HMP Belmarsh Phone Calls

Getting a call from someone at HMP Belmarsh often comes as a surprise — families don't always know in advance when their loved one has been transferred there. The prison serves London's courts and remand population, which means it receives new arrivals regularly and unexpectedly. Whether your loved one has just arrived or has been at Belmarsh for some time, there are specific things about this prison's phone system that are worth understanding before you try to establish regular contact.

The most important is the 10-minute call limit. Unlike most other UK prisons where call length is determined by how much credit a prisoner has, Belmarsh enforces a 10-minute maximum per call, after which there is a mandatory 10-minute gap before another call can be made. This shapes everything about how families communicate with someone at Belmarsh — and it means managing cost per call is even more important here than elsewhere.

About HMP Belmarsh

HMP Belmarsh opened in 1991 in Thamesmead, south-east London, making it the first new prison built in London since Wormwood Scrubs opened in 1874. It is a Category A men's prison operated directly by His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, with a design capacity of 1,165 and a current population of around 936. The prison is located in the London Borough of Greenwich, close to the Thames, and sits alongside HMP Isis and HMP Thameside on the same large site.

Belmarsh serves two distinct functions. First, it is London's primary high-security remand prison, receiving men from the London courts who are awaiting trial or sentencing. This means it holds a highly transient population alongside longer-term sentenced prisoners. Second, it is part of the High Security Estate, holding convicted Category A prisoners who require maximum security conditions. Within the main prison complex sits the High Security Unit, a separate and even more secure facility of 48 single-occupancy cells holding the most high-profile and dangerous prisoners in the country.

The prison's notoriety stems partly from the people it has housed. Terrorism suspects, high-profile organised crime figures, and internationally reported cases have all passed through Belmarsh. It has at various times held prisoners who made international headlines including Abu Hamza and Julian Assange, and it has a continuing role in holding those convicted of serious terrorism offences pending or after trial at the Old Bailey. This context matters for families, the security environment at Belmarsh is genuinely more intensive than at most other UK prisons, and it has a direct bearing on how phone access works.

The main prison is divided into four residential units, with the High Security Unit sitting separately. Education, work, and rehabilitation provision exists but is more limited than at dedicated training prisons, reflecting the short-term remand nature of much of the population and the security constraints of holding Category A prisoners. The Westway Centre provides some vocational and education provision. Healthcare is managed by Practice Plus Group and the prison health concern line — PHILL on 0117 240 1193 — provides a direct route for families with health concerns about someone inside.

HMP Belmarsh Contact Details

The 10-Minute Call Rule at HMP Belmarsh

The single most important thing to understand about phone calls at HMP Belmarsh is the call length restriction. The standard arrangement at Belmarsh is that prisoners can make 10-minute phone calls, with a mandatory enforced gap of 10 minutes between each call. This is not a credit issue, even if a prisoner has plenty of credit on their account, the system will cut the call off at 10 minutes and they cannot call again for a further 10 minutes.

This is different from the arrangement at most other UK prisons, where calls continue for as long as the prisoner has credit and there is no system-enforced length limit. At Category C training prisons, a prisoner might have a 45-minute conversation in a single call. At Belmarsh, the maximum is 10 minutes per call.

Because calls cut off at 10 minutes, families at Belmarsh often find that calls feel rushed or end abruptly. Having a clear sense of what you want to cover before the phone rings makes calls more satisfying. If your loved one calls back after the 10-minute gap, treat it as a continuation rather than a new conversation.

Prisoners in certain specialist units at Belmarsh — including the London Pathway Progression Unit — may have slightly different arrangements, with 15-minute calls permitted and different gap times. But for the majority of prisoners on the main wings, 10 minutes is the limit.

Understanding the call limit changes how you think about cost. At 10 minutes per call and 5.50p per minute to a mobile, each call costs 55p in phone credit. That might not sound like much per call, but if your loved one makes multiple calls throughout the day — calling back after each 10-minute gap — the daily total adds up fast. Switching to a virtual landline reduces each 10-minute call from 55p to just 24.8p, which is where the saving becomes most tangible at Belmarsh specifically.

How the PIN Phone System Works at HMP Belmarsh

Like all UK prisons, Belmarsh uses a PIN phone system. Every prisoner is issued a personal identification number linked to their phone account. Before making a call they enter their PIN, the system verifies the number is on their approved contact list, and if it is, the call connects. The 10-minute timer starts the moment the call is answered.

The four main residential units at Belmarsh have phones available during the day. Different units run different regimes and the specific hours of access can vary. When your loved one first arrives, they will be told the phone access times for their particular unit during induction. It is worth asking them to confirm these in their first letter so you know when to expect calls.

The High Security Unit at Belmarsh has its own phone access arrangements that are separate from the main wings. If your loved one is on the HSU, communication arrangements are more restricted and the security process for approving contact numbers is more thorough and takes longer. Families of HSU prisoners should expect a longer wait before the first call and should contact the prison directly if they have not heard anything within two weeks of arrival.

All calls at HMP Belmarsh, with the exception of calls to legal representatives made through the separate legal phone account, are recorded and may be monitored by security staff. As one of the UK's foremost national security establishments, monitoring at Belmarsh is particularly thorough. Both parties are told at the start of each call that it is being recorded.

You cannot call a prisoner at Belmarsh. Like all UK prisons, Belmarsh does not accept incoming calls to prisoners. All calls are outgoing only, initiated by your loved one. If you need to raise an urgent welfare concern, call the main switchboard on 020 8331 4437 or the PHILL health line on 0117 240 1193.

Getting on the Phone List at HMP Belmarsh

When a prisoner arrives at Belmarsh, they go through an induction process during which they submit their approved contact list — the numbers they want to be able to call. Security staff check each number before it is activated. At a Category A high-security prison like Belmarsh, this vetting process is more intensive than at lower-category prisons and can take longer. Families should plan for up to a week or more before receiving a first call, and should not be alarmed if the wait extends further for prisoners who arrive under complex security circumstances or from another high-security establishment.

Each prisoner can hold up to 20 approved numbers. Solicitors and legal representatives are held separately on a legal account. The 20-number limit applies only to personal contacts. If your number changes, your loved one needs to go through the approval process again for the new number.

When you send your loved one the number to add to their PIN list, consider giving them a Prison Call virtual landline number rather than your mobile. It takes the same amount of time to approve, but every single call from the moment it is approved costs 2.48p per minute instead of 5.50p. With 10-minute calls at Belmarsh, that saving adds up across every call they make.

Phone Call Costs at HMP Belmarsh in 2026

Call costs at Belmarsh follow the same national HMPPS tariff as all publicly managed prisons in England and Wales. The rates below have been in force since 1 April 2025 and are confirmed fixed until 31 May 2027, following a 20% reduction agreed by the Ministry of Justice. All call costs come out of the prisoner's phone credit, not from you as the recipient.

At Belmarsh's 10-minute call limit, the total cost per call to a mobile number on a weekday is 55p. That is the maximum any single call can cost at the standard rate. However, because calls are short and multiple calls may be made throughout the day, the daily total can still be significant. A prisoner making three 10-minute calls to a mobile in a single day spends £1.65 in credit around £50 per month if this pattern is consistent across weekdays. Switching to a virtual landline reduces each call from 55p to 24.8p, bringing the same three-call weekday to 74.4p instead of £1.65, and the monthly total to around £22 instead of £50.

How to Cut the Cost of Calls From HMP Belmarsh

Because calls at Belmarsh are capped at 10 minutes, the most powerful lever is not call length,  it is the per-minute rate. Unlike at prisons where you can simply have fewer, longer calls to reduce cost, Belmarsh's 10-minute limit means every call is roughly the same length. The only way to meaningfully reduce the cost is to bring the per-minute rate down.

A Prison Call virtual landline does exactly this. You receive a standard UK local phone number for example a 020 London number, that forwards all calls straight to your mobile. Your loved one adds it to their PIN list instead of your mobile. When they dial it from their wing phone, the prison system charges the landline rate of 2.48p per minute on weekdays rather than 5.50p for a mobile. You answer on your mobile as normal. No app, no new SIM, nothing changes on your end.

Thirty pence per call sounds small. But if your loved one makes one call every weekday, that is £6.50 saved per month. Two calls a day saves £13. Three saves £19.50. Over a year at two calls per day, a Prison Call virtual landline saves around £156 compared to calling your mobile. Prison Call plans start from £19.99 per month, meaning the service pays for itself within the first few days of use for most Belmarsh families.

The Four Units at HMP Belmarsh

Understanding which unit your loved one is on matters because it affects visiting times and to some extent the daily routine around phone access. HMP Belmarsh divides its main residential population into distinct units, each with different characteristics.

If you are unsure which unit your loved one is on, they will be able to tell you in their first letter or call. Knowing the unit also helps when you call the prison with a specific enquiry — having this information ready speeds up the response from staff considerably.

Sending Money to Someone at HMP Belmarsh

Phone credit at Belmarsh is purchased by the prisoner through the canteen system, funded from their private cash balance. To top up that balance you use the official free online service at gov.uk/send-prisoner-money. You pay by debit card and need the prisoner's full name, date of birth, and prison number. Funds typically arrive within one to three working days. Cash, cheques, postal orders, and bank transfers are no longer accepted.

Because Belmarsh holds a high proportion of remand prisoners, some people arrive with very little cash in their prison account. Getting money in quickly after arrival is important so that phone credit is available from the moment the PIN list is approved. If your loved one has just arrived unexpectedly from court, prioritising a small top-up through the GOV.UK service is a practical first step.

The 10-minute call structure at Belmarsh means that even a modest amount of credit say £5 provides roughly nine calls to a virtual landline number at the 2.48p/min rate, compared to only four calls to a mobile at 5.50p/min. The virtual landline more than doubles what each pound of credit provides in terms of call time.

Other Ways to Stay in Touch With Someone at HMP Belmarsh

Post can be sent at any time to HMP Belmarsh, Western Way, Thamesmead, London, SE28 0EB. Include the prisoner's full name and prison number on every envelope. All post except clearly marked legal letters is opened and checked by staff before delivery. Letters are particularly important at Belmarsh given the 10-minute call limit — longer thoughts, updates from home, and emotional messages that do not fit into a brief phone call are well-suited to letters.

The Email a Prisoner service at emailaprisoner.com allows messages to be printed and delivered to the cell, usually the next working day. This is a cost-effective supplement to brief phone calls. You can share detailed news, photos, and information that would otherwise consume the whole 10-minute call window. Check emailaprisoner.com for current availability and whether replies are enabled at Belmarsh.

The Prison Voicemail service at prisonvoicemail.com lets you leave a recorded message that your loved one can listen to on their in-cell phone without using outgoing call credit. If credit runs low or they have used up their call time for the day, voicemail means contact can still happen. It is a useful backup, especially in the first days after arrival before the PIN list is activated.

Secure video calls are available through the Prison Video app at prisonvideo.com. Video call slots must be requested by the prisoner. For families in a different part of the country — Belmarsh draws from London's courts but families are not always London-based — video visits can reduce the burden of travelling into Thamesmead for in-person visits while still providing face-to-face contact.

Visiting HMP Belmarsh

Before you can visit, you must be on the prisoner's visitor list. Your loved one adds you to this from inside the prison. Once on the list, you can book a visit by calling 020 8333 4530, which is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, or by emailing BelmarshV@hmps.gsi.gov.uk with the prisoner's name and date of birth in the subject line, a requested date with two alternatives, and the full name, address, date of birth, and relationship to the prisoner for every visitor. When booking by email you must book at least 48 hours in advance and no more than two weeks ahead. If you have not received an email confirmation within 24 hours, your visit has not been booked.

Visiting times vary by unit. Mainstream prisoners are visited Tuesday to Sunday, 2pm to 3pm. Vulnerable prisoners Tuesday to Sunday, 3:30pm to 4:30pm. The High Security Unit has its own visiting schedule which should be confirmed directly with the prison. Up to three visitors aged 10 or over and three children under 10 can attend each visit.

The Family and Visitors Centre is run by Pact (Prison Advice and Care Trust) and is open on visiting days. Pact provides emotional and practical support before and after visits, which is particularly valuable for first-time visitors and those travelling from far afield. You can contact Pact at belmarsh@spurgeons.org or 020 8317 3888. Refreshments are available in the visits hall, bring a maximum of £15 in cash to purchase food and drinks. Lockers are available for belongings with a £1 refundable deposit.

Security at Belmarsh is airport-level. Arrive at least 45 minutes before your visit start time to allow for processing. All visitors are subject to pat-down searches and may encounter drug detection dogs. Lockers must be used for all personal items before entering the visits hall. The visitor centre opens on weekend visiting days at 12:30pm.

Abbey Wood is the closest railway station, around 1.5 miles from the prison on both the Elizabeth line and National Rail. From Abbey Wood, buses 180 and 469 serve the prison directly, or you can walk in approximately 10 minutes. Woolwich Arsenal station on the DLR and National Rail is about two miles away, with buses 366 and 469 connecting to the prison. Parking at the prison is limited to around 30 spaces on a first-come basis, so public transport is generally more reliable, especially at weekends. The sat-nav postcode is SE28 0EB.

If you are eligible for certain benefits or hold an NHS health certificate, you may qualify for the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme, which covers travel, overnight accommodation, and meals for qualifying visitors. Details at gov.uk/help-with-prison-visits.