Any foreign citizen that meets certain basic requirements can apply for residency. In addition, if one wishes to, one can subsequently apply for citizenship, and a second passport.

1. The process:

The most important thing you should bear in mind is that Uruguay does not have an immigration quota, nor does it discretionally reject applications.  As long as you meet the simple requirements that are listed below (birth certificate, clean police record, proof that you can support yourself, an address, and time spent in the country), the residency is granted.  It is the manifest policy of the government to invite people to move to Uruguay.

The residency application is filed before the “Direccion Nacional de Migracion” (DNM), Uruguay’s immigration authority.  The key, when applying, is to make sure that the required documents are presented in due form (with the required stampings and wording). 

The process starts with the request for an appointment at the DNM, through a letter (of which we´ll send you the text).

The next step is to gather the documents that are required for the filing. The documents one submits at the DNM must be previously stamped at the Uruguayan consulate in the country where they were issued (if the country where they were issued does not have a Uruguayan consulate, we´ll advise which correspondent consulate applies).  This stamping procedure is called "legalization", and all Uruguayan consulates are familiar with it.  (Note: "legalization" is not synonymous with "Apostille". Apostilled documents won’t be accepted; they need the Uruguayan consulate’s stamp.) 

To verify where the competent Uruguayan consulate is, feel free to email us, and we’ll provide the contact information.
Once you have all the documents, we’ll ask you to send them to us, so we can verify that they are correct, and have them stamped at Uruguay’s Foreign Ministry, plus, have them translated into Spanish by a certified interpreter.

Once you arrive in Uruguay, you need to do two things before filing your residency application: a brief medical check-up (which we’ll book for you) and a police record, if applicable (see below).

It usually takes twelve months to obtain residency from the day you submit your application.

2. A word on the address requirement and the permanence in the country that is required:

Uruguay requires that the applicant who files for residency have an actual address in Uruguay (a property, owned or rented) and that the person reside in the country.

On the requirement to spend time in the country: During the 12 months that it takes to obtain residency after you file, you may freely come and go in and out of Uruguay (and you may stay indefinitely, since you are a “temporary resident” awaiting the “permanent resident” status).  But you must also spend considerable time in Uruguay.  If you have to move around for different reasons (work, travel, second homes elsewhere), you should at least be able to spend between four and six months in Uruguay, during the application process.

Once you become a permanent resident, there is no longer a stay requirement.  You will lose your resident status only if you stay out of the country for more than three years.

If, after residency, you wish to pursue citizenship, then you need to wait three years (if married, or with a family) or five years (if single).  To be able to obtain citizenship- you need to spend at least six months out of each of those 3/5 years, in the country (besides other formal requirements).

3. The required documents

The required documents are:

a) Your birth certificate.

b) Your marriage certificate: this is optional.  You may file it or not.  The advantage of filing a marriage certificate is that it enables only one of the spouses to have to prove a source of income (see “e”, below).

c) Your criminal record: To prove that one has a clean police record, he or she must present a police certificate from the country of origin, from the country which issued the applicant’s passport (if different from the country of origin) and from those countries where one resided in the past five years.  In the case of U.S. citizens, the U.S. record is requested in Uruguay, at the local Interpol office.

d) Tetanus shot: If you have a vaccination report showing your last tetanus shot, you’ll avoid getting one at the medical check-up in Uruguay. If by any chance you cannot be given this shot (i.e. allergies) you´ll need a letter issued by a doctor, specifically stating you cannot get the shot, and the reason why. Minors (under 18) must bring their vaccination reports as they will not be vaccinated at the clinic in Uruguay.

e) Proof of Income. The Proof of Income requirement is fulfilled by proving that you have a steady stream of income of at least USD 6,000 per year (or USD 500 per month).  If the applicants are a married couple, only one of the spouses needs to prove an income source.

The proof of income can be proven in a number of ways: a pension, dividends of any nature, lease income, or a work contract with a company in Uruguay, to name common examples.  A simple bank statement will not suffice as proof of income, since it does not prove a steady stream of income.

You have to prove that the income is actually received in Uruguay, so it’s convenient to open a bank account (if you don’t have one already) in the country, which is easy, and can be done in a day at some banks.