UruguayFamily reunification

Permanent residence through a family link in Uruguay

Permanent residence for relatives of a Uruguayan: children, spouses, cohabiting partners, brothers and sisters. The applicant evidences the relationship with documents, and the case is examined by the National Directorate of Migration. It can be started through a personal account on the agency's portal; the in-person meeting with the originals is only needed at the end. Residents of neighbouring countries pay no fee under the reciprocity agreement. The status is not tied to work or study and opens the way to citizenship.

Source: GUB.UY — Residencia Legal - Permanente por vínculo uruguayo

Which relatives of a Uruguayan can get the residence

The right to permanent residence under this programme comes not from any relationship with a Uruguayan but from a specific list: through marriage and partnership, or through blood relationship.

Through marriage or partnership

An officially registered marriage to a Uruguayan citizen
A cohabitation (concubinato) with a Uruguayan registered through the courts
A marriage or concubinato entered into abroad and evidenced by legalised documents

Through blood relationship

Adult children of Uruguayan citizens
Minor children — with the written consent of the parents holding parental authority
Brothers and sisters of Uruguayan citizens

When the programme will not suit

The relationship with the Uruguayan is more distant than child, spouse, cohabiting partner or sibling — a parent or a grandchild, for instance

residence on general grounds (Residencia Legal — Permanente), with no tie to a family relationship

The applicant is a national of a Mercosur country (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname or Guyana) and has no Uruguayan relatives

Permanente Mercosur residence — on the strength of citizenship of a bloc country, with no need to evidence a relationship

Only a temporary status is needed rather than a permanent one

Residencia Legal – Temporaria, or Temporaria Mercosur for nationals of the bloc countries

What it costs

Permanent residence through a family linkthe main state fee for permanent residence, in indexed units (UI)	557,3 UI
Migration certificate for the identity documentthe fee for obtaining the identity document from the National Directorate of Civil Identification (DNIC)	55,7 UI
Re-entry permitpayable for each departure from Uruguay while the application is being examined; not needed once the residence is granted	+225,6 UI
Permanent residence through a family link — no fee for residents of Brazil and Paraguayno fee is charged under the reciprocity agreement between Uruguay and those countries	0 UI
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Re-entry permit” adds 225,6 UI; the “Permanent residence through a family link — no fee for residents of Brazil and Paraguay” branch replaces the “Permanent residence through a family link” line — 55,7 UI. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	613–838,6 UI

Paid separately

Apostille and translation of foreign documents — legalisation of documents and their translation into Spanish are paid separately and are not part of the state fee
Certificate of no criminal record from the country of residence — issued by the local authorities for a separate charge; it is not included in the Uruguayan fee

Documents to gather

The list applies to an adult applicant; there are additional requirements for minors.

A photograph of the prescribed type
A valid identity document of the applicant and of their Uruguayan relative
A certificate of no criminal record from the country of residence covering the past 5 years, issued no more than 6 months before filing
A birth or marriage certificate (no more than 1 year old) or a court decision registering the concubinato, evidencing the relationship with the Uruguayan
A valid vaccination certificate obtained at a Uruguayan vaccination point
For minors — a legalised birth certificate and the written consent to the move from the parents holding parental authority

How the process runs

The procedure starts online and is completed with a personal visit to an office of the National Directorate of Migration.

1
Logging into the personal account
The applicant logs into the migration service portal with a gub.uy account or another means of electronic identification and accepts the terms of use.
2
Filling in the form and uploading the documents
Online you choose the type of residence, complete the web form and attach scans of the documents in PDF format.
3
Paying the fees
Payment is made by bank transfer or through the payment collection network.
4
Examination of the application and invitation to the appointment
The National Directorate of Migration analyses the documents filed; if they are approved, the applicant receives an email inviting them to book the day and time of the in-person appointment.
5
In-person appointment with the original documents
The applicant attends at the appointed time with the originals of all the documents. Lateness of no more than 10 minutes is tolerated, and missing documents are accepted only once, with no right to a second partial submission.

Who you can bring with you

The programme is designed precisely for family members of a Uruguayan citizen — the list of relatives is closed.

Spouse

An officially registered marriage to a Uruguayan citizen

Cohabiting partner (concubina or concubino)

A cohabitation (concubinato) with a Uruguayan registered through the courts

Children

Adult and minor children of Uruguayan citizens; for minors the written consent of the parents holding parental authority is required

Brothers and sisters

The relationship with the Uruguayan citizen is evidenced by the birth certificates of both

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to citizenship

You apply for the carta de ciudadanía after 3 years of permanent residence if you have a family formed in Uruguay, and after 5 years without family in the country. An absence of more than 6 consecutive months resets the count.

Frequently asked questions about Permanent residence through a family link

Who exactly counts as a «Uruguayan relative» for this programme?

Only children, spouses, formally registered cohabiting partners (concubinos) and brothers or sisters of a Uruguayan citizen. More distant relationships, for instance with a parent or a grandchild, do not fall within this programme.

Does the fee have to be paid if the applicant is a national of Brazil or Paraguay?

No. Under the reciprocity agreement between Uruguay and those countries, permanent residence is granted to their nationals without payment of the main fee.

What should you do if you need to leave Uruguay while the application is being examined?

Before each departure, while the residence has not yet been granted, you must obtain a paid re-entry permit. Once the residence has been granted, that permit is no longer needed.

How long do you have to live in Uruguay to obtain citizenship after permanent residence?

To obtain the citizenship card (Carta de Ciudadanía) through the Electoral Court you must have lived in Uruguay for 3 years if you have already formed a family there, and 5 years if you have no family in the country; the count runs from the date of permanent residence and is broken by long absences from the country.

Do the fee amounts change over time?

Yes. The fees are stated in indexed units (UI), whose rate against the peso is recalculated regularly, so the final amount in pesos is worth checking on the date of payment.

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.