The U.S. National Science Foundation welcomes thousands of visitors a year to its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
Should you need information not provided below, please contact NSF's Visitor and Reception Center at (703) 292-5111 or at info@nsf.gov.
On this page
Getting to NSF
The U.S. National Science Foundation is located at:
2415 Eisenhower Avenue
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
NSF is conveniently located across the street from the Eisenhower Avenue Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority station.
Public parking for visitors to NSF is available at:
- AMC Hoffman Center 22 - PMI Parking Garage
206 Hoffman St. Alexandria, Virginia 22332
(202) 785-9456
Hours: Open 24 hours
- Hoffman Town Center Open Lot
2455 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Hours: Monday - Friday, 5:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Detailed directions from Union Station and nearby airports can be found below:
Union Station is the central Amtrak station in the Washington, D.C., area.
Metro to NSF:
Union Station is served by Metro's Red Line. Use Metro's Trip Planner for detailed information on how to travel to NSF.
Estimated travel time: 40 minutes to 1 hour
Driving to NSF:
Union Station is approximately 12 miles from NSF. See Google driving directions.
Estimated travel time: 35 minutes
Union Station address: 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
NSF address: 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA, 22314
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is the closest airport to NSF. Many area hotels provide free transportation to and from the airport.
Metro to NSF:
Metro's Ronald Reagan National Airport station is served by the Blue and Yellow Lines. Use Metro's Trip Planner for detailed information on how to travel to NSF using Metro.
Estimated travel time: 20–25 minutes
Driving to NSF:
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is located approximately 6 miles from NSF. See Google driving directions.
Estimated travel time: 20 minutes
Taxi to NSF:
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport taxi services
Estimated travel time: 20 minutes
Shuttle to NSF:
Ronald Reagan National airport shuttle services
Estimated travel time: 30 minutes
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport address: 2401 Smith Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22202
National Science Foundation address: 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314
For more information, please visit the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport website.
Metro to NSF:
Metro's Dulles International Airport station is served by the Silver Line. Use Metro's Trip Planner for detailed information on how to travel to NSF.
Estimated travel time: 90 minutes
Driving to NSF:
Dulles International Airport is approximately 30 miles from NSF. See Google driving directions.
Estimated travel time: 40 minutes
Please note: I-66 inside the Beltway is limited to a minimum of two passengers (HOV restriction) for eastbound traffic from 5:30–9:30 a.m., and for westbound traffic from 3–7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Solo drivers have the option of paying a toll to use the lanes in the peak direction during these hours.
Taxi to NSF
Estimated travel time: 40 minutes
For more information, please visit the Dulles International airport website.
Washington Dulles International Airport address: 1 Saarinen Circle, Dulles, VA 20166
National Science Foundation address: 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is located just outside of Baltimore, Maryland.
Train and Metro to NSF:
You can connect to public transportation by taking a MARC train or Amtrak train from Baltimore/Washington International Airport to Union Station. From there, you can take Metro to NSF. Use the Trip Planner on the Metro website for detailed information on how to travel to NSF from Union Station.
Estimated travel time from BWI to Union Station: 80 minutes
Estimated travel time from Union Station to NSF: 40 minutes
Driving to NSF:
Baltimore/Washington International Airport is located approximately 40 miles from NSF. See Google driving directions.
Estimated travel time: 60 minutes
Taxi to NSF:
Estimated travel time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Shuttle to NSF:
Estimated travel time: 1 hour 15 minutes
For more information, please visit the Baltimore/Washington International Airport website.
Baltimore/Washington International Airport address: 7050 Friendship Rd, Baltimore, MD 21240
National Science Foundation address: 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA, 22314
Accessing the NSF building
Visitors must enter through the building's visitor center entrance, which is adjacent to the south building entrance on Eisenhower Avenue (see map).
Please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled meeting or appointment to allow time to pass through security and obtain your visitor pass.
Required identification
NSF follows the "REAL ID Act" and requires all visitors to bring valid and current identification with an expiration date. Photocopies and pictures of IDs will not be accepted. Please let your sponsor know if you do not have a valid ID.
Visitors from states that are noncompliant with the "REAL ID Act" and have not been granted an extension must provide alternative identification.
NSF accepts the forms of alternative identification listed below. The agency also accepts university identification cards if they have a valid expiration date and photo.
Federally issued identification:
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- PIV or federally issued PIV-I cards
- Driver's license issued by the U.S. Department of State
- Border Crossing Card (Form DSP-150)
- Department of Homeland Security "Trusted Traveler" cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. military ID
- Veteran's Health Identification Card issued by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
- U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Form D-551)
- U.S. Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-550)
- Employment Authorization Document issued by Department of Homeland Security (Form I-766)
- U.S. Refugee Travel Document or other travel document of immigration status issued by DHS containing a photograph (Forms I-327 and I-571)
- Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
- Merchant Marine Card issued by DHS/USCG
State-issued identification:
- State-issued enhanced driver's licenses (EDLs)
Other acceptable identification:
- Native American Tribal Photo ID
- Foreign government-issued passport
- PIV-I cards issued by non-federal government entities
Inspected items
Visitors must pass through a metal detector and have all bags X-rayed. Visitors must remove:
- Coats.
- Belts.
- Shoes.
- Laptops from their cases.
Please consider limiting extra bags or personal items to speed up inspection time.
Prohibited items
U.S. code prohibits bringing any dangerous weapons or alcohol onto federal property. Security staff will confiscate any suspicious or potentially dangerous materials.
The following items are prohibited in the NSF building:
Prohibited firearms and projectile weapons include, but are not limited to:
- Firearms or similar devices that expel a projectile through the action of an explosive (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)).
- BB or pellet guns.
- Compressed air guns.
- Antique firearms.
- Flare guns.
- Realistic replica or toy firearms (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)).
- Spear guns.
- Starter pistols.
- Stun guns, cattle prods, dart-firing stun guns and other electric weapons or controlled devices.
- Ammunition, shotgun shells or firearm cartridges, black powder or smokeless propellant powder (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)).
- Slingshots.
Prohibited bladed, edged or sharp tools or implements include, but are not limited to:
- Axes and hatchets.
- Bows and arrows.
- Ice axes/ice picks.
- Throwing stars.
- Knives, sabers, swords, daggers and other bladed devices with a blade of more than 2 ½ inches (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)).
- Razor-type blades such as box cutters, utility knives and razor blades not in a cartridge, but excluding safety razors (unless meeting the exemption listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)(3)).
Prohibited club-like items and striking devices include, but are not limited to:
- Billy clubs.
- Blackjacks.
- Brass knuckles.
- Chains in excess of 12 inches. (Jewelry exceptions can be made.)
- Night sticks (unless meeting the exemptions listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)).
- Martial arts weapons, including nunchucks and kubatons.
Prohibited destructive devices, explosives or any chemical compound or mixture that has a property of yielding readily to combustion or oxidation upon the application of heat, flame or shock include, but are not limited to:
- Blasting caps or detonators.
- Dynamite, nitroglycerin, trinitrotoluene, ammonium nitrate and others.
- Fireworks.
- Gunpowder.
- Hand grenades, mines, bombs, rockets, missiles, pipe bombs and plastic explosives.
- Realistic replicas of explosives or similar devices.
- Explosive or expanding gases.
- Gas torches.
- Flammable liquids, such as gasoline, turpentine and paint thinner (unless meeting the exemption listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)(3)).
- Mace, pepper spray, tear gas, tear gas guns or other chemical sprays designed for self-defense (unless meeting the exemption listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)).
- Spillable batteries, except those in wheelchairs or similar devices used by a mobility impaired individual.
- Spray paint (unless meeting the exemption listed in 18 U.S.C. § 930(d)(3)).
- Poisonous gases.
NSF's computer security policy
Visitors bringing computers into NSF should consult the computer security information below.
Connecting to the internet
Once you've obtained a visitor's badge at the NSF visitor center, you can access the internet from a computer or mobile device through one of two ways:
If you have eduroam credentials from a participating university or institution, you can use your credentials to sign on to the internet while at NSF:
- Select "eduroam" from the list of available Wi-Fi connections.
- Follow the eduroam sign-on process as usual to gain internet access.
To connect to the NSF_Visitor connection:
- Select "NSF_Visitor" from the list of available Wi-Fi connections. An internet browser should open; if it does not, open a browser and you will be redirected automatically to the NSF sign-on page.
- If you already created an account, enter your login information. If you do not have an account, click "Don't have an account?" on the self-registration page and create an account by filling in the fields and clicking "Register."
Once you've self-registered to use the NSF_Visitor connection, you will have access for seven days. After that, you will be required to register for a new account.
In addition to internet access, visitors will have limited access to NSF systems, including Fastlane, the Interactive Panel System, and NSF printers in the conference center.
Security safeguards
All computers connecting to the NSF visitor network are required to follow proper NSF IT security safeguards. Taking time to prepare your computer before your visit will ensure you can safely connect to NSF systems and resources.
Before traveling to NSF, be sure your computer or mobile device:
- Has all current operating system service packs and security patches installed.
- Is equipped with current, licensed antivirus software, as applicable.
- Has current virus table updates and patches.
- Has been fully scanned with virus detection software within one week of your visit.
- Contains no quarantined (virus infected) items.
Monitoring
For security purposes, every computer or mobile device that connects to NSF's visitor network — and all information, including emails and files, transmitted over the network — is subject to monitoring by the Department of Homeland Security's National Cyber Protection System and by NSF; users should have no expectation of privacy.
NSF monitors all network traffic for possible malware installations. If your devices show signs of having malware installed, the devices will be removed from the NSF visitor network.
Questions and feedback
If you have any questions about NSF's computer policies, contact IT Service Desk (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time) at:
Phone: (703) 292-4357
Toll-free: (800) 711-8084
Email: ITServiceDesk@nsf.gov
Additional information
NSF asks visitors with special needs to request necessary accommodations in advance of their arrival. To request accommodations or additional information, please contact NSF's Office of Equity and Civil Rights at (703) 292-8020 or rarequest@nsf.gov. Persons who are deaf/hard of hearing or TDD users may call (703) 292-5090 or (800) 281-8749.
NSF visitors and meeting participants should submit requests for accommodations at least 14 days before visits lasting one day or less and 30 days in advance for visits lasting two or more consecutive days to allow sufficient time to coordinate arrangements. Accommodations NSF can provide include:
- Sign language interpreting, onsite Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART), and automated transcription.
- Assistance setting up laptop/computer with JAWS speech recognition software.
- Alternatively formatted meeting documents, including Braille, electronic text and large print. Translations to Braille require at least four weeks' advance notice.
- Guide/escort support from the Eisenhower Metro station to NSF or from NSF's main entrance to the meeting room.
- Accommodating sensitivity to certain chemicals, fragrances and odors that are easily controlled by the host meeting organizer.
- Use of a computer or laptop equipped with assistive technology, such as a screen reader, screen magnification and ergonomic keyboard.
- Service animal relief locations.
- Special instructions for navigating the Metro subway system.
- Assistive listening device systems.
NSF has accessible building entrances and accessible conference rooms.
NSF's websites provide accessible electronic and information technology, in compliance with Section 508. However, visitors who have trouble accessing NSF's electronic and information technology should contact NSF using the NSF Accessibility Feedback Form to resolve accessibility issues or obtain website documents in accessible formats.
We encourage that all visitors with disabilities voluntarily register for NSF's Emergency Preparedness Assistance for Individuals with Disability Registry. We ask that visitors evaluate their capabilities, limitations and needs for assistance in an emergency and email the NSF Office of Equity and Civil Rights at rarequest@nsf.gov at least 14 days before visiting NSF to authorize the office to provide NSF's Division of Administrative Services with the visitor's name, arrival date, meeting room number and location, telephone and emergency contact numbers and the appropriate assistance they require due to a disability or medical condition. It is important all requested information be provided along with the authorization.
Information contained in the Emergency Preparedness Assistance for Individuals with Disability Registry will remain confidential.
Sponsoring offices must request passes for incoming visitors, and should notify visitors of NSF procedures, what to expect upon arrival, and what appropriate identification documents are required for registration.
Federal employees who have a current PIV card issued by an agency other than NSF, and who regularly visit the foundation, can be enrolled into our physical access control system.
To take advantage of this agency reciprocity, NSF federal employees wishing to sponsor a colleague from another agency must fill out the NSF 1690 form, "Facility Access Questionnaire."
For more information, please contact NSF Security at security@nsf.gov or (703) 292-7562.