Visitor Information

DARPA is a secure facility with security requirements in place to keep our people, property, and information safe.

If you are registering for attendance to an event sponsored at the DARPA Conference Center (DCC), you will need to submit a completed DARPA eForm-104 three business days in advance. Please contact the DARPA office hosting the event for an eForm-104.

Review what to bring and what not to bring below. Note: To enter the building, you must have valid, REAL ID Act compliant form of identification.

Clearance/Visit request

Prior to arrival, your clearance/visit request must be on file with the Visitor Welcome Center (VWC) for collateral visits and the Special Security Office (SSO) for visits involving Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).

Note: Before you transmit Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or other sensitive data to DARPA, it is recommended that you apply appropriate physical, administrative, and technical protocols to safeguard your privacy. Once PII or sensitive personal data is received, DARPA secures it from unauthorized access, use or disclosure in a controlled, secure environment.

For collateral-level visits: Please have the requesting Facilities Security Officer (FSO) send a visit request using the SMO Code: DDAAUS4. You may also fax your clearance/visit request to DARPA at (703) 528-3655 or send it via encrypted email to: SID-CPC@darpa.mil.

For SCI-level visits: Please fax your clearance/visit request to the SSO at 703-528-3655 (unclassified). You may also send your SCI visit requests as follows:

• Via JWICS, the requesting SSO may send a message with the visit information to SSO DARPA.
• Via DISS, the requesting SSO may send a visit request using the SMO Code DDAAUS2. 

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All visitors 

To enter the building, you must bring a government-issued, picture identification that is compliant with the REAL ID Act of 2005. Normally, this will be a state-issued driver’s license for U.S. citizens and a passport for foreign nationals, but not all states are compliant with the REAL ID Act. Check the Department of Homeland Security website to ensure your driver’s license is compliant. If your state is not compliant, you will need to provide one of these identification credentials for entry.

Note: You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid, REAL ID Act compliant form of identification.

• Federally-issued identification
  • U.S. Passport
  • U.S. Passport Card
  • PIV or Federally issued Personal
  • Identification Verification – Cards
  • Driver’s License issued by the U.S. Department of State
  • Border Crossing Card (Form DSP-150)
  • DHS “Trusted Traveler” Cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
  • U.S. Military ID (all members of the U.S. Armed Forces [including retirees and dependent ID card holders]) and veterans
  • Veterans Health Identification Card issued by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)
  • U.S. Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-550)
  • Employment Authorization Document issued by DHS (Form I-766)
  • U.S. Refugee Travel Document or other travel document or evidence of immigration status issued by DHS containing a photograph (Permit to Re-enter Form I-327 and Refugee Travel Document Form I-571)
  • Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
  • Merchant Mariner Card issued by DHS/United States Coast Guard (USCG)
• State-issued identification
  • A driver’s license or identification card issued by a state that meets the REAL ID standards or has an extension
  • State-issued EDLs (enhanced-drivers-license)
  • Interim Driver’s License issued by a state that meets the REAL ID standards or has an extension
• Other
  • Native American Tribal Photo ID
  • Foreign government-issued passport
  • PIV-I cards (issued by non-Federal Government entities)

Foreign nationals 

If you are not a U.S. citizen, you will need to complete and send a U.S. Permanent Resident and Foreign National Visit Request (e-form 60) to DARPA two business days prior to your visit. Personally identifiable information (PII) is necessary to process your visit request. DARPA secures all PII from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure in a controlled, secure environment.

Please remember to bring your passport. If you are a U.S. Permanent Resident, bring your permanent residency card.

Official foreign visits 

If you represent your government in an official capacity, please contact your embassy in Washington, D.C. to apply to visit DARPA as an official foreign visitor.

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Weapons

Weapons and items that can be used as weapons are strictly prohibited from being brought into DARPA facilities, such as:

• Guns
• Explosives or ammunition
• Knives with blades over 2½ inches
• Clubs, nunchucks, or other martial arts devices
• OC/Pepper Spray, a single device containing one ounce (28 grams) of less

Recording devices including cell phones 

Devices that have the ability to capture images (e.g., cameras and camera phones) or sound (e.g., tape and digital recorders) are prohibited above the first floor of the DARPA facility. Photography and video recording is prohibited anywhere in the DARPA facility unless approved by DARPA Security and Intelligence Directorate (SID). Storage is available to you for your small electronics. If you have a business need, such as using these devices as part of a presentation, you must make prior arrangements with your DARPA POC, who will coordinate with SID.

Laptops and iPads (above the first floor) 

Laptops are not allowed above the first floor. However, if have a legitimate business need for a laptop or iPad for a demo/presentation, please review the “wireless exception” instructions below.

Wireless networking technology 

DARPA’s wireless policy strictly prohibits the use of wireless technologies (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) above the first floor of the DARPA facility. This includes wireless transmission devices such as two-way radios and pagers. Unauthorized wireless devices found in the DARPA facility may be confiscated.

DARPA provides a public wireless network that visitors may use on the first floor of the facility. If your laptop has been approved for entry in the exception process described below, you may attach it to the DARPA Public Network (DPN) and to the DARPA projectors in the conference rooms.

Wireless exceptions: The following devices may be taken above the first floor of the DARPA facility:

• Portable telephones (cell phones) that do not have a picture-taking capability
• Personal electronic devices (PEDs) that do not have Bluetooth capability
• One-way pagers
• Laptops and iPads that have successfully gone through the below process:  
  • To use laptops and iPads for demos/presentations, visitors must first get approval from their Government Host. At the time of check-in, VWC personnel will contact the Government Host and verify the equipment has been approved for use. Director of SID or their designee is the approving authority for these requests.
  • The devices will be allowed in once the wireless signal, microphone, and webcam have been mitigated and verified by VWC staff. DARPA prohibits the use of wireless network above the first floor. To use a wireless network or device as an integral part of the meeting/demonstration, you will need a waiver. Connect with your DARPA point-of-contact for more information. All wireless devices (regardless of on/off state) are prohibited from secure areas such as SCIFs and SAPFs.

All cell phones and personal electronic devices are prohibited in classified meetings and in high security areas such as SCIFs and SAPFs. Advise the VWC staff if you will be discussing classified information.

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Public transportation 

DARPA is accessible by Metrorail. The nearest Metrorail station is the Ballston-Marymount University station on Metro’s Orange and Silver lines. The walk from the Metro station to DARPA takes approximately 7 minutes. | Directions  

Note: Metro is currently undergoing a prolonged period of maintenance that may affect commute times. Refer to Metro’s “Status and Alerts" website” for more information. 

Parking 

Visitor parking is not available in the DARPA building. However, street parking is available nearby, and there are paid garages in the area, including the Ballston Commons Mall, which is located directly across the street from the DARPA facility. 

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Security

All visitors will pass through a metal detector prior to entry. 

If you have a medical condition that prevents you from entering a metal detector or have metal implants that would set off an alarm, please let the officers know and alternate processing methods will be used. If necessary, inspections may be conducted using handheld metal detectors (similar to the process used at airports). Any items you bring with you will be x-rayed prior to entry. Once cleared by the officer, you will be directed to the Visitor Welcome Center (VWC) for badge processing.

Check in

1. A few questions: Our staff at the Visitor Welcome Center (VWC) will ask a few questions related to your visit and any equipment you have with you. The VWC may use facial recognition to expedite entry to the DARPA facility by determining whether registered visitors are returning to the building. This use of facial recognition is not a new data collection. There are no images captured or records made. For more information, refer to the lobby signage.
2. ID check: As mentioned in Prepare for your Visit, you will be required to show government-issued, picture identification that is compliant with the REAL ID Act of 2005. Please see the list in Prepare for your Visit, for other compliant forms of ID.
3. Visit verification: The VWC will inform your DARPA point of contact (POC) that you have arrived at the location and time expected. If you plan to visit multiple people within DARPA, you must register each visit with the VWC. If you have arrived early, the POC may ask you to wait in the lobby until the scheduled visit time. Feel free to visit the café on the first floor or any of the several coffee shops and restaurants in the immediate area. Please note if you have not made prior arrangements with your DARPA POC, your visit may be denied. If your visit is approved, you will be issued a DARPA visitor badge!

Escort requirements 

All approved visitors to DARPA are escorted throughout the facility by an authorized member of the DARPA staff. Exceptions are the first-floor lobby, restrooms, café and any area outside the main building.

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