UruguayNaturalisation

Carta de ciudadanía in Uruguay

The document by which Uruguay's Electoral Court confirms that a foreign national has obtained Uruguayan citizenship. It is handled by the court's own dedicated section. The carta is open to an adult foreign national of good repute who lives in the country permanently and evidences a source of funds: a job, a profession, a pension or a business of their own. The applicant attends in person, with documents and witnesses, and receives the carta once the case has been examined.

Source: GUB.UY — Carta de ciudadanía (ciudadanía legal uruguaya)

Who is entitled to the carta de ciudadanía

The Constitution gives foreign nationals two standard grounds for the carta de ciudadanía — the period of continuous residence depends on whether the applicant has a family in the country.

With a family in Uruguay

The formally constituted family — spouse, children or a concubinato partner — lives permanently in the country together with the applicant
There is an evidenced source of means of support: a job, a profession, a pension or a business of their own in Uruguay
Residence in the country is continuous, with no absences longer than the permitted limit at a stretch

Without a family in Uruguay

The applicant's family does not live permanently in Uruguay
The same set of evidence of means of support — a job, a profession, a pension or a business of their own
A longer period of continuous residence is required than for applicants with a family in the country

When the programme will not suit

You were born in Uruguay, or you are the child or grandchild of a Uruguayan citizen born abroad

Your case is natural citizenship rather than the carta de ciudadanía: it is arranged through the separate procedure for obtaining an identity document for children and grandchildren of Uruguayans

You have not yet accumulated the required period of continuous residence in Uruguay

First obtain Residencia Legal — the residence permit that gives you the lawful right to live in the country until the residence qualification for the carta de ciudadanía is met

You leave Uruguay often and for long periods — absences of more than six months at a stretch

You will have to build up a continuous period of residence again: such an absence resets the count already accumulated

What you need is not the carta itself but an official paper stating that citizenship has or has not been obtained — for a relative, say, or for consular purposes

Request the separate, chargeable certificate of citizenship or of non-naturalisation (Certificado de ciudadanía o no naturalización) from the same Electoral Court

Documents to gather

The exact set depends on the applicant's circumstances — these are the main documents the Electoral Court checks.

Evidence of origin — a birth certificate, a marriage certificate or a child's birth record from the civil register, or a passport or identity document of the country of origin with an apostille where required
Evidence of age — a national identity document, a birth certificate from the register of births abroad, or a foreign birth certificate with legalisation and translation
A certificate of residence and a certificate of migration movements from the National Directorate of Migration
Evidence of the source of means of support for the required period — certificates from the Social Security Bank (BPS) on employment, a pension or a business of your own, or certificates from the professional funds of notaries, university-qualified professionals, the military or the police, certified by a notary
Documents on marital status — a marriage certificate or a court decision on a concubinato, with evidence that the spouse or partner lives in the country
For students — a certificate of study and a document on the parents' income stating that they support them
For ministers of religion, athletes or people undergoing lengthy medical treatment — certificates from the congregation, club or federation or from the medical institution, certified by a notary
Witnesses for the in-person hearing — not family members, employees or employers of the applicant, and not members of the military, the police or the electoral authorities; they must have known the applicant for the whole of the required period and must attend with an identity document

How the process runs

Applications are taken only in person at Electoral Court offices: in Montevideo mainly by appointment, in the departments more often without one.

1
Booking an appointment in Montevideo
Free slots in the Electoral Court's online booking system open on Mondays in the morning for the coming week. If there are no slots, you can come to the office without an appointment with the complete set of documents, but those who booked in advance have priority.
2
Attending with the documents and witnesses
In Montevideo applications are taken on weekdays in the morning at the office on Ituzaingó street; in the departments they are taken at almost all electoral bureaux without an appointment, except for a few Canelones offices which do not handle this procedure at all. The applicant attends with the complete set of documents, and the witnesses confirm the length of their continuous residence in the country.
3
Review of the case by the legal citizenship section
Electoral Court staff assess the whole set of documents and open a citizenship case; the applicant does not order the certificate of no criminal record separately — the court requests it itself.
4
Issue of the carta de ciudadanía
Once the case has been examined, the applicant is issued the carta de ciudadanía itself — the document confirming Uruguayan citizenship.
5
Obtaining the civic credential (credencial cívica)
3 years after the carta is issued
On presenting the carta de ciudadanía, the new citizen can obtain the credencial cívica free of charge and without an appointment — the document that gives the right to vote in elections.

Timelines and rights

Validity

Three years after the carta is issued you receive the civic credential — credencial cívica.

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to citizenship

3 years of permanent residence where a family has been formed in Uruguay; 5 years of permanent residence without family in the country. The residence must be continuous: an absence of more than 6 consecutive months resets the count.

Frequently asked questions about Carta de ciudadanía

How much does the carta de ciudadanía cost?

The carta itself is issued free of charge — the Electoral Court states directly that this procedure has no cost. Only a different, separate document is chargeable — the certificate of the presence or absence of citizenship, which is needed for other purposes, for instance at a relative's request.

What period of continuous residence is needed for the carta de ciudadanía?

The period depends on whether the applicant has a family living permanently in Uruguay: with a family in the country a shorter residence qualification is required, without a family a longer one. Any absence from the country of more than six months at a stretch resets the residence count already accumulated.

How do you book an appointment in Montevideo?

Booking is done online through the Electoral Court's system; new slots for the coming week open on Mondays in the morning. If there are no free slots, you can come to the office without an appointment with the complete set of documents, but those who booked in advance have priority over those who come without an appointment.

What happens once you have the carta de ciudadanía?

With the carta a person is already officially Uruguayan, but the right to vote in elections comes separately: some time after the carta is issued you have to obtain the civic credential (credencial cívica) — also free of charge, at the same Electoral Court.

If I was born abroad to Uruguayan parents or grandparents, do I need the carta de ciudadanía?

No. For children and grandchildren of Uruguayan citizens born abroad a different legal institution applies — natural citizenship, rather than the carta de ciudadanía, which is intended for foreign nationals without Uruguayan roots. It is arranged through the separate procedure for obtaining an identity document.

Other ways to move to Uruguay

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Uruguay.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.