Breadcrumb Trail - You are here Visiting a Prison / Magillian Prison /
Magillian Prison
This page sets out details of visiting times, the location of the prison and provides information about search procedures as well as providing links to the online booking forms.
If you need information on how to obtain financial assistance in relation to your visit please click here
Visiting times
The following visiting times apply.
Wednesday – Sunday : 9:00am-12:30am & 14:00pm-15:30pm
- There are no visits in Magilligan on Mondays and Tuesdays
- There are also no visits on Bank Holidays.
- The minimum duration of a visit is 30 mins. However Magilligan operates two visiting sessions per day - a morning session and afternoon session.
- Legal visits can booked from Wednesday to Sunday inclusive on Tel: 028 7772 0454.
Location
Magilligan is situated on the Foyle peninsula in the north west of Northern Ireland approximately 16 miles from Coleraine and 26 miles from Londonderry.
The main visits area is within a short walk of the main gate of the prison.
Travelling to Magilligan
By car
From Coleraine follow the signs for Castlerock and Benone to Magilligan Point. Turn right into the Point Road and drive for approximately 2 ½ miles. You will be able to see the prison ahead of you.
All vehicles must be left outside the main entrance. There is a car park beside the NIACRO Visitors Centre.
By bus
Magilligan prison provides a courtesy transport service to and from the prison from local railway stations on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Times
| Wednesday | |
| 10:10am | Bellarena station - collect visitors from Londonderry train |
| 10:53am | Bellarena station - collect visitors from Belfast train |
| 12:20pm | Return visitors to Coleraine station for Belfast train |
| 12:45pm | Return visitors to Bellarena station for Londonderry train |
| 13:00pm | Bellarena station - collect visitors from Belfast train |
| 14:50pm | Return visitors to Bellarena station for Belfast train |
| Saturday | |
| 11:23am | Bellarena station - collect visitors from Londonderry train |
| 12:45am | Return visitors to Bellarena station for Londonderry train |
| 13:00pm | Bellarena station - collect visitors from Belfast train |
| 14:50pm | Return visitors to Bellarena station for Belfast train |
| 15:30pm | Return visitors to Coleraine station for Belfast train |
NIACRO and Prison Link provide regular transport services to Magilligan. For further information and transport bookings contact:
NIACRO - Tel: 028 7126 4555
PRISON LINK - Tel: 028 9026 2492
Online booking forms
Legal/professional booking form
Search
All visitors to the prison undergo a rub down search followed by a search by a passive drug dog before entering the visits room.
Passive drug dogs are fully trained to detect drugs. The dogs do not come into contact with the person but detect by scent. These dogs are used at the entrance to the Visits Area, and will indicate to the handler when a person may be carrying drugs or has been in close recent contact with drugs. When a dog makes an indication, in the interests of health and safety, that person will be offered a closed visit or asked to leave the prison.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service has a responsibility and duty to prevent smuggling of drugs into prisons. Apart from the health problems caused by drugs they also lead to intimidation and bullying in prisons and an unsafe environment for both staff and prisoners. More widely, the pressure that might be applied to a prisoner's family and friends to traffick in drugs or pay for their habit can cause additional misery and hardship.
The Prison Service is committed to tackling the problem head on with every measure at our disposal. The community would not expect us to act any differently. There will be no half measures.
