Residence permits according to the time of stay in the country are divided into:
1. Worldwide
2. MERCOSUR and associated countries
Over 2 years - MERCOSUR permanent residence
3. Outside MERCOSUR
4. Brazil population near the border with Uruguay - Special border document
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When entering Uruguay and wishing to extend your stay up to 180 days on legal grounds, you must prepare documents.
Any foreign documentation submitted must be properly apostilled or legalized and translated into Spanish by an Uruguayan official translator, except for documents issued in Brazil.
After the accreditation of the activity that motivates the request, a certificate is issued for the processing of the Temporary Identity Card in the National Directorate of Civil Identification, which is submitted in case of registration with the relevant social security authorities (Banco de Previsión Social) and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.
The cost of the certificate is approximately 55 dollars
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What documentation is required?
- the identity card used by the applicant to enter the country (original and copy);
form of the institution or company that accredits the activity motivating the application and the date of its completion;
a notary certificate confirming complete information about the institution or enterprise;
valid vaccination schedule issued by an institution authorized by the Ministry of Health of Uruguay, with mandatory vaccinations against tetanus and measles.
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Where to apply?
After completing the procedure, the applicant applies to the National Directorate of Civil Identification to obtain a temporary identity sheet.
If the applicant wishes to stay in Uruguay for more than 180 days but less than 2 years (renewable for two additional years), a request for temporary residence can be submitted. If the applicant does not speak Spanish, it is necessary to attend the interview with an interpreter.
Any submitted foreign document must be apostilled or legalized.
If the applicant is from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, or Peru, they can apply for temporary residence in MERCOSUR with some advantages in the documentation to be provided.
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Associated fees:
Application for residence
Migration certificate for obtaining an identity card after receiving it.
Once the procedure has started and until the residence permit is granted, the applicant must pay the re-entry permit fee each time they leave the country.
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What documentation should applicants from non-Mercosur countries submit?
- ID photo;
- fill out an application form with personal data;
- ID: photocopy and original of the identity card used when entering the country or the registration card issued by the relevant consulate in Uruguay;
- the exact date of entry into the country:
- vaccination schedule issued in Uruguay
- a valid medical card issued by public or private health care providers authorized by the Ministry of Health;
- criminal record: certificate of criminal record or police record at the national level of the country of origin and countries where the applicant has lived during the last 5 years (translated into Spanish, if available);
- confirmation of the purpose of the application with an indication of the activity to be carried out and the deadline;
- EMPLOYEES: a form issued by the employer indicating the work to be performed and the period of work, indicating the monthly salary, if any, or the method of service together with the registration statement, or statement, or receipt of wages, or a notarial/accounting certificate confirming all company data.
- STUDENTS: an official certificate from the educational institution - in the case of a private institute, a notarized certificate of the existence of the institute and its controller is attached to it. In addition, the student must provide proof of their means of livelihood, which must be sufficient to support them. In the absence of personal funds, the funds of a direct relative can be presented together with the necessary certificates confirming the relationship.
- If the funds for living come from abroad, provide a notarized certificate indicating the amount of money received, the place of its transfer, and the relationship with the sender. The aforementioned documentation can be presented as an original or as a notarized testimony at the exhibition or a simple photocopy certified by a notary; (in these last two cases, original documents are not required). In case of presentation of documentation in the original and a copy, it will be attached to the application and its authenticity will be certified by the educational institution
- This type of residence is granted for a period of up to one year with the possibility of extension for equal periods not exceeding two years of the total career.
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If the applicant is under 18 years of age:
- a criminal record will not be requested;
- Clear parental permission to settle in Uruguay will be required. If it is not provided in person, if it comes from abroad through a power of attorney, it must first be certified by a notary of the Uruguayan public notary.
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MERCOSUR temporary residence
Documents:
- ID photo;
- identity card: photocopies and original of the identity card that was used to arrive in the country, or the certificate of registration issued by the relevant consulate in Uruguay;
- the exact date of entry into the country;
- current vaccination schedule issued in Uruguay
- valid medical card: issued by public or private health care providers authorized by the Ministry of Health;
- criminal record: certificate of criminal record or police record at the national level of the country of origin and countries where the applicant has lived during the last 5 years (translated into Spanish, if available);
- birth certificate and proof of civil status of the person, if available (original and copy), and certificate of naturalization or naturalization, if available.
This type of residence allows, as a foreign citizen, permanent residence in Uruguay. All submitted foreign documents must be apostilled or legalized.
What documentation must applicants from non-MERCOSUR countries submit?
- ID photo;
- ID: photocopy and original of the identity card used when entering the country or the registration card issued by the relevant consulate in Uruguay;
- the exact date of entry into the country:
- vaccination schedule issued in Uruguay
- a valid medical card issued by public or private health care providers authorized by the Ministry of Health;
- criminal record: certificate of criminal record or police record at the national level of the country of origin and countries where the applicant has lived during the last 5 years (translated into Spanish, if available);
- birth certificate and/or confirmation of the civil status of the person, if any, and/or certificate of nationalization or naturalization, if any (submit a copy and the original);
- proof of livelihood through documentation that corresponds to the type of activity (employee of a legal entity, an employee of a natural person, independent worker, entrepreneur or shareholder, pensioner abroad, or pensioner in Uruguay).
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If the applicant is under 18 years of age:
- a criminal record will not be requested;
- Clear parental permission to settle in Uruguay will be required. If it is not provided in person, if it comes from abroad through a power of attorney, it must first be certified by a notary of the Uruguayan public notary.
- From the 4th year, the status of a student is confirmed by presenting a relevant certificate of study from an educational institution.
This is an administrative process carried out at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by a foreigner who is a citizen of a MERCOSUR member or associate country, or a foreigner who is a relative of Uruguayans and will permanently reside in Uruguay, to legalize their residence and obtain an Uruguayan identity card in accordance with Law 19.254.
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Who can apply for permanent residence in MERCOSUR?
Foreign relatives of Uruguayans: spouses, cohabitants with a decision of the Uruguayan court that establishes it, brothers and sisters, and parents of Uruguayans.
Foreigners who are citizens of MERCOSUR member states and associated countries: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador; Guyana, and Suriname.
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Where to apply?
It can be obtained at the residency issues office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay or Uruguayan consulates abroad.
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What documents must applicants submit?
Requirements from Uruguay:
- Valid ID in good condition (DNI, cédula, passport).
- A current criminal record certificate from the country or countries of residence for more than 6 months during the last 5 years.
- Uruguayan vaccination certificate.
- For Uruguayan relatives:
- Valid ID in good condition (DNI, cédula, passport).
- Evidence of kinship with an Uruguayan (in the case of a concubine, evidence of the decision of the Uruguayan court declaring the concubine).
- Uruguayan ID or passport in good condition.
- Uruguayan vaccination certificate.
- Requirements from abroad:
- The same requirements for processing in Uruguay plus "Proof of residence in the country where the process will be initiated" both in the case of an applicant who is a citizen of a MERCOSUR member or associate country and an applicant who is a family member of an Uruguayan.
You can apply to join a family member in Uruguay if that person is your parent, spouse, minor child, or older child with a disability. The visa is single-entry and is valid for 30 days, during which period it is necessary to apply and obtain a residence permit in Uruguay. A family reunification visa is intended for a single entry.
The validity of the visa will be 180 days from the date of visa issuance (stamp). From the day the visa is issued by the consulate, you have 180 days to enter Uruguay.
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Necessary documents for obtaining an Uruguayan visa for a family reunion:
- Confirmation of kinship with the family member you wish to join. Birth or marriage certificates, etc., always apostilled or duly legalized.
- For minors under 18 years of age - permission from legal representatives.
- A signed clear consent of a native citizen, permanent resident, or permanent resident with proof of income provided.
- Photocopy of the identity document of the reference person in Uruguay.
Who can get it?
Foreign men and women of good behavior:
- with a family established in Uruguay, who have some capital or property in the country or are engaged in some science, art, or industry, have three years of habitual residence in Uruguay, or
- without a family established in the Republic, having any of the qualities mentioned in the preceding paragraph, and five years of permanent residence in the Republic, or
- who receive special favors from the General Assembly for outstanding merits.
In all cases, they must be 18 years of age or older.
Foreigners who speak a language other than Spanish must understand and speak Spanish or the procedure will not be followed.
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What documentation must be submitted?
Proof of citizenship by presenting documents issued by the Civil Status Register stating that you were born in Uruguay or were registered in the "Book of Foreigners" outside the country, or an apostilled document from the country of origin, or a visa, if necessary:
- certificate of birth, marriage, or birth of a son or daughter; or
- another document from the country of origin, such as a passport or identity card, indicating the applicant's nationality.
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Accredited entry into the country by one of the following options:
- residence and migration permits issued by the National Immigration Office
- Certificate of residence issued by the Residence Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued by the Citizen Assistance Center
Mark the "usual" place of residence, that is, departures from the country cannot exceed 6 months in a row.
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Means for living or institution, as the case may be:
- Certificates "Consultation of activities for one person" and "Work History" issued by the Bank of Social Insurance.
- Retirement certificate or pension certificate, issued by the Bank of Social Assistance.
- "One-person enterprise" certificate issued by the Bank of Social Assistance.
- Certificate issued by the Fund of University Specialists, the Notary Fund, or the Bank's Pension Fund. In these cases, since these are private institutions, these documents must be certified by a public notary with their signature and content.
- A certificate issued by the Military Fund or the Police Fund, respectively.
- Ownership of property. It serves as proof of "means of living" only if some income is received from its rental.
- Marriage or cohabitation, responsible for its maintenance.
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Witnesses over 25 years old and have known the person for a sufficient time (3 years if they have an established family or 5 years if there is no family in Uruguay). Cannot belong to the responsible person: family members; employees or employers; military; active police or election officials.
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The purpose of your stay in the country, if any
- Students
- Certificate of study and secondary or higher school education. If the educational institutions are private, the documents to be presented must be certified by a public notary.
- Certificate of "life activity" (income) of one of the parents, which will be accompanied by a certificate of alimony, which will be made in the Office.
- Medical certificates.
- The medical history from which the number of times you attended your treatment derives from the period that must be demonstrated, as you cannot be an intermediary between one date and another for more than six months.
- People who practice religion:
- A certificate from the religious congregation to which they belong that they perform the functions on the same, regular and continuous basis, the date from which they perform this function and that the maintenance is the responsibility of the congregation.
- Athletes
- The certificate of the club to which they belong is signed by the authority responsible for it, indicating the dates of sports events.
- A certificate from the Federation indicating the manager's activities.
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Documents issued by private institutions must be certified by a public notary.
SIGNATURE: Must certify that the signature on the presented document is authentic, established in their presence by a person authorized to do so.
CONTENT: They must ensure that they have seen the files, archives, or records held by the institution and that the data in the submitted document derives from them.
All submitted foreign documents must be apostilled or legalized.
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Where to apply?
In Montevideo, an appointment must be scheduled here and then visit the Electoral Court's legal citizenship section in person.
In the rest of the country, the procedure must be started in the departments of the Electoral Commission and the Department of Canelones, as well as in the offices of registration of permanent delegates of Pando, Las Piedras, and Ciudad de la Costa.
Uruguay