Drop-Box (Buzón) Is No Longer Available.

Effective October 6, 2003, the Drop Box service for visa renewal is no longer available.

Starting this date, all nonimmigrant visa applicants (tourist, business, students, temporary work visas, etc) must schedule a visa appointment with this Embassy. Applicants requesting visa renewal (regardless of age and type of visa) , transfer of visas to new passports and applicants over 65 years of age who used to apply through our drop box must come to the Embassy for a personal visa interview. To schedule a visa interview, applicants must contact our regional U.S. Visa Information Center by buying a special Telefónica calling card - VISAS USA - that is available at any branch of Telefónica in El Salvador.

The U.S. Embassy is no longer able to offer this service because newly implemented security regulations require that ALL nonimmigrant visa applicants be fingerprinted.

Form DS-156 must be fully completed.

All questions on Form DS-156 must be fully completed by applicants regardless of near or future travel. It is mandatory that all applications received be fully completed without any question left blank. If an applicant presents to the interviewing consular officer an incomplete application, the officer will return it for completion. No incomplete application will be received/processed.

Children Under 18 Must Come With Both Parents Effective March 3, 2003.

As of March 3, 2003, children under age of eighteen must be accompanied by both biological parents at the interview for their child's visa. The only exceptions would be death, divorce, birth certificate showing father unknown or legal custody due to other circumstances (e.g. adoption). In each exception, a legal document would be required to show cause for the other parent's absence. In the case of remarriage, the child's mother/father must appear with the current spouse (child's stepparent). However, the other biological parent must provide a signed letter of permission for his/her child to apply/travel.