Moving to Uruguay
6 routes for people from the US, Canada and the UK, each checked against official sources. Find the one that fits, then check it with the source before you apply.
Keep your job, work remotely
Uruguay digital nomad permit
Hoja de Identidad Provisoria – Nómada Digital (Decreto 238/022)
Remote workers who want up to a year in Uruguay with a provisional ID; no income minimum is published.
- What you need
- Copy of the ID document used to enter Uruguay and a sworn statement (declaración jurada). No income threshold is published on the official page.
- For renewal: criminal record certificate (over-18s), apostilled and translated, from countries lived in 6+ months in the last 5 years.
- For renewal: Uruguayan vaccination certificate (Decree 136/2018) and a valid Uruguayan ID card.
- Not for
- People who want permanent status from the start (use legal residency)
- Where you apply
- From inside the country. Online with a gub.uy digital identity, or in person at the DNM temporary residence department (Mercedes 1004, Montevideo) or regional offices. The fee cannot be paid from abroad. After approval, the document is issued by Identificación Civil.
- How long it takes
- Not stated.
- First permit
- Up to 180 days (Ministry of the Interior page, Decree 238/022).
- Renewal
- Renewable once for another 180 days.
- Family
- Not stated.
Retire or live on savings
Uruguay legal residency
Residencia legal permanente (no Mercosur)
Retirees, people with passive income and remote employees who can show income 'sufficient for maintenance' (no fixed minimum) and want permanent residency straight away.
- What you need
- Nominal monthly income sufficient for maintenance; no minimum amount is set. Proof by notarial certificate, e.g. for a pensioner or rentista abroad (status, income and how it is received in Uruguay), an employee of a foreign company with no Uruguayan branch, a self-employed person, or a company owner.
- Valid original ID document; visa if your nationality needs one to enter Uruguay. Foreign documents apostilled or legalised and translated by a Uruguayan public translator.
- Criminal record certificate (over-18s) from country of origin and countries lived in for more than 6 months in the last 5 years; national scope; apostilled and translated.
- Uruguayan health card (carné de salud) and vaccination certificate from providers authorised by the Ministry of Public Health.
- Not for
- People who want to apply from abroad (the procedure is with the DNM in Uruguay)
- People without any provable regular income
- Where you apply
- From inside the country. Start online with a gub.uy digital identity (upload PDFs, pay, book a hearing) or book in person at the Dirección Nacional de Migración, Mercedes 1004, Montevideo, or DNM offices in the interior. Missing the hearing or a mandatory document forfeits the hearing and fee.
- How long it takes
- Not stated on the official page.
- First permit
- Permanent from the start (while pending, applicants receive a provisional ID).
- Renewal
- Not applicable; keep the cédula current.
- Longer term
- 0Citizenship after about 3 years.
- Family
- Spouse or partner can apply with marriage or judicial cohabitation record; children with birth certificates.
Retire or live on savings
Uruguay retiree residency with import benefits
Residencia para jubilados o pensionistas (Ley 16.340)
Retirees with a foreign pension over USD 1,500 a month who also buy a Uruguayan home worth USD 100,000+ (or hold USD 100,000 in Uruguayan bonds) and want duty-free import of household goods and a car.
- What you need
- Pension or retirement income from abroad over USD 1,500 a month. (USD 1,500 a month)
- Either a property in Uruguay worth at least USD 100,000 for your home, or Uruguayan government bonds with a nominal value of at least USD 100,000 held at BROU for at least 10 years. (USD 100,000)
- Not for
- Retirees who do not want to buy property or bonds (use ordinary legal residency)
- Where you apply
- From home, at a consulate. Started at a Uruguayan consulate abroad, according to the Foreign Ministry page (2019).
- How long it takes
- Not stated.
- First permit
- Permanent residence.
- Renewal
- Not applicable.
- Longer term
- 0Citizenship after about 3 years.
- Family
- Not stated.
A job offer
Uruguay work residency
Residencia temporaria (trabajadores y empresarios) o residencia permanente por empleo
People with a job or contract with a Uruguayan employer; no minimum salary is set.
- What you need
- Letter on company letterhead stating the activity, contract term and monthly pay, backed by a notarial certificate with the company's details. Alternatively apply for permanent residency with a notarial income certificate or BPS work history.
- Criminal record certificate, apostilled and translated (as for permanent residency).
- Not for
- Remote workers for foreign employers (use legal residency or the nomad permit)
- Where you apply
- From inside the country. Dirección Nacional de Migración in Uruguay (online with gub.uy identity or in person).
- How long it takes
- Not stated.
- First permit
- Temporary: more than 180 days, up to 2 years (extendable to 4 per the 2019 MRREE page). Permanent: indefinite.
- Renewal
- Temporary residence renewable; can switch to permanent.
- Longer term
- 0Citizenship after about 3 years.
- Family
- Dependants get the same term as the main applicant.
Study
Uruguay student residency
Residencia temporaria – estudiante
Students enrolled at a Uruguayan institution who can show enough money for living and housing costs.
- What you need
- Official enrolment certificate (notarised if the institution is private).
- Proof of income sufficient for living and housing costs; a family member may provide support. Foreign-sourced funds need a notarised certificate. No amount set.
- Not for
- People who mainly want to work
- Where you apply
- From inside the country. Dirección Nacional de Migración in Uruguay.
- How long it takes
- Not stated.
- First permit
- Up to 1 year.
- Renewal
- Renewable for equal periods.
- Family
- Not stated.
Treaties and special cases
Uruguay residency for relatives of Uruguayans
Residencia permanente por vínculo con uruguayo (Ley 19.254)
Spouses, partners, parents, siblings and (per the Foreign Ministry) grandchildren of Uruguayan citizens; no means test is stated.
- What you need
- Proof of the family link to a Uruguayan citizen (marriage, judicial cohabitation, birth certificates), apostilled and translated.
- Criminal record certificate as for permanent residency.
- Not for
- People without a Uruguayan relative
- Where you apply
- From home or inside the country. Handled by the DNM in Uruguay; the 2019 MRREE page says the Foreign Ministry also processes Law 19.254 cases and decides within 30 working days once complete.
- How long it takes
- 30 working days once the file is complete (MRREE, 2019).
- First permit
- Permanent.
- Renewal
- Not applicable.
- Longer term
- 0Citizenship after about 3 years.
- Family
- The route is itself family-based.