Where should the application be sent?
The visiting permit application for a convicted person serving their sentence at Villepinte prison must be sent by post to the following address:
Monsieur le Chef d'établissement
Centre Pénitentiaire de Villepinte
Service des permis de visite
Avenue Vauban
93422 VILLEPINTE CEDEX
Remand prisoner or convicted prisoner: a different procedure
The procedure described above applies to people who have been definitively convicted. If your relative is in pre-trial detention awaiting trial, the visiting permit application must be sent not to the prison governor, but:
- to the investigating judge in charge of the case, if a judicial investigation is open;
- to the public prosecutor or the president of the trial court, depending on the stage of the proceedings, once the investigation is closed.
Maître Maximilien FOURT's firm supports its clients at each of these stages — police custody, investigation, pre-trial detention, trial and then sentence enforcement — and knows which authority a visiting permit application should be sent to depending on the exact situation of the case.
Which documents should be provided?
Documents to be provided by family members
- CERFA form no. 13960*02
- Two passport photos taken within the last three months
- A double-sided photocopy of a valid identity card or residence permit
- A birth certificate extract
- Any document proving your family relationship with the prisoner (copy of the family record book…)
- Any document proving shared parental authority over a child
- A stamped envelope addressed to yourself
Documents to be provided by friends or relatives who are not family members
- CERFA form no. 13960*02
- Two passport photos taken within the last three months
- A double-sided photocopy of a valid identity card or residence permit
- A birth certificate extract
- A letter explaining the nature of your relationship with the prisoner
- A stamped envelope addressed to yourself
Booking a visit at Villepinte prison
Once your visiting permit has been granted, visits are booked by phone:
- Visit bookings (free number from France): 0805 05 00 58
- Booking hours: Tuesday to Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, and also on Wednesday from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
- Family reception: Tuesday to Saturday, from 8:00 am to 5:15 pm
- Prison switchboard: +33 1 49 63 75 75
The frequency and length of visits will be confirmed by the prison when the visiting permit is issued.
Bringing belongings to a prisoner
During the visit, the prisoner can hand over dirty laundry to visitors and receive clean laundry in exchange, in principle once a week. The exact arrangements (days, times, drop-off without a visit) are set by each prison and provided at the family reception area.
Please note: some clothing is prohibited, including:
- Clothing resembling a uniform: combat trousers, balaclavas, hoods, blue, khaki or camouflage-print parkas
- Blue shirts, red/orange T-shirts or polo shirts, work overalls, navy blue trousers
- Clothing with laces or hoods, leather clothing or clothing with metal plates
- Belts, hats, caps, ties, scarves, leather gloves
- Dress shoes or shoes containing metal
- Dressing gowns, bathrobes, djellabas, kimonos, boubous, bath towels
Sending money to a prisoner
To make a transfer ("money order") to a prisoner, use the bank details of the personal accounts office of Villepinte prison:
Régie des comptes nominatifs du Centre Pénitentiaire de la Seine-Saint-Denis
Avenue Vauban – 93422 Villepinte Cedex (account held at the Bobigny Public Treasury)
- Maximum amount per transfer: €400
- The transfer must state: surname, first name, prisoner number and date of birth of the prisoner
- The exact bank details can be obtained from the accounts department: compta.ma-villepinte@justice.fr
We recommend having these bank details confirmed by the accounts office before making any transfer.
Important: the transfer order must include, in the description or reference, the surname, first name and prison number of the prisoner.
Visiting permit refused: what are the remedies?
A visiting permit may be refused, in particular for reasons of security or good order within the prison. The refusal must state its reasons. Several remedies are available:
- an informal appeal to the authority that took the decision (prison governor, investigating judge or sentence enforcement judge);
- an appeal before the competent administrative court, including, in urgent cases, through an emergency application for the protection of a fundamental freedom (référé-liberté);
- the involvement of a lawyer, who can usefully support the application by setting out the guarantees offered by the visitor and the value of the visit for the prisoner's rehabilitation.
Maître Maximilien FOURT's firm regularly assists families faced with the refusal of a visiting permit, alongside its work on the substance of the criminal case (pre-trial detention or sentence adjustment).
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to obtain a visiting permit at Villepinte prison? Generally allow two to three weeks. If the administration remains silent for a long time, a lawyer can usefully chase the visiting permit service.
What happens if my relative is transferred to another prison? A visiting permit issued for one prison is not automatically valid elsewhere. A new application must be sent to the governor of the new place of detention.
Does a lawyer need a visiting permit? No, lawyers have access to the lawyers' visiting room without a visiting permit, simply by showing their professional card.
Contact your criminal defense lawyer
Maître Maximilien FOURT's firm has recognised experience in sentence adjustment and pre-trial detention. It regularly works at Villepinte prison, one of the largest in the Île-de-France region, at adversarial hearings before the sentence enforcement judge, to obtain the release of its clients (electronic tag, day release, parole).
Whether the person is in pre-trial detention awaiting trial or definitively convicted and serving their sentence, Maître FOURT provides personalised follow-up of the case and supports relatives throughout their procedures (visiting permits, applications for release, sentence adjustment).