HMP BELMARSH VISITORS' CENTRE
Information about the visitors' centre
Contact details
How to get there
visitors' centre opening hours
Facilities on offer at the visitors' centre
Disabled access?
Information for visitors to HMP Belmarsh
Prison visiting times
How to book a visit
Before you visit
What to bring as ID
Bringing the children?
Booking in for a visit
What is hand biometrics?
What can I take into the visits hall?
Being searched
Inside the visits hall
Help with travel costs
Support from other organisations
Property and money for prisoners
I’m worried about the prisoner I am visiting, who do I talk to?
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Contact details
6 Belmarsh Road
London
SE28 0HE
020 8317 3888
belmarsh@prisonadvice.org.uk
The Visitors' Centre Manager is Carole Suffolk.
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How to get there
The nearest train stations are Plumstead, and Woolwich Arsenal. From Woolwich Arsenal Station, you can catch the 244 or 380 bus to the prison, or take a fairly short taxi ride. For more advice on getting to Belmarsh Prison, visit the Prison Service website. To find the visitors' centre, turn left after you have entered the main prison driveway.
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Visitors' centre opening hours
Monday - Friday: 8.00am - 4.45pm
Saturday - 8.30am – 4:45pm
Sunday: 12.30pm - 4.45pm
Please note that the prison visiting times are slightly different to the visitors' centre opening hours. To find out the visiting times, see below.
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Facilities on offer at the visitors' centre
- information and advice about prison routines, visiting procedure, the Prison Assisted Visits Scheme, and other organisations that offer help
- a coffee bar selling a variety of drinks, snacks, soup and sandwiches (please note, we are often unable to give change for £20 notes.)
- toys for children to play with
- toilets and baby changing facilities
- pact staff and volunteers are always on hand to offer support and a listening ear
- all visits must be pre-booked at least 48 hrs in advance
- to book a visit, phone the prison's Booking Line on 020 8331 4768
- it is possible to book a visit by email or fax; please ask at the visitors' centre for more details
- up to three adults and any number of children under 11 can visit a prisoner at one time
- Children under the age of 18 cannot visit alone, unless visiting a parent or by special arrangement
- a child aged 16 or over may visit a parent unaccompanied, but proof of the relationship and ID will be required. Any person who appears to be under 18 and is not with an adult will need to prove their age
- you cannot visit a prisoner on a day that they attend court
- there are no visits on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day or Good Friday
- remand prisoners can have two visits per week. The names and addresses of those visiting must be supplied at the time of booking. The prison week starts on Sunday and finishes on Saturday
- convicted prisoners can have two Visiting Orders per month. Visitors to convicted prisoners must wait until they have received the Visiting Order before booking a visit. Visiting Orders are sent out to you by the prisoner (except for the 'reception visit' - see below)
- passport
- EC Identity Card
- driving licence
- Oyster Card (if it has a photo)
- senior citizen's public transport pass
- employer's or student ID card (if it has photo and/or signature)
- bank statements
- utility bills
- benefits book
- rent Book
- Printed Medical Card (not hand written)
- Foreign identity or resident’s card
- a pre-booked appointment
- two forms of ID
- a Visiting Order (for convicted prisoners only)
- your Visiting Order
- your barcode badge (if applicable)
- up to £10 in cash, (£30 per VO) to buy things from the coffee bar in the visits hall. Please note you cannot take £20 notes into the visits hall.
- an empty baby's bottle and nappies (in a sealed prison bag)
- your locker key
- any essential medication
- for security reasons, the room will be patrolled by prison officers and monitored by CCTV cameras
- for safety reasons, children must stay with the person who brought them, or in the playroom, and not run around the visits hall
- any complaints should be raised with the senior officer in charge of the visits hall
- smoking is not allowed in the visits complex
- once you enter the visits hall you will be allocated a table where you will have your visit
- the prisoner will be brought to the visits hall at the visit starting time, even if you are late. He will leave when the session ends
- you are allowed to purchase refreshments from the canteen, but please remember that the prisoner can take nothing from the visits hall
- ask at the visitors' centre
- call the APVU on 0845 300 1423
- or visit the Prison Service website
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Disabled access?
Yes. Entrance to the visitors' centre is at ground level; there are automatic doors and no steps. There is also a disabled toilet available.
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Prison visiting times
Monday: 2.15pm - 4pm
Tuesday: 2.15pm - 4pm
Wednesday: No social visits
Thursday: 2.15pm - 4pm
Friday: 2.15pm - 4pm
Saturday: 9.15am - 11am, 2pm – 3.45pm
Sunday: 2pm – 3.45pm
For information about High Security Unit visits, please ask at the visitors' centre.
Please note that all visits must be booked 48 hours in advance.
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Booking line opening times
Monday - Friday: 8.30am - 11.30am, 12.30pm - 4.15pm
Saturday: 10am - 11.30am, 3pm - 3.45pm
Sunday: 3pm - 4pm
Visits to Category A prisoners
For security reasons, people wishing to visit a Category A prisoner must be security cleared before any visits can take place. For full information about security clearance, please contact the prison's security department.
How many visits is the prisoner allowed?
The first visit
If it is the first time a prisoner has come into prison, they are entitled to a 'reception visit' within the first week of entering the prison. Like all other visits, you must arrange this through the booking clerks by ringing the Booking Line on 020 8331 4768. If you are visiting a convicted prisoner, you will need a Visiting Order, but this will be available for you to pick up when you arrive.
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Before you visit
Give yourself plenty of time to get to HMP Belmarsh; please aim to arrive at least 30 minutes before the visit time. You must book in no more than 20 minutes after the start of the visits session, or you will not be allowed entry to the prison.
You will need to bring identification with you - please see the list of appropriate ID below. You will also need to bring a pound coin to use in the locker where your belongings will be kept while you are on the visit. (The pound coin is refunded.)
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What to bring as ID
Visitors over 16 must provide one form of photographic ID from the following list...ALL PHOTOGRAPHIC ID MUST BE IN DATE
plus one form of ADDRESS ID WHICH MUST BE DATED WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF DATE OF YOUR VISIT from the following list:
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Bringing the children?
Inside the visits hall is a children's play area, run by pact, which provides toys, games and playworkers for the children. Find out more about the HMP Belmarsh play service
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Booking in for a visit
To visit a prisoner at HMP Belmarsh you must have:
At the enrolment centre, the above items will be checked to confirm your visit.
You will then either complete biometrics or have an ultra-violet stamp on your hand to validate your entry to the visits hall.
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What is biometrics?
Biometric is a system that records a 3-D image of your finger and stores it on a bar-code against an image of your face for recognition purposes. It is checked as you go in and out of the visit. All visitors and CAT ‘A’ visitors must complete this process. Also all female visitors will have a non-harmful ultra-violet stamp upon their hand, again for recognition purposes.
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What can I take into the visits hall?
Once you have enrolled, almost all your personal possessions must be left in a locker in the visitors' centre. A £1 coin is needed for the locker.
However, you are allowed to take some items into the visits hall with you:
Being searched
All visitors to HMP Belmarsh will be searched on their way to the visits hall. A prison officer will carry out a rub down and metal detection search. Coats, jackets and shoes will be x-rayed.
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Help with travel costs
If you are on a low income or you receive benefits, you might be entitled to get help from the government with the cost of visiting your relative in prison. Help is provided by the Assisted Prison Visits Unit (APVU). You can claim for two visits a month.
For more information about the APVU:
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Support from other organisations
There are a number of organisations that offer advice and support to prisoners and their families. To find out more, visit our links page or ask at the visitors' centre.
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Property and money for prisoners
There are many rules and regulations about how to do this. Please click here for detailed information about what is allowed
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I’m worried about the prisoner I am visiting, who do I talk to?
If after the visit you have any fears or worries about the prisoner you are visiting there is a confidential ‘Care and Keep Safe’ form you can fill in, available at our main desk. Please drop it in the box provided. We collect these forms at the end of each week day and on the Monday following a weekend visit. We will contact the safer custody team who will deal with your concern. If you believe the concern is more urgent, you can call the Safer Custody team directly on 02083314712 Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm, or the orderly office at evenings and weekends on 02083314400.
