Building Name & Number Index
Printable version of the NIH Visitor Map
Main Entrance: NIH Gateway Drive
Rockville Pike & NIH Gateway Drive
Vehicle Inspection
5am - 10pm, Monday-Friday
After 10pm on weekdays, all day weekends and holidays, all visitor (patients, commercial, non-commercial) vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles must enter campus at the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF)
Pedestrians:
West Gateway Center (Pedestrians Only)
Near Old Georgetown Rd & South Dr
6am - 12pm, Monday - Friday
Patient and Patient Visitor Entrance
Cedar Lane & West Drive
Valet Parking at Clinical Center Main Entrance
7 days a week: Inbound Traffic Only: 6 am - 10 pm
Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) Building 67: Commercial Vehicles Only
Rockville Pike - between North Dr. and Wilson Dr. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
After 10pm on weekdays, all day weekends and holidays, all visitors in vehicles or as pedestrians should enter via the CVIF
To learn more about visitor and security issues at the NIH, visit: http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/index.htm.
For questions about campus access, please contact the ORS Information Line at
orsinfo@mail.nih.gov or 301-594-6677, TTY - 301-435-1908.
Information for Patients and Visitors to the National Institutes of Health
Street Address: National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda MD 20892
Welcome to the NIH. Please take the time to read this bulletin. It contains important parking and security information you need when visiting the NIH campus.
Patient and Patient Visitor Parking:
Clinical Center — P1 Entrance
Parking Ticket Validation Required
Monday – Friday, 7am - 9pm
Patient & Patient Visitor Parking Validation:
B1 Lobby at Hospitality Desk
No validation required weeknights after 9pm, weekends & holidays
Valet Parking Service:
Available at the Clinical Center Main Entrance
Monday – Friday, 7am – 7pm
Ticket validation required
Valet Parking Validation: North Lobby at Hospitality Desk
7am - 7pm
Unclaimed vehicles after 7pm will be parked in the front of the Clinical Center roadway and keys will be transferred to the CRC/Bldg. 10 Admissions desk.
Patient and Patient Visitor Extended Access Pass:
You can request an optional, extended visitor Photo ID and Campus Access Pass to expedite your campus and building entry.
Visit the Clinical Center Admissions Desk or see your patient care coordinator for these timesaving services.
General Visitor Parking Information:
Visitors (other than patients) parking at the Gateway Parking Garage (MLP-11) and in designated visitor parking lots:
Monday – Friday:
6am - 9pm (entrance)
6am - 11pm (exit)
$2.00 per hour for the first three hours
$12.00 for the entire day
Metered parking lots:
Monday – Friday, 7am – 7pm
$2 per hour
The NIH has implemented security measures to help ensure the safety of our patients, employees, guests and facilities. All visitors must enter through the NIH Gateway Center at Metro or the West Gateway Visitor Center. You will be asked to submit to a vehicle or personal inspection.
Visitors over 15 years of age must provide a form of government-issued ID such as a driver's license or passport. Visitors under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
Vehicle Inspections – All vehicles and their contents will be inspected upon entering the campus. Additionally, all vehicles entering certain parking areas will be inspected, regardless of any prior inspection. Drivers will be required to present their driver’s license and may be asked to open the trunk and hood. If you are physically unable to perform this function, please inform the inspector and they will assist you.
Vehicle inspection may consist of any combination of the following: Detection Dogs Teams (K-9), Electronic Detection Devices and Manual Inspection.
After inspection, you will be issued a vehicle inspection pass. It must be displayed on your vehicle’s dashboard while you are on campus. The inspection pass is not a "parking permit." It only grants your vehicle access to enter the campus. You can only park in designated parking areas. (See campus map)
Personal Inspections – All visitors should be prepared to submit to a personal inspection prior to entering the campus. These inspections may be conducted with a handheld monitoring device, a metal detector and by visible inspection. Additionally, your personal belongings may be inspected and passed through an x-ray machine.
Firearms, explosives, archery equipment, dangerous weapons, knives with blades over 2 1/2 inches, alcoholic beverages and open containers of alcohol are examples of prohibited items on the NIH campus.
Visitor passes must be prominently displayed at all times while on the NIH campus.