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Visit NSF

NSF welcomes thousands of visitors a year. Should you need information not provided below, please contact our Visitor and Reception Center, either by phone at 703-292-5111, or by email, at info@nsf.gov.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The National Science Foundation's street address is 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230. NSF is located in the Ballston area of North Arlington, Virginia, between Wilson Boulevard and Fairfax Drive, one block south of the Ballston-Marymount University Metro stop on the Orange Line. The building's main entrance is located at the corner of 9th and Stuart Streets.

Parking is available in the Ballston Common mall, in the NSF building, and at other area parking lots and garages. Metered parking is also available on the surrounding streets.

Visitors are asked to check at the Reception and Information Center (RIC), on the first floor to receive a visitor pass, before going on to meetings, appointments, or other business at the NSF. Visitors bringing computers into NSF should consult the NSF Computer Security Policy before arriving.

NSF asks visitors with special needs to request necessary accommodations in advance of their arrival.

REQUIRED IDENTIFICATION

Secure driver's licenses and identification documents are a vital component of our national security framework. The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, enacted the 9/11 Commission's recommendation that the Federal Government "set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses." The Act established minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits federal agencies from accepting, for certain purposes, driver's licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act's minimum standards. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing Federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and, no sooner than 2016, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft.

States and other jurisdictions have made significant progress in enhancing the security of their licenses over the last number of years. As a result, approximately 90% of all U.S. drivers hold licenses from jurisdictions: (1) determined to meet the Act's standards; or (2) that have received extensions. Individuals holding driver's licenses or identification cards from these jurisdiction may continue to use them as before.

The non-compliant states' extensions are currently variable. The National Science Foundation is monitoring the official DHS website to ensure we are providing our customers the latest information concerning the Real ID Act. You can research more about the Real ID Act by clicking on the following links:

TRAVEL LINKS

This list of links serves as a center point of links to important information concerning Federal travel. This includes current Per Diem rates, Airfare, Currency Exchange Rates, and other topics of interest for NSF staff and visitors.

Travel Per Diem Rates

City-to-City Airfare Costs

Foreign Currency Exchange Rates

Others

TRAVEL INFORMATION

small map of metropolitan Washington D.C. area

The NSF building is located a few blocks from Route 66 and Route 50, approximately three miles from downtown Washington, D.C. and is easily accessible from many points of arrival and departure from within the metropolitan D.C. area.

For detailed directions, choose an arrival point from the list below:

AROUND NSF

Visitors to the NSF building will find shopping and food facilities, including those at the Ballston Common (mall) Food Court and in the NSF building itself, are numerous and accessible. Visitors to this area may also be interested in general information for visitors to Washington, D.C., including the current weather information.

The NSF has a small cafeteria (Science Fare) on the second floor, just beyond the guard desk.

LOCAL MAPS / ATTRACTIONS

Local Area Weather