Immigration to Uruguay

Immigration to Uruguay

How does the Residency-Immigration process in Uruguay work?

The whole Immigration to Uruguay process takes about 10-18 month to obtain

Simple but bureaucratic!

Collect all necessary documents like your birth certificate, marriage certificate, police records from your country of origin and where you have lived in the last 5 years and proof of income while still abroad, then enter Uruguay as a tourist. All documents from abroad have to be legalized at a Uruguayan consulate where they have been issued and will need to be certified translated – can be done in Uruguay. The proof of income must show an income stream consistent with your living standard and can come from a pension, mutual fund or retirement fund income, lease of property owned abroad, dividends or work contract in Uruguay.

Within 90 days upon arrival in Uruguay, you have to submit the application at the National Migration office.

Once filed, you may stay in the country indefinitely as a temporary resident.  We can recommend to our clients a very good local contact who knows the immigration process in and out and speaks fluent English and German and can make your filing hassle free.

 

Immigration to Uruguay

How to bring and ship personal household goods and belongings into Uruguay?

In order to bring your personal belongings tax-free into Uruguay, you need to apply first for permanent residency.  Once you have your temporary “Cedula de Identitad” and the paper “Certificado de Llegada” issued by the “Direccion Nacional de Migracion” you can ship your container to Uruguay as long as the items (furniture, household goods, books etc.) are considered to be for your daily use.  We have a good shipping contact in the USA and a local import/delivery agency here in Montevideo who will handle your shipment hassle free and professionally. They both work closely together.

From the time of getting the temporary residency and getting the permanent status, which can take anywhere from 10 to 18 month, you will need to provide a refundable deposit to cover the value of the imported goods.  There are different ways to secure such a refundable deposit and your immigration specialist and local import agency can help you to get it done.  Once you receive your permanent residence status, the deposit will be returned to you.

Since government regulations change, we strongly recommend you to first consult with your shipping agent what is allowed to ship to Uruguay as personal belongings.