What identification do visitors need to bring?
Section 42 of the Corrections Act 1986 (Vic) says prison staff are allowed to ask visitors about:
- Why they are visiting
- Their relationship with you
- Their identity, address, occupation and age
If your visitor refuses to give this information, or gives information they know isn’t true, they could be refused entry to the prison and get a visitor ban from attending that or any other prison in Victoria. They could also be charged with an offence or given a fine.
Prison officers can ask for your visitor to show a total of 100 points of ID. If your visitor does not have this ID or refuses to provide it, they may not be allowed to visit you (important: this does not include children under 18).
This table shows different types of ID and how many points they are worth:
| 100 points | – Passport – Driver’s licence – Working with Children card – Firearms licence – Key Pass – Proof of Age card – Vic government ID | 50 points | – Law card – Birth certificate – Marriage certificate – Certificate of Australian citizenship – Immigration card – Australian driver’s licence from another state | 25 points | – Medicare card – Health care card – Student card – Credit card – Bank book – Seniors card |
If your visitor does not have a 100-point ID (from the left column), they must have at least one 50-point ID (from the middle column).