According to the laws of the United States of America a minor is anyone under the age of 18. The B2 (tourist) visa is what a minor needs to apply for to travel to the United States as a temporary tourist.

Some of the activities you are allowed to do under this visa are:

• Go on vacation;
• Visit family or friends;
• Receive medical treatment.

There are two ways that minors can travel to the United States:

1. If the minor is the holder of their own Uruguayan passport, then the passport must contain their own American visa;

2. A minor up to the age of 14, may be included in their parents passports. In those cases, the minor must travel with the parent who has the child's visa included in their own passport. If the minor is included in the father's passport, s/he must have his or her own individual visa inside that passport. The passport must have enough blank pages so that each family member that is applying for a visa has an available page for their visas to be included in the passport.

If the minor is included in his/her parent's passport issued by a Visa Waiver Program country you should request a new passport for the child. Otherwise the child will need to have a U.S. visa included in his/her parent's passport.

The Consular Section recommends that every parent who has children included in their own passport, apply for an individual passport and visa for each family member.

When traveling with a minor that is not your child, we recommend that the consent of the parents is written in a letter for any emergency cases you can take the necessary actions in absence of the parents.

Required Documentation to Request a Tourist or Business Visa

The parents of the minor applicant need to present the documentation for the minor. These documents should include economic reliability and strong ties with Uruguay and their residence. They should also present their own documentation although they are not traveling with their child. The documents that they should present are the same ones that you would present if they were requesting their own visa.

It is fundamental for this type of visa that the parents present proof of marriage and the birth certificate for their children and themselves at the interview.

Important Note:
All of the visa applicants have to be physically present in the Consular Section the day of the Interview for the visa.