Please follow the steps below before your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Step 1: Register your appointment online

You need to register your appointment online. Registering your appointment provides us with the information we need to return your passport to you after your interview. Registration is free. Click the “Register” button below to register.

If you want to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you will be able to do so after you register your appointment.

Register >>

Step 2: Schedule a medical exam in Montevideo

As soon as you receive your appointment date, you must schedule a medical exam in Montevideo. Click the “Medical Exam Instructions” button below for a list of designated doctor’s offices in Montevideo. Please schedule and attend a medical exam with one of these doctors two weeks prior to your interview.

Medical Exam Instructions >>

Step 3: Complete your pre-interview checklist

It is important that you bring all required original documents to your interview. We’ve created a checklist that will tell you what to bring. Please print the checklist below and bring it to your interview along with the listed documents.

Pre-Interview Checklist >>

Step 4: Review interview guidelines

Read our interview guidelines to learn about any special actions that you need to take before your visa interview.

Interview Guidelines >>

Medical Exam Instructions

All immigrant visa applicants, regardless of age, require a medical examination prior to the issuance of a visa. Only a physician accredited by the U.S. Embassy can perform this exam. It is your responsibility to schedule a medical exam with one of the doctors listed below at least (2 weeks prior to your visa interview appointment at the U.S. Embassy. Medical examination results from other physicians will not be accepted.

Step 1: Complete required medical tests (certain applicants)

 A medical examination is required for all immigrant visa applicants. This examination consists in an x-ray (for applicants 15 years old and older), a blood test (for applicants between 18 and 44 years old) and a urine test (for applicants between 18 and 24 years old). Schedule these tests with one of the laboratories listed below. Applicants must pick up their x-ray and lab results in person and take them to their medical exam appointment.

Approved laboratories:

BRITISH HOSPITAL
Address: Calle Morales 2564 – 8th Floor
Telephone: 2487-1020 – Ext. 4680

Laboratorio Castro-Gherardi
Br. Artigas 1276
Telephone:  2708-1161

Bring the following items to the laboratory:

• Your passport or Uruguayan ID card

Step 2: Complete a TB test (certain applicants)

All applicants between the ages of two (2) and fourteen (14) years of age must be tested for tuberculosis (TB). This test must be done at Laboratorio Castro-Gherardi. The fee for this test must be paid by the applicant. 

Approved Clinic

Laboratorio Castro-Gherardi
Br. Artigas 1276
Telephone: 2708-1161

Bring the following items to Laboratorio Castro Gherardi:

• Your passport or Uruguayan ID card.

You must bring the TB test examination results to your medical exam appointment.

Step 3: Schedule and attend a general medical exam (all applicants)

All applicants regardless of age must attend a medical exam with one of the physicians listed below:

Approved Physician

Dr. Malena BARRIOS
Address: British Hospital
Calle Morales 2564 – 8th Floor
Telephone: 2487-1020, Ext. 4680 - before calling you must have handy your: case # (MTV…) and your form DS-260 confirmation # (AA…).

The doctor will need the following items to complete the medical exam forms:

• Your visa interview appointment letter,
• Your valid passport,
• A copy of your immunization records, and
• The results of the tests you took at the laboratory in Step 1 and Step 2 (as applicable) above.
• DS-260 confirmation page
  

During the medical exam

Any medical examination fees, including x-ray and blood test fees, must be paid directly to the examining physician and/or laboratory.

See Medical and Test Fees  >>

The medical examination will include a medical history review and physical examination. Please be prepared to discuss your medical history, medications you are taking, and current treatments you are undergoing. More information on general medical requirements for U.S. immigrants is available here.

U.S. immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to obtain certain vaccinations prior to the issuance of a visa. Current immigrant visa vaccination requirements are available here. You can also read Frequently Asked Questions about our medical examination requirements online.

After the medical exam

When your examination is completed, the doctor will send the report directly to the U.S. Embassy.

You DO NOT need to bring the x-raysor other test results from Step 1 and Step 2 to your visa interview. However, you must carry the x-rays with you when you travel to the United States for the first time. 

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Pre-Interview checklist

Please use the list below to determine the items that the applicant must bring to the immigrant visa interview. Any documents that are not in either English or Spanish must be accompanied by a certified English Translation:

• A copy of your NVC interview letter (does not apply to Diversity Visa, fiancé(e), adoptive, or asylee/refugee applicants).

• Unexpired passport valid for six (6) months beyond your intended date of entry to the United States and a photocopy of the biographic page where your name and photo are located).

• Two (2) color photographs of each person applying for a visa (5 cm x 5 cm, or 2 inch x 2 inch).  Please review our online photo requirements.

• Confirmation page from the Form DS-260 Application for an Immigrant Visa you submitted online at ceac.state.gov/iv.
  
  
• Your original birth certificate, and a photocopy.
  
  
• Original or certified copies of birth certificates for all children of the principal applicant (even if he or she is not accompanying).
  
  
• Medical examination results in a sealed envelope (if the physician gives you these results).

Applicants who fall into any category below should bring these additional documents

For family based visa applicants:

• The appropriate Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for each financial sponsor along with a photocopy of the sponsor’s IRS transcript or most recent U.S. federal income tax return, and any relevant W-2s. 

• Proof of your U.S. petitioner’s status and domicile in the United States (photocopy of a U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or lawful permanent resident card).
  
  
• Evidence of the relationship between the petitioner and visa applicant (such as photographs, letters, or emails).
  

If you are married: Your original marriage certificate, and a photocopy.

If you were previously married:  Your original divorce or spouse’s death certificate, and a photocopy.

If you are older than 16 years of age:  The original police certificate from your country of current residence and countries of previous residence. Please note that police reports for immigrant visa purposes, have a 2 year validity.

For employment-based visa applications: A letter from your U.S. employer dated less than one month ago.

If you have ever been convicted of a crime: Court and criminal records, and a photocopy.

If you have served in any country’s military: Military records, and a photocopy.

If you are adopted:  Adoption papers or custody documents, and a photocopy.

If you are the petitioner’s stepchild:  The original marriage certificate of the petitioner and your biological parent, English translation, and a photocopy along with divorce records for any previous marriages of either parent.
 

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Interview Guidelines

Sending documents to the U.S. Embassy in Uruguay

If you need to send us any documents, please DO NOT mail them to us directly. Instead, visit ais.usvisa-info.com and ask for information on courier services. Please do not send any original documents to us; only send photocopies via courier or mail. You may bring original documents (plus a photocopy for the consulate’s files) to your visa interview.

Rescheduling or cancelling your interview

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please inform the Consular Section by email at ais.usvisa-info.com as soon as possible. There may be a significant wait before the next available appointment, so please attempt to attend the date already assigned. For some family-based and employment preference visa categories, a visa became available within the month you have been scheduled by NVC. There is no guarantee that a visa will still be available on the date of your rescheduled interview. Please carefully consult the Visa Bulletin before you decide to reschedule your interview.

Please note: You need to register your original NVC/KCC appointment online before you can reschedule it. Rescheduling is only possible on a date after your assigned appointment.

Security screening procedures

All visitors to the U.S. Embassy in Uruguay must follow certain security procedures. Any visitor who declines to be screened by U.S. Embassy security personnel will be unable to enter the embassy. To avoid delaying your entry and that of those in line behind you, please bring only what is required for your interview.

Accompanying persons

Attorneys are not permitted to accompany clients into the waiting room or to their interview. The following persons may accompany a visa applicant to their interview:

• Interpreter: Applicants may bring ONE interpreter if they do not speak English or  Spanish well enough to participate in an interview.
• Special Needs Visitors: Applicants may bring ONE person to help if they are elderly, disabled, or a minor child.

Immigrant visa fees

If you have not paid all required fees to either the National Visa Center or via the appointment website, please be prepared to pay these fees on the day of your interview. All fees may be paid in either U.S. dollars or the Uruguayan Pesos equivalent. We accept cash and international credit cards only. Please note that if you are found ineligible to receive a visa, the application fee cannot be refunded. A complete list of fees can be found here.

Do not make travel plans outside of Uruguay

If your visa is approved, we will keep your passport at the embassy while we prepare your immigration packet and print a visa for your passport. We will return your passport to you later via courier services only. If you have to travel within Uruguay while your passport is still with us, please make sure you have a valid picture ID other than your passport.

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After the Interview

A Consular officer can make a decision on a visa application only after reviewing the formal application and interviewing the applicant. There is no guarantee that you will receive a visa. Do not sell your house, car or property, resign from your job or make non-refundable flight or other travel arrangements until you have received your immigrant visa.

If more information is needed

Sometimes a Consular officer is unable to make a decision on a visa application because he/she needs to review additional documentations or the case requires further administrative processing. When additional documents are requested, the Consular officer will give you a refusal letter that asks you to submit additional documents. The letter will include instructions on how to send those documents to the Embassy. Administrative processing takes additional time after the interview. Most administrative processing is resolved within 60 days. However, the timing varies based on the circumstances of each case. Before inquiring about the status of administrative processing, please wait at least 60 days after your interview.

What happens after visa approval

Passport, Visa, and Sealed Immigrant Packet – We will place your immigrant visa on a page in your passport. Please review your visa to make sure there are no spelling errors. In some cases (paper cases only - not the electronic ones) we will also give you a sealed envelope containing documents that you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage. Carry with you the X-rays results that the doctor will give you, and give them to the U.S. immigration authorities, if required.

USCIS Immigrant Fee – All individuals who are issued immigrant visas overseas must pay an Immigrant Fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) prior to traveling to the United States. This fee is for processing your residency status and printing your Permanent Resident Card. The only people exempt from paying this fee are: children entering the United States under the Hague Process, returning residents, and people traveling on a fiancé (e)(K) visa.

When You Should Travel – You must enter the United States before the expiration date on your visa, which is usually six months from the date of printing. Your visa cannot be extended and all fees are nonrefundable. The principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as other family members with visas. Unless they are eligible for benefits under the Child Status Protection Act, children who are issued a visa before turning 21 years of age must enter the United States before their 21st birthday to avoid losing their immigrant status.

Getting a Green Card – Your Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card, will be automatically mailed to the address in the United States that you write in your visa application form. This is a very important document that proves you have permission to reside in the United States. If you plan to travel outside the U.S. before your green card arrives: Please consult USCIS’s and CBP’s websites for rules about what documents you need to re-enter the country. Once your card is issued, you should not stay outside of the United States for more than one year. If you do, you will lose your status as a Lawful Permanent Resident.

Children’s Issues – In the United States, children are required to have certain vaccinations before they can enroll in school. We recommend that you bring your child’s complete vaccination records with you to the United States. If your child is adopted, you have full custody as a result of a divorce, or you share custody with another parent, you should bring a copy of all applicable adoption or custodial papers from the authoritative court in your home country. You will likely need these papersapostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and translated into English for issues such as school enrollment, medical care, and eventual citizenship.

Information for New Immigrants – Please visit the USCIS web page for helpful information on moving to the United States. You can read their publication “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants” online.

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Medical Exam - Fee Schedule

Fees for all medical tests and exams are paid by the applicants directly to the physician, clinic, or laboratory. The below prices are in Uruguayan pesos and include 10% of IVA and all local official stamps. We are not notified of fee changes; please verify all fees when scheduling your appointment. These fees are current as of October 7, 2021.

Laboratory test fees

The following fees are for the x-rays and gonorrhea, blood, and urine tests at one of the three clinics appointed by the U.S. Embassy:

Medical Exam Fees

The following fee is for the general medical examination:

Vaccination fees

The following fees are for any vaccinations that you are required to have. That determination will be made by the embassy-approved physician during your general medical exam:

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Diversity Visa Applicants - Additional Information

If you are interviewing for a Diversity Visa (DV), all of the above instructions apply to you. Please schedule and attend a medical examination prior to your visa interview; enroll in the required courier service; and gather the required documents.

Below are additional instructions that apply only to DV applicants.

Bring to your interview

In addition to the documents listed on the Pre-Interview Checklist in this package, DV applicants should also bring the following items to your visa interview:

• Appointment information printed from the “Entrant Status Check” on the E-DV website, as well as a copy of the Yatri appointment registration confirmation.
• Documents showing that you have either a qualifying high school education OR two (2) years of qualifying work experience in the five (5) years immediately prior to application (for the principal applicant only; more information is available online).
• Payment of the Diversity Visa Application Fee for each visa applicant. Fee is paid at the Consular Section at the time of the interview.

Review your DV Program entry

Prior to your visa interview, we recommend that you review the data on your initial E-DV entry. On your initial E-DV application, you must have correctly entered your marital status. If you are legally married you must have listed your spouse, even if you are currently separated from him/her (unless your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident).

Additionally, you must have listed ALL of your living children who are unmarried and under 21 years old. This includes your natural children, your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country. 

Failure to have listed an existing spouse or children at the time of your entry in the Diversity Visa program will result in the denial of your visa and visas for your family.

Any fees paid to the U.S. government in support of your visa application(s) are nonrefundable. If you failed to include a child who had already been born, or a spouse to whom you were married when you entered the program, you should not proceed with the visa application. You can review the eligibility requirements online. 

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