UruguayPermanent residence

Permanent residence in Uruguay

The status gives a foreign national the right to live in Uruguay indefinitely and to obtain a national identity document. Anyone who intends to live in the country may apply, whatever their citizenship; Mercosur nationals have a procedure of their own. The applicant goes through identity and criminal record checks and evidences their health and income — from a salary, a business, remote work or a pension. The documents are filed online and the originals are brought to the appointment at the National Directorate of Migration.

Source: GUB.UY — Residencia Legal - Permanente (Dirección Nacional de Migración)

Who can apply for the residence

The residence is designed for any foreign national who intends to settle in Uruguay for the long term — the set of documents differs only in how the income is evidenced.

In work or running a business

An employee of a Uruguayan company — a certificate of income from the employer
A sole trader (empresa unipersonal) — a notarised certificate of income from that activity
A co-owner or director of a company (S.A., SRL, SAS) — notarised documents on the income from the business

Living on income from abroad or on a pension

An employee of a foreign company working remotely from Uruguay — a certificate from the foreign employer
A rentier with income from property or investments abroad — a notarised certificate of the amount of income
A pensioner or the recipient of a pension from abroad — a certificate of the pension awarded

When the programme will not suit

You are a national of a member or associated state of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana)

There is a separate procedure for those countries, «Residencia Legal — Permanente Mercosur».

You plan to live in Uruguay for a limited period rather than permanently — study, contract work, other temporary grounds

«Residencia Legal — Temporaria» suits better — temporary residence for between 6 months and 2 years.

You have a relative in Uruguay who is a citizen (spouse, child, parent) and you want the residence on the strength of that link

Consider the «Permanente por vínculo uruguayo» procedure — residence based on a family link with a Uruguayan citizen.

You are a Brazilian national living in the border zone with Uruguay

The «Documento especial fronterizo» is provided for you — a special border document valid for up to 5 years instead of full residence.

What it costs

Permanent residence applicationThe state fee in indexed units (UI, Unidad Indexada — its rate against the Uruguayan peso changes daily).	557,3 UI
Migration certificate for obtaining the identity documentA separate certificate needed to obtain or renew the Uruguayan identity document.	55,7 UI
Re-entry permit while the application is being examinedPayable for each departure from Uruguay while the residence is still being processed; not needed once it is approved.	+225,6 UI
Residence for nationals of Brazil and ParaguayNo state fee is charged, under the reciprocity agreements between the countries.	0 UI
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Re-entry permit while the application is being examined” adds 225,6 UI; the “Residence for nationals of Brazil and Paraguay” branch replaces the “Permanent residence application” line — 55,7 UI. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	613–838,6 UI

Paid separately

Apostille or consular legalisation of foreign documents — The charge depends on the country that issued the document and is not part of the National Directorate of Migration's fee.
Sworn translation of documents into Spanish — Paid separately to the translator; it is not required only for documents from Brazil and for some documents whose authenticity can be verified electronically.

Documents to gather

The requirements are the same for the online application and the in-person visit — the originals are presented at the appointment.

A valid identity document (and a visa, if one is required to enter Uruguay)
A certificate of no criminal record from the country of origin and from countries of residence over the past 5 years, for periods of 6 months or more
A marriage certificate no more than 1 year old — if the residence is being applied for together with a spouse
A birth certificate — for minor children or where family relationships are being evidenced
A passport-style photograph (taken at the appointment itself)
A health certificate from an institution authorised by Uruguay's Ministry of Health
A vaccination certificate issued by an authorised medical institution
A document evidencing sufficient income — an employer's certificate, a notarised income certificate for an entrepreneur, a pension certificate and so on, depending on the situation
All foreign documents — with an apostille or consular legalisation (except documents from Brazil) and a sworn translation into Spanish

How the process runs

The application is filed online, but it must be completed with an in-person visit to a migration service office with the original documents.

1
Logging into the personal account and accepting the terms
The applicant signs in through gub.uy, an electronic DNI, Abitab Digital ID or TuID (Antel) and accepts the terms of the service.
2
Choosing the type of residence and filling in the form
In the web form you select the type of residence needed — permanent, in this case — and fill in your personal details.
3
Uploading the documents and paying the fee
Scans of the documents in PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG or GIF format are attached to the application, after which the fee is paid by bank transfer or through the network of payment collection points.
4
Decision on the application
A notification arrives by email: either the application has been approved, or a list of points to be put right is given.
5
Booking the in-person appointment
Once the application is approved, a link appears in the personal account to book an appointment at an office of the National Directorate of Migration.
6
In-person appointment with the original documents
The applicant attends at the appointed time (up to 10 minutes' lateness is tolerated) with the originals of all the documents; missing papers may be supplied only once, and if you are late or the set is incomplete the fee you have paid is lost.

Who you can bring with you

The residence can be applied for together with a spouse and minor children.

The applicant's spouse

A marriage certificate no more than a year old is required, legalised or apostilled and translated into Spanish (except documents from Brazil); a de facto (common-law) partnership is only recognised where the partnership has been confirmed by a court.

Minor children

A birth certificate (apostilled or legalised) is required, together with the written consent of both parents to the child's residence or a notarial power of attorney (valid for 180 days; if drawn up abroad it must be certified by a Uruguayan notary); from the age of four a certificate of enrolment at an educational institution and proof of the representative's income are also needed.

Renewal and the grace period

Permanent residence itself is open-ended, but the Uruguayan identity document is issued for a fixed period and has to be renewed. While in Uruguay, and no later than 6 months before the document expires, the applicant orders through the gub.uy personal account the migration certificate for renewing the identity document (55.70 UI); processing takes around 15 days, after which a payment link arrives by email.

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

Do nationals of Brazil and Paraguay have to pay the residence fee?

No — under the reciprocity agreements, nationals of Brazil and Paraguay are exempt from the fee for a permanent residence application, although they go through the procedure itself and the list of documents on the same basis as everyone else.

Do you have to pay separately if you need to leave Uruguay while the residence application is still being examined?

Yes — for each departure from the country while the application is pending you must obtain a paid re-entry permit; once the residence has been approved it is no longer needed.

How many years after obtaining the residence can you apply for Uruguayan citizenship?

The citizenship application (carta de ciudadanía) can be filed after three years of permanent residence in the country if the applicant has a family in Uruguay, or after five years without a family; the residence must be continuous, with no breaks of more than six consecutive months.

Does this procedure apply to nationals of the Mercosur countries?

No: for nationals of member and associated states of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana) there is a separate procedure, «Residencia Legal — Permanente Mercosur».

How do you renew the Uruguayan identity document after obtaining permanent residence?

No later than 6 months before the document expires you must, while in Uruguay, order through the gub.uy personal account the migration certificate for renewing the identity document; processing takes around 15 days.

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.