Arrival
Prior to your Arrival
To carry out the necessary procedures to reside in Uruguay, and to be able to study, work or start a business, it is advisable to obtain some documents in the country of origin, such as:
- Passport (or valid identity card) with at least 6 months of validity at the time of travel and in good condition.
- Birth, marriage or death certificates (in order to be valid, they must be less than 30 days old)
- Criminal record certificate from the country of origin and the country where you have lived in for the past 5 years.
- Certificates or diplomas that show your educational background.
- Medical examinations: the Occupational Health Card is mandatory and can be processed in Uruguay, but some formalities must also be foreseen in the place of origin such as: proof of current tetanus vaccination, signed and stamped laboratory tests within the last 90 days, and for women over 21 years old, Papanicolaou results within the last 24 months, and for women over 40 years old, mammography results within the last 18 months.
- Bank references
- Visa application if you come from a country that requires it (more information here).
All foreign documents submitted must be apostilled or legalized (according to Law No. 15.441) and translated into Spanish by a Uruguayan public translator, except those issued in Brazil.
The Apostille Convention is an international validity system that replaces document legalization by consulates, by applying a stamp on the public document of a country, which certifies its authenticity in another country. Many processes have become simpler and less expensive since Uruguay's inclusion in the Apostille Convention.
Where can you check if your country has an Apostille Convention and who carries it out?
- Website: www.hcch.net
Legalization of any document is required when it is issued abroad by a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention.
How should a document be legalized?
- Legalize the document with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country.
- Legalize the document with the Uruguayan Consulate in the issuing country.
- Legalize the document with the Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.ç
What should I do upon arrival?
I. Validate the documents
In cases where the documentation has been legalized by a consular agent but has not been apostilled, once it arrives in Uruguay, the signature of the Uruguayan agent must be authenticated.
II. Translations
Documents originating abroad issued in another language must be translated into Spanish to be valid in Uruguay (except in the case of Brazilian citizens). The only valid translations in Uruguay are those made by:
Uruguayan consular agent: legalized and accompanied by the duly legalized original.
Uruguayan Translators Association.
III. Inscription in the Registry of Foreigners.
It is the transcription of a copy of the foreign birth certificate, legalized or apostilled and translated (as appropriate). With this, a birth certificate registered by Uruguay is obtained, which contains the information found in the foreign birth certificate.
Where is it carried out? At the Ministry of Education and Culture, Directorate General of Civil Registry, click here.
IV. Start the residency application process online, see details here.
V. Obtain the Health Card, see details here.
VI. Apply for the Uruguayan ID card (after starting the residency process), see details here.