NSF Federal Security Screening
All visitors to NSF must pass through federal security screening and check in at the Visitor Center, on the first floor to receive a visitor pass.
Visitors pass through a metal detector and all bags are x-rayed. Visitors must remove:
- Coats
- Belts
- Shoes and
- Unpack laptops.
Please consider limiting extra bags or personal materials in order to minimize required inspection time.
Please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled meeting or appointment to allow time to pass through security and obtain your visitor pass.
U.S. Code prohibits bringing any dangerous weapons onto Federal property. Security staff will confiscate any suspicious or potentially dangerous materials. Please keep in mind what items are permitted and prohibited on government property.
The list of prohibited firearms and projectile weapons includes, but is not limited to:
- Firearms or similar device that expels a projectile through the action of an explosive (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d));
- BB or pellet guns;
- Compressed air guns;
- Antique firearms;
- Flare guns;
- Realistic replica or toy firearms (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d));
- Spear guns;
- Starter pistols;
- Stun guns, cattle prods, dart-firing stun guns, and other electric weapons or controlled devices;
- Ammunition, shotgun shells or firearm cartridges, black powder, smokeless propellant powder (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)); and
- Slingshots.
The list of prohibited bladed, edged, or sharp tools, or implements includes, but is not limited to:
- Axes and hatchets;
- Bows and arrows;
- Ice axes/ice picks;
- Throwing stars (martial arts);
- Knives, sabers, swords, daggers, and other bladed devices with a blade of more than 2 ½ inches (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)); and
- Razor-type blades such as box cutters, utility knives, and razor blades not in a cartridge, but excluding safety razors (unless meeting the exemption listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)(3)).
The list of club-like items and striking devices includes, but is not limited to:
- Billy clubs;
- Blackjacks;
- Brass knuckles;
- Chains in excess of 12 inches (Jewelry exceptions can be made);
- Night sticks (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)); and
- Martial arts weapons, including nunchucks and kubatons.
The list of destructive devices, explosives, or any chemical compound or mixture that has a property of yielding readily to combustion or oxidation upon the application of heat, flame, or shock includes, but is not limited to:
- Blasting caps or detonators;
- Dynamite, nitroglycerin, trinitrotoluene, ammonium nitrate, and others;
- Fireworks;
- Gunpowder;
- Hand grenades, mine, bomb, rocket, missile, pipe bomb, plastic explosives;
- Realistic replicas of explosives or similar devices;
- Explosive or expanding gases;
- Gas torches; and
- Flammable Liquids (i.e., gasoline, turpentine, and paint thinner) (unless meeting the exemption listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)(3)).
The list of disabling chemicals and other dangerous items includes, but is not limited to:
- Mace, pepper spray, tear gas, tear gas gun, or other chemical spray designed for self-defense (unless meeting the exemption listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d));
- Spillable batteries, except those in wheel chairs or similar devices used by a mobility impaired individual;
- Spray paint (unless meeting the exemption listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)(3)); and
- Poisonous gases.
Visitors bringing computers into NSF should consult the NSF Computer Security Policy before arriving.
NSF follows the REAL ID Act and requires all visitors to bring valid and current identification with an expiration date. Photocopies and pictures of IDs will not be accepted. Visit the Department of Homeland Security website for questions or examples of valid ID. NSF also provides a list of alternative forms of identification accepted. Please let your sponsor know if you do not have a valid ID.