How to mail a PDF to someone in a New Mexico prison

Quick facts

System

New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD)

Inmate ID

NMCD Number (Offender #)

General mail goes to

Smart Communications — Seminole, FL (facility-specific PO Box)

Recipient receives

Digital scan on Smart Communications tablet

Page limit

No published page-count cap (CD-151200)

Address must include

Full name + NMCD number + correct facility PO Box (wrong box → returned)

Typical timing

Letters held no more than 48 hours excluding weekends/holidays (CD-151200)

Since

Smart Communications tablets and centralized mail — July 1, 2024

Where to send mail

Personal mail from family and friends (including printed PDFs and photos)

Use the PO Box assigned to the inmate’s current facility — not the facility’s New Mexico street address. NMCD publishes a separate PO Box for each state facility (and for Otero County Prison Facility). Include the inmate’s full name and NMCD number.

[Full Name] / [NMCD Number]
[Facility Name — e.g. Penitentiary of New Mexico]
PO Box [####] — see NMCD facility list
Seminole, FL 33775-9189

Send elsewhere — not the Smart Communications PO Box

• Legal / privileged mail → Inmate’s facility physical mailing address in New Mexico

  Attorney, court, PREA, and other privileged correspondence goes to the facility — not Seminole. Opened in the inmate’s presence, scanned to the tablet, and the original is shredded or returned at the inmate’s expense. Family “legal” mail without proper sender credentials is treated as regular mail.

• Cashier’s checks and money orders → Facility mailing address (not Smart Communications)

  Per CD-151200 and NMCD family mail guidance. Cash and personal checks are not accepted and will be returned.

• Books, magazines, and publications → Approved vendor / publisher only

  Hardbound books are prohibited. Printed matter not from a publisher or vendor may be rejected.

• Packages → Vendor through facility business office (prior approval required)

  Do not send care packages or boxes to the Smart Communications PO Box.

Format & content rules

• Personal correspondence — letters, photos, and printed PDF pages — must go to the facility’s Smart Communications PO Box in Seminole, FL. Mail sent directly to a facility’s New Mexico address will be returned to sender (CD-151200, May 2025).
• NMCD publishes no page-count cap on incoming correspondence when the sender bears mailing cost, but USPS first-class letters are defined as no thicker than ¼ inch and 3.5 ounces or less (CD-151200). Very thick PDF packets may need to be split across envelopes.
• Correspondence should be in English or Spanish unless a Deputy Warden has approved another language in advance.
• Do not enclose stamps, stickers, oil, lipstick, perfumed paper, blank stationery, or self-addressed stamped envelopes (CD-151200).
• Do not enclose cash or personal checks. Cashier’s checks and money orders go to the facility address, not Smart Communications.
• Photographs must be scannable (no frames). They are subject to the same rejection standards as publications — including no solo photo of the inmate, nudity, or gang-related content.
• Greeting cards and rigid or non-scannable items may be rejected (NMCD Mail Rejection form lists greeting cards/postcards). Stick to flat letter-size paper when possible.
• Always include the inmate’s full name and NMCD number. Wrong facility PO Box or missing ID can delay or return mail.
• Content can still be rejected under CD-151200 if it threatens security, contains contraband, or violates publication standards.

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in NMCD custody and look up their NMCD number and current facility.
2. Find the correct Smart Communications PO Box for that facility at cd.nm.gov/inmate-mail-addresses.
3. Print on ordinary flat letter-size paper; avoid glued cards, rigid mailers, or padded envelopes.
4. Address to Seminole with name / NMCD number / facility name / correct PO Box, then mail as personal correspondence.

Look up an NMCD number →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select New Mexico, you pick the facility from our list so the correct Smart Communications PO Box is used.
• We do not review PDFs — NMCD or its contractor may still reject or withhold mail that violates policy.

Official sources

• NMCD — Inmate Mail Addresses
• NMCD — Media Overview (mail correspondence)
• NMCD — Contact an Inmate
• CD-151200 — Correspondence Regulations (PDF, May 2025)
• NMCD — Smart Communications tablet rollout (PDF, June 2024)
• NMCD Offender Search