Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 675 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203-2114 (703) 526-6630
DARPA is a secure facility. Visitors should arrange an appointment with a program manager or other DARPA staff prior to visiting.
There are no public tours of the facility.
DARPA General Information
DARPA Management Offices
Visitor Welcome Center (VWC)
Media Contact
Military Contacts
Public Release Request
The following guidelines are provided to make your visit to DARPA both productive and pleasant. We also want to ensure we provide a safe and secure environment for you and your information as well as for our people, property, and information. Please assist us in this effort by complying with our security requirements.
If you are registering for attendance to unclassified events sponsored at the DARPA Conference Center (DCC), a completed DARPA Form 104, “DARPA Conference Center Visitor Requirements for Unclassified Meetings” must be filled out and submitted via your established secure means to the office hosting the event. Please do not send directly to the Visitor Welcome Center (VWC).
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.
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 seven minutes. Directions can be found at: https://goo.gl/maps/dMJniZBxgFm.
NOTE: Metro is currently undergoing a prolonged period of maintenance that may affect commute times. Refer to Metro’s “Safe Track” website for more information about maintenance plans and their anticipated impacts: http://www.wmata.com/rail/safetrack.cfm.
Prior to arrival, your clearance/visit request must be on file with the VWC for collateral visits and the Special Security Office (SSO) for visits involving Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
NOTE: Before individuals transmit Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or other sensitive data to DARPA, it is recommended that they apply appropriate physical, administrative, and technical protocols to safeguard their privacy. Once DARPA receives PII or sensitive personal data, it secures it from unauthorized access, use or disclosure in a controlled, secure environment.
All visitors entering this facility 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). All visitor hand-carried items will be x-rayed prior to entry. Your cooperation with these mandatory antiterrorism measures is appreciated. Once cleared by the officer, you will be directed to the (VWC) for badge processing.
When you check-in at the VWC, you will be asked a series of questions related to your visit and equipment in your possession. You will be required to show government-issued, picture identification. Normally, this will be a state-issued driver’s license for U.S. citizens and a passport for foreign nationals. If you are presenting a driver’s license from a state which is not in compliance under Department of Homeland Security guidelines, a secondary form of photo ID will be required. VWC personnel will inventory your equipment and provide you with a property pass for any equipment approved to accompany you on your visit and to use while within and when exiting DARPA. This pass verifies ownership and authority to possess the equipment while in the facility and to take it with you when you leave. Your equipment will be checked for wireless and audio/visual recording devices and you will be provided a pamphlet with the DARPA rules for visitors. Various signs are posted at the building entrances advising you of security requirements. If your visit will take place over several days, you must register each day with the VWC.
Visit Verification
Upon completion of your visit registration, your DARPA point of contact (POC) will be contacted to verify your visit time and location. If you have arrived early, the POC may ask you to wait in the lobby until the scheduled visit time. A café is available on the first floor and several coffee shops and restaurants are in the immediate area. If you have not made prior arrangements with your DARPA POC, your visit may be denied. If the 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. The first floor lobby, restrooms, café and any area outside the main building are the only areas excluded from the escort requirement. If you wish to visit multiple people within DARPA, you must register each visit with the VWC, which will verify the acceptance of the visit with each DARPA POC.
Foreign Nationals
If you are not a U.S. citizen, a completed DARPA Form 60,”U.S. Permanent Resident and Foreign National Visit Request” must be provided to: SIDInternationalSecurity@darpa.mil via encrypted e-mail (or fax to (703) 528-3655). NOTE: Before individuals transmit PII or other sensitive data to DARPA, it is recommended that they apply appropriate physical, administrative, and technical protocols to safeguard their privacy. Once DARPA receives PII or sensitive personal data, it secures it 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, please remember to bring your permanent residency card. If you represent your government in an official capacity, please contact your embassy in Washington, DC, to apply to visit DARPA as an official foreign visitor. If you have further questions about visiting DARPA please send them to your DARPA point of contact or email SIDInternationalSecurity@darpa.mil.
Weapons Prohibited
Items that can be used as weapons are strictly prohibited from being brought into DARPA facilities. Examples are:
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 storing your small electronics. If a business necessity exists, such as using these devices as part of a business presentation, prior arrangements must be made with the DARPA POC, who will coordinate with SID.
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 prohibition includes wireless transmission devices such as two-way radios and pagers. Unauthorized wireless devices found in the DARPA facility may be confiscated.
The following devices may be taken above the first floor of the DARPA facility
NOTE: To use such devices for demos/presentations, visitors must first get the approval from their Government Host. At time of check-in, VWC personnel will contact the Government Host and verify the equipment has been approved for use. Director SID or his designee is the approving authority for these requests.
In order to expedite your visit, we recommend bringing your presentation on removable media. If a DARPA loaner laptop is needed to support your visit, please notify your DARPA sponsor 48 hours prior to your visit.
For general information regarding networking wireless technology, contact the DARPA Help Desk at (703) 527-5527 or Action@darpa.mil.
DARPA provides a public network that may be used by visitors on the first floor of the facility. Laptops that have been approved for entry may be attached to the DARPA Public Network (DPN) and may be attached to DARPA projectors in the conference rooms. DPN uses purple cables tagged with purple labels. Cables are not to be moved or relabeled by unauthorized personnel. DPN is directly connected to the Internet. Users of this network are responsible for their own security. For assistance with conference room equipment, please have your DARPA sponsor contact the DARPA Help Desk at 703-527-5527 or Action@darpa.mil.
Wireless services are available in several locations, including the café and patio areas.
The wireless network only provides access to the Internet.
Access is provided at no cost to the visitor.
All cell phones and PEDs 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.
For DARPA technical office and security telephone numbers, contact your DARPA sponsor.
You are now leaving the DARPA.mil website that is under the control and management of DARPA. The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by DARPA of non-U.S. Government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although DARPA may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for Department of Defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.
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