Are you interested in processing your relocation to Uruguay?
We detail the information necessary to process relocation to Uruguay and Uruguayan identity card. Explaining the steps to follow for foreigners with the intention of residing, working, or investing in Uruguay.
The process of legal relocation to Uruguay for foreigners raises a series of unknowns that we aim to answer in this article. What is residency in Uruguay and what are its benefits? What are the types of Uruguayan legal residence and where are they processed? How to obtain an appointment for relocation in Uruguay? How to process the identity card in Uruguay?
This article answers these and other questions and provides information about the residency process in Uruguay. Below we detail frequently asked questions about Uruguayan legal residence and its requirements.
What is legal residence in Uruguay? How to relocate?
Uruguayan Legal Residency is the immigration process carried out by foreigners with the intention of residing temporarily or permanently in Uruguay, or simply accessing Uruguayan documents.
Once residency in Uruguay has been processed, the applicant will be able to access the Uruguayan identity card that will allow them to relocate, reside, work and invest with total freedom in Uruguay.
What are the benefits of relocation in Uruguay?
There are multiple benefits of legal relocation in Uruguay, including:
- Access to the Uruguayan identity card
- Possibility of residing and working in Uruguay
- Access to bank accounts in Uruguay
- Greater ease to invest and open a company
- Possibility of accessing tax residence after 183 days of stay.
- Access to tax-free international moving
- Health and Social Security Coverage in Uruguay
- Access to Uruguayan Citizenship and Passport after 3 or 5 years of habitual residence
What are the types of legal residence in Uruguay?
There are different types of residence in Uruguay, the category to choose will depend on the nationality of the interested party and the length of time they intend to stay with Uruguay.
In this sense we find:
Mercosur Definitive Residence: the type of residence for Mercosur nationals who intend to access a permanent residence in Uruguay, without minimum stay times in the country.
Definitive Residence due to ties with Uruguayans: intended for parents, spouses, cohabitants or siblings of Uruguayans, who intend to settle permanently in the country.
Definitive Legal Residence: targets foreigners who, neither being Mercosur nationals nor relatives of Uruguayans, intend to live in Uruguay for a period of more than 2 years.
Mercosur Temporary Residence: intended for Mercosur nationals who want to work in Uruguay for a period of less than 2 years (extendable for another two years)
Common Temporary Residence: for foreigners (extra Mercosur) who want to work in Uruguay for a period of less than 2 years (extendable for another two years)
Provisional Identity Sheet: granted to foreigners who want to work in Uruguay for less than 180 days
Where is residency processed in Uruguay?
In all cases, residency in Uruguay is processed before the National Directorate of Migration, an organization that has its headquarters in Montevideo and offices throughout the country.
How long does the legal residence process in Uruguay take?
The estimated period to obtain definitive Mercosur residency, definitive due to ties with Uruguayans, and temporary residences is 4 to 6 months.
On the other hand, definitive legal residence processed before the DNM usually takes 12 to 24 months to be granted.
We provide a comprehensive residency service in Uruguay so that you can process your Uruguayan residency without any setbacks.
How to process residency in Uruguay?
The process to access legal residence in Uruguay depends largely on the type of residence to be managed.
In general terms, the applicant must:
- Gather the necessary documentation
- Enter the application remotely
- Pay the fee charged by the National Migration Directorate
- Obtain an appointment to start the process at the corresponding office
- Show up to the shift on the day of the procedure with all the original documentation
- Process the provisional identity card
- Register your apostilled birth certificate in the Uruguayan civil registry
- After the residence has been granted and the departure has been registered, process the final identity card
At ResidenciasUy we provide personalized assistance in all the necessary procedures to obtain your residency in Uruguay.
How much does residency cost in Uruguay?
Processing Uruguayan legal residency has a series of associated expenses, these being:
- Birth certificate registration (registration fee): US$ 25
- Identity card processing: US$ 10 for each common shift and US$ 20 for each urgent shift
Likewise, the National Migration Directorate charges the following fees:
- Process initiation fee: US$ 85
- Immigration certificate to obtain an identity card: US$ 8
- Re-entry permit to leave the country with residency pending: US$30
Values in US$ are estimates. Costs are based on Indexed Units, whose value is adjusted semiannually.
Professional fees are added to the aforementioned expenses for those who require assistance within the framework of their procedures. In this sense, at ResidenciasUy we provide a comprehensive residence service in Uruguay.
What documents are needed for residency in Uruguay?
The documentation to present for residency in Uruguay depends fundamentally on the type of residency to be requested.
In the following note we detail the documents necessary for definitive Mercosur residency and definitive residency due to ties with Uruguay: https://uyresidencias.com/requisitos-para-la-residencia-permanente-uruguaya/
Regarding the rest of legal residences initiated before the National Directorate of Migration, in general terms the following documents are required:
- Original Identity Document with which you entered the country.
- A passport photo
- Valid Uruguayan vaccination certificate
- Current health card issued by a provider authorized by the MSP
- Criminal record certificate apostilled and translated from the country of origin and the countries where you resided for the last 5 years
- Accreditation of livelihoods in Uruguay
- Permanence mood (will be evaluated by the official)
- Birth certificate apostilled and translated (it will be necessary to obtain the Uruguayan identity card)
- Marriage certificate apostilled and translated (if necessary)
Our comprehensive Uruguayan residency service includes assistance in putting together all the necessary documentation for residency in Uruguay.
How are documents for residency in Uruguay presented?
When presenting the documents for residence in Uruguay, a series of precautions must be met to ensure rapid approval of the application by the immigration authority.
Some examples of such collections are:
- Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalized by the country of origin, except for criminal record certificates with electronic signature and verification code, whose authenticity can be verified by digital means.
- A translation made by a public Uruguayan translator must be submitted for those documents that are not written in Spanish (not necessary for documents from Brazil).
- The criminal record certificate to be presented must be national in scope and be current on the day of the shift.
- To process residence in Uruguay for minors, an apostilled birth certificate issued less than one year old and express authorization from both parents must be presented. Likewise, from the age of 4 they must prove their status as a student.
- Attend with an interpreter if you do not speak Spanish.
- Attend the hearing on time and with all the required documents as exclusive, since otherwise the appointment and payment made will be lost.
At ResidenciasUy we provide a comprehensive residency service in Uruguay where we make sure to meet these requirements, so you can stop worrying about immigration procedures and focus on your project in Uruguay.
How to obtain an appointment for Residency in Uruguay?
Getting an appointment for Uruguayan legal residence is often complicated, given the high demand for this type of procedure.
In general terms, the steps to obtain an appointment for residence in Uruguay are:
- Enter the chosen procedure with your gub.uy username
- Complete the requested information and attach the necessary documentation
- Make payment
- Select day and time at the office of your preference. If there is no availability, it is advisable to check with the corresponding office for the date and time when new shifts will be enabled.
Our comprehensive Uruguayan Legal Residency service includes obtaining all the necessary appointments for the various procedures to be carried out.
How to process the Uruguayan identity card?
After starting the Uruguayan legal residence process, it is possible to process the provisional Uruguayan ID card before the National Directorate of Civil Identification.
To do this, a certificate of initiation of the process is requested from the immigration authority and an appointment is scheduled to obtain the ID in Montevideo or any part of Uruguay.
Once the residence is granted and the birth certificate is registered, an appointment is coordinated to renew the provisional ID and for the definitive ID to be issued.
Can I obtain residency in Uruguay if I am the son or grandson of a Uruguayan?
The children and grandchildren of Uruguayans are Uruguayan nationals, so they do not have to complete the residency procedure (Laws 16,021 and 19,362).
In this sense, we provide a comprehensive Nationality service for children and grandchildren of Uruguayans.
Can you obtain residency in Uruguay remotely?
Although it is possible to start the Uruguayan legal residence procedures remotely, the applicant must travel to Uruguay for the interview to start the process and obtain the identity card.
At ResidenciasUy we provide personal support to these instances.
How to obtain residency in Uruguay for Argentines, Chileans, Brazilians, Peruvians and other Mercosur citizens?
Argentines, Brazilians, Chileans, Peruvians, Ecuadorians, Paraguayans and other foreign nationals of Mercosur can access the Mercosur Definitive Residency process before the National Migration Directorate. This type of residence has lower requirements than the Common Definitive Residence.
Mercosur residency begins in Uruguay with the National Directorate of Migration and does not require a minimum time spent in the country.
Regarding the necessary documentation, the following are required for the procedure: i) DNI; ii) Criminal record certificate; iii) Uruguayan vaccination certificate; iv) Apostilled birth certificate; and; v) Passport size photocard
For more information visit our Mercosur Permanent Residence page.
Do I have to pay taxes in Uruguay if I apply for legal residency?
Legal residence is an immigration quality, so its processing has no implications at the tax level.
You will begin to be taxed as a Uruguayan tax resident after meeting any of the conditions that grant tax residence.
For more information on this matter, we invite you to visit our section on Tax Residence.
What services do you offer for the residency process in Uruguay?
At ResidenciasUy we provide a comprehensive Legal Residency service in Uruguay, so that you don’t worry about immigration procedures and focus on your project in Uruguay.
We take care of all the necessary procedures to achieve the earliest approval of your residence, so that it only involves you attending the initial hearing and subsequently the processing of the identity card, in both cases accompanied by us.
Specifically, our comprehensive residence service in Uruguay includes:
- Advice on choosing the type of residence to process
- Constant availability to answer all doubts that may arise within the framework of the process
- Assistance in putting together all the necessary documentation for the procedure
- Submission of the Residence Application
- Obtaining all the appointments necessary for the procedure
- Birth certificate registration in the Uruguayan Civil Registry
- Personal accompaniment to the different face-to-face instances
- File monitoring
Do not hesitate to get in touch to receive personalized advice and obtain your Uruguayan legal residency without any setbacks.