Skip to main content
NIH Logo NIH Logo
Office of Research Services

Serving the NIH Community

Main Vehicle Entrance: NIH Gateway Drive

Rockville Pike & NIH Gateway Drive

  • ​NIH Gateway Drive Main Patient/ Patient Visitor Entrance January 16 – March 10
  • ​Weekdays 4am–10pm Weekends 6am–10pm




​​V​ehicle Inspection

Monday – Friday, 4am - 4pm

(Before 4am and after 4pm on weekdays, and on all weekends, all vehicles should enter campus through the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility. Patients and Patients visitors are also welcome to use the West Drive Patient Entrance. Patients and Patients visitors are also welcome to use the West Drive Patient Entrance, 6am – 10pm, 7 days a week.)

​​​​​Pedestrians

NIH Gateway Center

  • Open Monday – Friday, 6​am – 10pm
  • Closed on Weekends and Observed Holidays
  • After 10pm on weekdays, all day weekends and holidays, pedestrian visitors should enter campus via the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) - Building 67 (on Rockville Pike between North Drive and Wilson Drive)
  • Patients and patients’ visitors are also welcome to use the West Drive Patient Entrance, 6am – 10pm, 7 days a week.

Commercial Vehicle Entrance: Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) - Building 67

Rockville Pike - between North Dr. and Wilson Dr. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

After 4pm on weekdays, all day weekends and holidays, all visitors in vehicles should enter via the CVIF.  After 10pm on weekdays, all day weekends and holidays, pedestirans 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.
 

Patient and Patient Visitor Entrance​

NIH Gateway Drive  Weekdays 4 am- 10 pm; Weekends 6 am - 10 pm

• Patients with NIH badges may enter through any one of the badged entrances (see map). 

• Patients without NIH badges must enter campus through the security checkpoint at NIH Gateway Drive*, located on Wisconsin Ave/MD 355/Rockville Pike from the Southbound lane. 

• *GPS address: NIH Visitor Gateway Parking (Do not park there. Follow parking instructions below.) 

• After completing badging, follow the driving route to the NIH Clinical Center 

• Taxis and ridesharing (Uber, Lyft) should enter via NIH Gateway Drive

West Cedar Lane and West ​Drive (This entrance will be closed until March 11, 2024)

Open 7 days a week: Inbound Traffic only, 6 am - 10 pm

After 10 pm, all patients and patient visitors should enter campus via the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) -- Building 67 (on Rockville Pike between North and Wilson Drives)

Valet Parking at Clinical Center Main Entrance (Monday – Friday, 7am – 7pm)

Open to patients and patient visitors ONLY​

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 — P3 Entrance (Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

**Parking Ticket Validation Required**

Patient & Patient Visitor Parking Validation:
B1 Lobby at Hospitality Desk, Monday – Friday, 7am - 9pm

No validation required weeknights after 9pm, weekends & holidays​

Valet Parking Service:
Available at the Clinical Center Main Entrance

Monday – Friday, 6am – 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:
Monday – Friday
Enforced 7am – 7pm weekdays
Available in up to 2 hour increments

$2 per hour ($1.50 per hour in front of Building 31A)

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.​



 
 
 
 
 
 
NIH Visitor Map