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Consumer claims in Uruguay

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Changing

Consumer disputes under Ley 17.250 worth up to 100 UR (about UYU 194,077 or US$4,826) go to a fast small claims procedure before the Juzgado de Paz: a single hearing within 30 days, no lawyer required, a court charge of 1 percent of the claim and no appeal on the merits. The consumer protection office can summon suppliers to an administrative hearing and fine infringements from 20 to 4,000 UR, and abusive clauses in standard form contracts are void. From 1 January 2027 (Ley 20.531) the withdrawal right for distance and off premises sales rises from five business days to ten calendar days, and online sellers must show a visible withdrawal button.

USD figures use UYU 40.214 per US dollar, the BCU quotation for DLS. USA BILLETE on 26 October 2026, retrieved from the BCU quotations service on 27 October 2026. Amounts set in UR use UYU 1,940.77, the latest published UR value (September 2026, Decreto 229/026, IMPO values table); amounts in UI use UYU 6.6792 per UI (BCU, 27 October 2026). Conversions are rounded and for orientation only.

Key facts

Ceiling for the consumer small claims procedure	100 URLey 18.507 art. 1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Court charge in consumer small claims	1 % of claimLey 18.507 art. 4, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Consumer hearing held within	30 daysLey 18.507 art. 2.1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Consumer protection fines	20 to 4,000 URLey 17.250 art. 47, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Withdrawal right for distance and off premises sales	5 business days Ley 17.250 art. 16, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Withdrawal right from 1 January 2027	10 calendar days, with online withdrawal button Ley 20.531 art. 108, as of 2026-10-27 · pending
Prescription for consumer personal injury claims	4 yearsLey 17.250 art. 38, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. A consumer is any person or company that acquires or uses products or services as final recipient; those who buy to integrate them into production or resale are not consumers. A supplier is anyone, national or foreign, private or public, who professionally produces, imports, distributes or sells products or services in a consumer relationship. The law is of public order.
Cost to do it: Compliance cost for suppliers; businesses buying inputs do not get consumer protection.
Example: A Montevideo family buying a refrigerator is a consumer; a restaurant buying an industrial oven for its kitchen is not. / A foreign e commerce platform selling to Uruguayan households is a supplier under Ley 17.250 whether or not it has a local entity.Ley Nº 17.250 (Consumer Protection), art. 1, 2 and 3, 2000-08-11 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. Consumer claims up to 100 UR are filed before the competent Juzgado de Paz on a form stating the maximum amount claimed. The judge sets a hearing within 48 hours, to be held within 30 days; the defendant is served personally. At the public hearing the judge hears the parties, attempts conciliation (a settlement has the effect of a final judgment), takes evidence (up to three witnesses per side) and gives judgment at the end, which may be extended by up to three days only exceptionally. Costs go to the loser unless the judge finds it acted with some reason. Only clarification and expansion are available against the judgment. No lawyer is required, the parties pay only a Judiciary stamp equal to 1 percent of the claim, and the summary route lapses one year after the act, fact or omission complained of, without preventing an ordinary claim.
Cost to do it: Court charge: Judiciary stamp of 1 percent of the amount claimed; no lawyer needed.
Example: A consumer claiming UYU 150,000 for a defective laptop pays a stamp of UYU 1,500 and can appear without a lawyer. / The 100 UR ceiling equals about UYU 194,077 or US$4,826 at the September 2026 UR value; a claim of that size costs about US$48 in stamp duty.Ley Nº 18.507 (Consumer judicial procedure), art. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, 2009-06-26 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. The consumer protection office (Área Defensa del Consumidor, under the Dirección General de Comercio of the Ministry of Economy and Finance) informs consumers, inspects suppliers and may summon a supplier, at the consumer's request, to an administrative hearing to seek agreement; non appearance is a simple presumption against the supplier and an unjustified absence can be fined up to 50 UR. Infringements are classed as minor, serious or very serious and sanctioned with a warning, fines from 20 to 4,000 UR, seizure of dangerous goods, temporary closure up to 90 days for repeated serious or very serious infringements, and suspension of up to one year from state supplier registries. The supplier has 10 business days after the inspection record to file its defence and offer evidence.
Cost to do it: Fines from 20 UR (about UYU 38,815 or US$965) to 4,000 UR (about UYU 7,763,080 or US$193,044).
Example: A Montevideo retailer that ignores a consumer office summons can be fined up to 50 UR (about UYU 97,038). / A foreign owned chain with repeated serious infringements risks a fine of up to about US$193,044 and a temporary closure of up to 90 days.Ley Nº 17.250, art. 47 numerals 3 to 5 added by Ley Nº 19.149, art. 40, 42, 46, 47 and 50, 2013-10-24 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. Standard form contracts must be in Spanish, clear and legible. Clauses that create clear and unjustified imbalances to the consumer's detriment are abusive and void, including clauses that exclude or limit liability for defects without legal basis, waive consumer rights, let the supplier change the contract, give only the supplier a termination right, shift the burden of proof against the consumer, treat silence as acceptance of changes, or set notice deadlines before automatic renewal; after an automatic renewal the consumer may terminate within 60 calendar days.
Cost to do it: Contract review cost for suppliers; void clauses are simply disregarded.
Example: A gym contract clause allowing the gym to change fees at will is void. / A foreign streaming service whose terms say silence equals acceptance of a price rise cannot rely on that clause with Uruguayan consumers.Ley Nº 17.250, art. 28, 29, 30 and 31, 2000-08-11 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. For offers made outside business premises, by mail, phone, television, internet or similar, the consumer may rescind the contract within five business days from signing or delivery, at its sole option and without liability, by any reliable means; the supplier must refund immediately and pending card instalments are cancelled. From 1 January 2027 the term becomes ten calendar days, running also from the start of the service, and sellers using electronic means must display, visibly and on first access, a link named Botón de arrepentimiento through which consumers can exercise this right.
Cost to do it: Website change to add the withdrawal button before 1 January 2027; refund and return costs as allocated by art. 16.
Example: A Uruguayan online store must add a visible withdrawal button by 1 January 2027 and accept cancellations within ten calendar days. / A foreign platform selling a US$300 device online to a Montevideo consumer must refund it in full if the consumer cancels within the term; from 2027 the term is ten calendar days.Ley Nº 17.250 art. 16; Ley Nº 20.531 art. 108 (in force 1 January 2027 under art. 2), Ley 17.250 art. 16; Ley 20.531 art. 2 and 108, 2026-10-01 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Ley Nº 20.531 (promulgated 1 October 2026, published 16 October 2026) art. 108 replaces Ley 17.250 art. 16 from 1 January 2027: five business days become ten calendar days and online sellers must offer a withdrawal button.

6. Claims for apparent defects lapse 30 days after supply for non durable goods or services and 90 days for durable ones, from delivery or completion; a documented complaint to the supplier interrupts the term until it is unequivocally rejected. Hidden defects must appear within six months and lapse three months after they appear. Claims for personal injury prescribe four years after the claimant knew or should have known of the damage, the defect and the producer, and in any case ten years after the product was put on the market or the service ended. Filing a claim, or a conciliation summons followed by a claim within 30 days, interrupts prescription.
Cost to do it: None; the cost is lost rights if the short terms are missed.
Example: A buyer of a new car who sees a dent at delivery has 90 days to claim, unless the buyer accepted it expressly. / A consumer injured by a defective imported appliance has four years from knowing the damage and the producer to sue, up to ten years after sale.Ley Nº 17.250, art. 37, 38 and 39, 2000-08-11 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Route	Body	Key terms	Source
Small claims up to 100 UR	Juzgado de Paz	Hearing within 30 days; 1% stamp; no lawyer; lapses after 1 year	Ley 18.507
Administrative hearing	Área Defensa del Consumidor	Voluntary agreement; absence presumption and fine up to 50 UR	Ley 17.250 art. 42 F
Sanction proceedings	Dirección General de Comercio, MEF	Fines 20 to 4,000 UR; 10 business days to answer	Ley 17.250 art. 47 and 50
Ordinary claim	Competent court	CGP rules; no pre suit conciliation for Ley 18.507 cases	CGP art. 294.6

Consumer claim routes

Worked example

A Montevideo consumer pays UYU 150,000 (about US$3,730) online for a laptop that arrives defective. The consumer cancels within five business days of delivery under Ley 17.250 art. 16; the seller refuses to refund. The consumer requests a hearing at the consumer office, which the seller ignores, risking a fine of up to 50 UR. The consumer then files the Ley 18.507 form at the Juzgado de Paz: the hearing is held within 30 days, the consumer appears without a lawyer, pays a stamp of UYU 1,500 and obtains judgment for the refund with costs. Had the purchase been made on or after 1 January 2027, the consumer would have had ten calendar days and the seller would have needed a withdrawal button on its site.

Step by step

Suppliers: review standard terms against Ley 17.250 art. 31.
Online sellers: implement the Botón de arrepentimiento and ten calendar day process before 1 January 2027 (Ley 20.531 art. 108).
Attend consumer office hearings; non appearance counts against you (art. 42 F).
Answer inspection records within 10 business days with evidence (art. 50).
For claims up to 100 UR, prepare for a single hearing with all evidence and up to three witnesses (Ley 18.507 art. 2).

Common traps

Business buyers are not consumers (Ley 17.250 art. 2).
Apparent defect claims lapse in 30 or 90 days (art. 37).
The small claims judgment has no appeal on the merits (Ley 18.507 art. 2.6).
The 2027 withdrawal rule counts calendar days, not business days.

Sources

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