Before you can schedule a visit, you need to be on the incarcerated person's approved visitor list.
The incarcerated person starts this, not you. They request CDCR Form 106 (the Visitor Questionnaire), sign it, and mail it to you. You can't download a blank one and start on your own.
List every criminal conviction and every arrest — even ones that never led to charges. CDCR runs a background check and can deny approval over anything undisclosed, not just anything that happened.
The completed form goes to the Visiting Sergeant at the facility, addressed to "Visiting" — this is usually a different address than the one used for regular mail to the incarcerated person. Use the facility staff/institution mailing address when CDCR publishes one; if the facility page does not clearly separate staff mail from inmate mail, call Visiting before mailing Form 106.
In February 2026, CDCR proposed regulations (rulemaking NCR 26-03) that would change the visitor approval process in ways that mostly help families. If adopted: a revised Form 106 (Rev. 05/25) lets CDCR run the background check itself through the state CLETS system — which is designed to stop people being denied for not recalling every old arrest or conviction, since the check does the remembering. Applicants would also be able to email missing or corrected documents to the institution instead of restarting the whole application, documents would be scanned into your visitor profile so they follow you, the visitor search process would be clarified as voluntary (hand-held wand and visual inspection, no touching), and visiting hours and days would increase.
Until the rulemaking is adopted, the current rules on this page still apply — including full disclosure of your arrest history on the form, because omission or falsification remains grounds for denial today. The safest move under old rules or new: disclose everything, even old, minor, dismissed, or expunged matters, and let the process sort it. Check the status of the rulemaking on CDCR’s regulations page or ask the visiting office whether the new Form 106 revision is in use at your institution.
You'll get a letter with the reason. You can appeal: write to the Warden first (response required within 15 working days), then escalate to the CDCR Division of Adult Institutions if needed (20 working days).
CDCR sometimes allows a visit before formal approval for visitors traveling 250+ miles unexpectedly, at the Visiting Sergeant's discretion. Don't count on this — apply in advance whenever you can.
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