We detail all the necessary documents and requirements to process Uruguayan permanent residence for Mercosur nationals and relatives of Uruguayans.

It is usual to find many unknowns when managing the documents for Uruguayan permanent residence. What is the validity of criminal records? What does apostille mean? What documents should I apostille? How to apostille the documents? How do I obtain my Uruguayan vaccination certificate? Does the apostilled birth certificate expire? What documents must minors present? This article seeks to clearly detail the requirements for Mercosur permanent residence and answer these questions.

In short, for the Mercosur Permanent Residency process, the following documents are required: 1) Identity Document or Passport; 2) Photo ID; 3) Criminal record certificate. 4) Uruguayan Vaccination Certificate; and; 5) Apostilled birth certificate.
Below are the details of the documents to process the Uruguayan Permanent Residence, which must be uploaded to the gub.uy portal when starting the application and presented in original format on the day of the appointment.

1. Identity document or Passport

It is the document that proves the identity of the person applying for residency, it is important:

• Make sure that it is current and in good condition.
• Present the same type of document with which the criminal record was issued.
• That the document matches the one used to create the gub.uy user

On the day of the in-person interview at the National Immigration Directorate, the applicant must bring a passport-sized photocard (4.5 x 3.5 cm).

3. Criminal Record Certificate

To process Uruguayan legal residency, criminal records from all countries where you resided for more than 6 months in the last 5 years must be presented. In this sense, the criminal record:

• They must have national scope, not state or provincial
• They must be current on the date of the appointment. They are valid for 6 months from their issuance, unless a shorter validity is indicated (e.g. Argentine records are valid for 3 months).
• If you have an electronic signature and code for online verification, it is not necessary to apostille them. Otherwise, they must be presented with an apostilled document from the country of origin.
• If you have lived in Uruguay for more than 5 years, it is enough to present a certificate of migratory movements that certifies said situation.

4. Uruguayan vaccination certificate

To process legal residence in Uruguay, it is necessary to prove compliance with the Uruguayan vaccination schedule corresponding to the age of the applicant.

• The certificate is obtained at any public vaccination center in Uruguay and for this purpose the foreign certificate must be presented that certifies having the current vaccines, or otherwise, said vaccines must be applied at the vaccination center.
• The basic vaccines required are:
  1. Double Bacterial
  2. Triple Viral only for those born after 1967

5. Apostilled birth certificate

It is necessary to register the apostilled birth certificate in the Uruguayan Civil Registry to process the definitive identity card after the Uruguayan Legal Residence has been granted.

• It is not required to present the apostilled certificate when starting legal residence, but rather it is presented directly to the Civil Registry for registration.
• In the case of minors, the apostilled birth certificate must be presented to begin the legal residence process.

5. Other aspects to consider

We detail other relevant aspects regarding the documents for Uruguayan permanent residence.

i) Minors:

In the case of minors under 18 years of age who begin Mercosur permanent residence, it is important to take into account:

• They do not have to present the criminal record certificate
• They must necessarily present the apostilled birth certificate
• The documents of both parents must be uploaded when starting the application
• You must attend the appointment with both parents (if one does not attend, an authorization must be presented to a notary public or Uruguayan consulate)

ii) Relatives of Uruguayans:

Those who access this procedure because they are spouses, cohabitants, siblings and parents of Uruguayans must also present:

• Current certificates or registered concubinage sentence to prove the link with the Uruguayan national
• Identification card or passport of the Uruguayan family member, valid and in good condition

iii) Translations:

To process the Mercosur Permanent Residence, documents written in a foreign language must be translated by a public Uruguayan translator.

It should be noted that in line with Law 18,224, it is not necessary to translate documents of Brazilian origin, with the exception of the birth certificate, which must be translated into Spanish.

iv) The day of the Appointment:

It is very important to present all documents in their original version on the day of the residency hearing at the National Immigration Directorate.

More information

At ResidenciasUy we take care of the processing of your Uruguayan legal residence, so that you can access your ID as quickly as possible.

We provide a comprehensive service for obtaining Permanent Residence in Uruguay, so that you don’t worry about immigration procedures and focus on your project in Uruguay.

We carry out all the stages of the process, so that it only involves you attending the initial hearing and subsequently the processing of the identity card, in both cases accompanied by us.
Do not hesitate to get in touch to receive personalized advice and obtain your Uruguayan legal residency without any setbacks.