The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation's medical research agency and welcomes visitors from across the United States and around the world. NIH prioritizes safety, and the NIH implements security procedures to ensure the safety of patients, employees, guests, and facilities. Our goal is to enable an efficient and effective visitor access management process for all visitors. The VisitNIH pre-registration process supports greater physical security and a safer environment for NIH to conduct its work.
Visitor Access
As a federal facility, and in accordance with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policy, NIH has implemented new security procedures for visitors coming to NIH facilities.
Non-U.S. person visitors (those without U.S. citizenship or Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card) status are required to complete the VisitNIH pre-registration process and be approved to visit.
This process is initiated when NIH event or meeting hosts/organizers create an event in the VisitNIH system. They will list the potential visitors and their email addresses. As the visitor, you will receive a secure link via email to add your information.
Non-U.S. person visitors will be required to submit their visit application using this link. Non-U.S. person visitors will be asked to provide their information and to upload their foreign passport and their visa if applicable.
It is recommended that non-U.S. persons complete pre-registration 30 days in advance of your planned visit. This allows enough time for review and approval. Failure to pre-register and be approved in time will result in the denial of entry to NIH facilities.
This pre-registration process is required for non-U.S. visitors and available for U.S. visitors.
After pre-registration is approved, non-U.S. person visitors should bring their unexpired foreign passport when entering the facility and be prepared to provide the guard their visa if applicable during the check-in process. At arrival, visitors should provide the ID they used to complete the VisitNIH pre-registration.
All patients and visitors ages 18 and older must display an approved form of identification and undergo a security screening to obtain a visitor badge to enter NIH facilities.
Additional Resources
