GUIDE: Permanent Residency in Uruguay

I would like to share a concise account of my personal and professional experience in arranging permanent residency in Uruguay.

1. Uruguay has temporary and permanent residency migration statuses, but they are independent; people wishing to live in the country should apply directly for permanent residency.

1. From filing the permanent-residency application until receiving the status — as of 2025, review takes three months after all documents are supplied — the applicant remains legally in the country with unrestricted rights to:

employment; acquiring movable and immovable property; establishing and running a business; education from kindergarten to university; and use of medical services.

1. There are NO requirements for obtaining permanent residency in Uruguay, such as the need to:

place a cash deposit; provide a university degree; buy property; or invest in government securities or development funds.

GENERAL OUTLINE OF THE PERMANENT-RESIDENCY APPLICATION PROCESS IN URUGUAY

Stage 1. Preparing the documents needed to apply for permanent residency and obtain a local ID:

1.1. Passport.

1.2. Birth, marriage and divorce certificates.

For a permanent-residency application, adult applicants need a birth certificate when they need to prove kinship with other applicants. Minors require one in all cases; at the time of applying, it must have been issued by the civil registry no more than one year earlier. A marriage certificate is needed to have one spouse’s income counted for the other and when the applicant has changed their surname. A divorce certificate or civil-registry certificate is needed if the former spouse’s surname was retained after divorce.

If an applicant has married several times and changed surnames sequentially, as reflected in their documents, collect the complete set of certificates and/or civil-registry records of marriages and divorces.

Civil-registry documents must be submitted as originals (either first-issued or reissued) with an apostille (in Russia, an apostille can be obtained from a civil registry office or the regional Archives Service administration).

If you may need an original document later, a notarised copy can be made and submitted to the local civil registry together with or later in place of the original; once the record is entered in the registry, the original can be collected.

In Uruguay, documents must be translated by an authorised translator with a special professional sticker attached to the translation.

When applying for permanent residency, you may provide:

• translations of apostilled documents;
• or Uruguayan-format certificates directly.

1.3. Criminal-record certificates from the country of birth and countries where the applicant lived for more than six months during the last five years. Required for every applicant over 18.

For permanent-residency purposes in Uruguay, a criminal-record certificate is valid for six months from its issue date.

A criminal-record certificate can be obtained and apostilled directly in the country where you live or lived. It can also be obtained as a consular certificate at the relevant countries’ consulates in Montevideo or Argentina/Brazil if those consulates are accredited to Uruguay. For Russian citizens, a consular certificate can be processed at the Russian Consulate in Montevideo on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon. It takes one week and costs US$20.

1.4. Vaccination certificate. Uruguay’s current vaccination schedule: view it at this link

For children: you must bring a vaccination certificate.

For adults: either bring a certificate showing vaccinations or receive free tetanus-diphtheria and measles-rubella-mumps vaccines. This matters because without a valid tetanus vaccination a carné de salud medical card is not issued, and without a vaccination certificate permanent residency is not granted.

If an adult provides no data on previous vaccinations, vaccination is carried out in three stages: vaccination, a booster after one month and another after one year. By the application date, all vaccinations already due should have been given.

1.5. Income documents.

1.5.1. Documents confirming income sources in Uruguay: A. Employment with a corporate employer: documents confirming employment and the BPS Historia laboral nominada form. B. An individual employer (home-based work) or own business: a company certificate covering registration data, income and expenses, and salary where there is a contract; a notarial or accounting certificate confirming the company’s current status, location and registration with BPS and DGI; a BPS statement (historia laboral); and an MTSS labour-ministry certificate (la planilla de control de trabajo).

1.5.2. Document confirming foreign income sources: a certificate from an escribano (notary) confirming that you have income in the form of: A. Rental income. Provide translations of: a document confirming ownership of the property (the document must bear an apostille, although not all escribanos require this); the rental agreement; and a bank statement for the account to which payments under the agreement are made (not all escribanos require this). B. Pension. Provide translations of: a certificate from the pension fund stating the monthly amount (bring a calculation converting the pension into US dollars, and the escribano will then issue a certificate stating the pension’s equivalent in dollars); and a bank statement for the account to which the pension is paid (not all escribanos require this). C. Salary from remote work. Provide translations of: a certificate or contract stating the monthly salary; and a bank statement for the account to which the funds are paid (not all escribanos require this). Translations can be made either in the country that issued the document or in Uruguay, but it is best to clarify the escribano’s requirements in advance.

As of October 2025, income sufficient for permanent residency is US$650 per month per family member.

1.6. A 3×4 photograph. You can bring one or have it taken before applying for permanent residency.

1.7. Medical card — carné de salud. Uruguay has a citizen health-monitoring programme under which everyone must undergo a basic examination every two years, consisting of:

1. Venous blood test for glucose, cholesterol and syphilis.
2. Urine test.
3. Dentist consultation.
4. General-practitioner consultation.
5. Pap test for women aged 25–69, valid for no more than three years.
6. Mammogram for women aged 50–69, valid for no more than 1.5 years.
7. Hepatitis C test for people born from 1960 to 1968.

If risk factors are identified, you will be referred for an additional GP consultation.

To receive the Carné de salud after the examination — a plastic card with a photograph — you must also provide vaccination information.

You can obtain a Carné de salud at public medical centres or private clinics.

You will need a passport, a vaccination certificate (Russian with translation or Uruguayan), any available test results for Pap/mammogram/hepatitis C, and biological samples for testing.

If test results are missing, the card is issued for six months and extended free of charge to two years when results are provided within that period.

1.8. Certificates from Uruguayan educational institutions for children. These are normally provided later, after children have been enrolled.

IMPORTANT. The following documents are mandatory when first applying for permanent residency: passport; photograph; an apostilled and translated birth certificate for minors; and, if a minor’s application is filed by one parent, the other parent’s consent in notarial form or at the Uruguayan consulate. The remaining documents may be supplied later.

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Stage 2. Booking an appointment at Migración to file the permanent-residency application.

2.1. Register on Uruguay’s public-services portal. To create an account that lets you order public services online, go to www.gub.uy

Then use the perfil gub.uy link at the upper right and choose Regístrate, or the Registrarme link below the login form.

Complete the form. This can also be done using a passport.

After a simple authorisation, you can use the service to access public services: ordering documents, reserving an appointment for submission and/or collection, and so on.

The list of public services is here: www.gub.uy/tramites/

Each public service has a fairly detailed description:

1. What is the service? — ¿Qué es?
2. Who provides it? — ¿De quién depende?
3. Where and when can you apply? — ¿Dónde y cuándo se realiza el trámite?
4. Online availability — Acceso en Línea.
5. What is needed? — ¿Qué se necesita para realizarlo?
6. How is the service provided? — ¿Cómo se hace?
7. Cost — Tener en cuenta.
8. Relevant links — Vínculos de interés.

You can therefore obtain information about a service and, when it is available online, access and request it. When you follow the Iniciar trámite en línea link, you will be asked to sign in or register; then follow the step-by-step instructions.

2.2. Booking an appointment with Migración. An appointment to submit the application is booked through this link. First, complete the application and attach document scans. The application is then reviewed by Migración; once review is complete, you can reserve a submission date and time.

2.3. Paying the fee. During online appointment booking, the applicant is offered the option to pay the government fee — around US$100 as of 2025 — from a Uruguayan bank account, or download a payment slip to pay at Abitab or Red Pagos payment agents, or at Uruguay Post offices. If you do not attend at the appointed time, the fee is not refunded; however, you can come in and reschedule the appointment so that the fee is not lost.

Stage 3. Filing the application and obtaining the certificate to arrange a cédula at DNIC.

All adult applicants for whom a migration case is opened must attend in person. If you do not speak Spanish, attend with an interpreter. Minor children do not have to attend, but both parents must be present. If one parent is absent, provide a protocolised notarial power of attorney translated into Spanish if it was not issued in Uruguay, or consent prepared at the Uruguayan consulate.

When the permanent-residency application is opened, it must include the passport used to enter the country and a photograph.

The following must also be attached immediately or may be sent later: vaccination certificate, Carné de salud, criminal-record certificate(s), income certificate, birth certificate if required, and marriage certificate if required.

After you submit the permanent-residency application, Migración automatically generates and sends a migration-status certificate (residencia en trámite) for each applicant electronically to DNIC.

Stage 4. Obtaining the initial cédula.

The cédula is an internal identity document. All citizens older than 45 days and foreign nationals permanently resident in the country must have one.

To obtain a cédula, book an appointment with DNIC in one of the following ways:

1. By SMS (Antel operator).
2. Through Abitab and Redpagos agencies, Uruguay Post offices, or C.A.C. (Centro de Atención Ciudadana).
3. At DNIC offices.
4. Online — go to this link

To arrange the cédula, you need:

1. Passport.
2. The certificate from Migración confirming your residencia en trámite status; Migración sends it to DNIC automatically in electronic form.
3. Birth certificate:

either a Uruguayan-format certificate, or a translation of the apostilled certificate. A copy of that translation must also be certified at DNIC. If a birth certificate is unavailable, a consular birth certificate may be provided.

When applying without a Uruguayan certificate, you also sign an undertaking to register documents with the civil registry. Until the Uruguayan-format certificate is provided, subsequent cédulas will have temporary status and be issued for one year.

The initial cédula is issued for two years. Its reverse side shows the residencia en trámite migration status and the migration-case number. It too is temporary; that status is removed after permanent residency is obtained and the birth certificate is registered.

The initial cédula is issued on the day of the appointment to children up to and including age nine, and to everyone else within five working days, but no more than 90 calendar days.

As of October 2025, the initial cédula costs 439 pesos. Paying outside a DNIC office adds the intermediary’s commission.

Stage 5. Supplying documents to Migración after an incomplete filing or at Migración’s request.

This is done either by attaching document scans in the personal account if that option is technically open, or by presenting them in person at the Migración office through the walk-in queue without an appointment.

Stage 6. Obtaining the permanent-residency status certificate from Migración.

After the permanent-residency application is decided, Migración notifies the applicant by email. With a positive decision, pay for the migration-status certificate in the personal account. Migración then sends it directly to DNIC electronically, and the certificate allows you to replace the cédula.

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Stage 7. Replacing the cédula with the new status.

To update the cédula, provide the previous card and a Uruguayan-format birth certificate. If the birth certificate has not yet been registered, the cédula is issued for one year with temporary status. On renewal, the cédula is always issued on the day of the appointment.

Congratulations!

You can have a glass of Tannat — it is excellent in Uruguay!

You can arrange permanent residency in Uruguay independently: our guide provides clear step-by-step instructions. If you prefer not to spend time studying and carrying out the process, you can use Anna Bamburova’s services to complete the process comfortably and in the shortest possible time, receive comprehensive assistance with obtaining permanent residency and a cédula ID card, and benefit from extensive experience with adapting to life in Uruguay.

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