Drivers Licence or passport. One form of ID must show the visitor’s current residential address. The Visiting a Correctional Centre booklet (PDF, 10.7 MB) contains the current list of approved forms of ID. Children under 18 do not need to provide identification, if accompanied by an adult. 

All visitor details will be stored on the CSNSW electronic database and retrieved when the visitor makes a further appointment for a visit.

We are now accepting the NSW Digital Driver Licence as a valid form of identification for visits at all correctional centres except:

• Goulburn
• Kirkonnell
• Lithgow.

Visitors at correctional centres that do accept digital driver licences are encouraged to bring their physical driver licence with them in case they have difficulty downloading the digital driver licence.

Biometric Identification System

Biometric identification systems are currently installed at 16 correctional centres, and are used to photograph a visitor’s face, scan their irises and capture their fingerprints. The system is networked across all 16 centres, with the exception of the Special Purpose Centre, Long Bay.

The captured information is retained on the system and is available to all networked centres for subsequent visits. However, visitors must also carry identification when visiting an inmate in case the biometric identification system is not working.

At centres where there is no biometric identification system visitors will be required to produce the forms of ID as outlined above (even if they have been issued with a VIN).