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Cross border service, evidence and judicial cooperation in Uruguay

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

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

Uruguay is not a party to the Hague Service (1965) or Evidence (1970) Conventions: service of process and evidence gathering across borders run on letters rogatory under the CGP, the Inter American (Panama) conventions of 1975 and, within Mercosur, the Las Leñas Protocol through Central Authorities. A defendant served abroad gets 60 to 90 days to appear, and Uruguayan courts apply foreign law of their own motion and enforce foreign interim measures over assets in Uruguay. Public documents from other Apostille Convention states need only an apostille; the Convention has applied in Uruguay since 14 October 2012.

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

Party to the HCCH Service Convention (1965)	No HCCH status table, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Party to the HCCH Evidence Convention (1970)	No HCCH status table, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Apostille Convention in force for Uruguay	2012-10-14 dateLey 18.836, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Term to appear for a defendant served abroad	60 to 90 daysCGP art. 126, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Foreign law applied by courts of their own motion	Yes CGP art. 525.3, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Inter American conventions on letters rogatory and evidence approved	Yes (Decreto Ley 14.534, 1976) Decreto Ley 14.534, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. Absent a treaty, Uruguayan courts follow the CGP rules on international cooperation. Proceedings are governed by Uruguayan procedural law, but evidence is admitted and weighed under the law governing the underlying relationship, except evidence prohibited in Uruguay. Courts must apply foreign law of their own motion and interpret it as the foreign courts would; parties may also prove its content. Foreign law may be set aside only if it manifestly breaches the essential principles of Uruguay's international public policy.
Cost to do it: Legal opinions on foreign law are optional but useful; their cost is private.
Example: A Montevideo court deciding a contract governed by Brazilian law applies Brazilian law itself, without requiring the parties to prove it as a fact. / In a US$1,000,000 dispute under New York law heard in Montevideo, either party may file expert evidence on New York law, but the court must apply it on its own motion anyway.Código General del Proceso (Ley Nº 15.982), Book II Title X, art. 524 and 525, 1988-10-18 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. Service, summons and evidence abroad, and requests from foreign courts, are handled by letters rogatory. They may be transmitted by the interested parties, consular or diplomatic agents, the competent administrative authority or, failing that, the courts; no legalization is needed when sent through consular, diplomatic or administrative channels. They are executed under the law of the requested state, special formalities may be observed if compatible with Uruguayan law, and translations must be attached. Executing a foreign letter rogatory does not imply recognizing the foreign court's jurisdiction or its future judgment. A defendant located abroad is summoned by letter rogatory and given 60 to 90 days, set by the court, to appear.
Cost to do it: Translation of the claim and annexes into the language of the requested state; courier and processing time abroad.
Example: To serve a claim on a Spanish defendant, the Montevideo court issues a letter rogatory with a translation; the defendant has 60 to 90 days to appear. / A US company suing in Montevideo a defendant in Texas should budget translation into English and several months for service by letter rogatory, as no Hague Service channel exists with Uruguay.Código General del Proceso, art. 126, 526, 527, 528 and 529, 1988-10-18 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. Uruguay approved in 1976 the Inter American conventions adopted in Panama in 1975 on letters rogatory, on taking evidence abroad and on powers of attorney to be used abroad, among others. Uruguay does not appear in the HCCH status tables of the 1965 Service Convention or the 1970 Evidence Convention, while Argentina is a party to both.
Cost to do it: No treaty fees; translation and processing costs apply.
Example: A letter rogatory from a Mexican court to take testimony in Montevideo can travel under the Panama convention on evidence. / A US litigant seeking a deposition in Uruguay cannot rely on the Hague Evidence Convention for Uruguay and must use letters rogatory; for the Argentine side, where the Hague conventions apply, see The Argentine Thread guide.Decreto Ley Nº 14.534 (approval of the Panama conventions), art. 1 literals a), b) and f), 1976-06-24 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. Among Mercosur states the Las Leñas Protocol requires each state to designate a Central Authority to receive and process requests in civil, commercial, labour and administrative matters. Letters rogatory for service and for evidence are executed of the requested court's own motion and may be refused only if contrary to public policy; they must be translated into the language of the requested authority. Execution is free of charge except for evidence causing special expenses or appointed professionals. Nationals and permanent residents of member states, and companies constituted there, enjoy equal access to courts and cannot be required to post security for costs for being foreign.
Cost to do it: Generally no reimbursement of costs for executing letters rogatory (art. 15).
Example: A Brazilian court can have a Montevideo witness heard through the Central Authorities, with the request translated into Spanish. / A Paraguayan company suing in Uruguay over US$100,000 cannot be asked for security for costs merely for being foreign (art. 4).Ley Nº 16.971 (Las Leñas Protocol), Protocol art. 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10 and 15, 1998-06-15 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Uruguayan courts enforce interim measures ordered by competent foreign courts, except measures prohibited by Uruguayan law or contrary to its international public policy; whether the measure is justified is decided under the law and by the courts of the foreign proceeding, while execution and counter guarantee are decided in Uruguay. Complying with a foreign interim measure does not oblige Uruguay to recognize the later judgment. Whatever court has jurisdiction over the merits, Uruguayan courts may order measures over assets located in Uruguay.
Cost to do it: The Uruguayan court decides the counter guarantee under Uruguayan law (art. 530.2).
Example: A Buenos Aires court's freezing order over a debtor's Montevideo bank account can be executed by a Uruguayan court, with a counter guarantee set locally. / A New York court's attachment order over US$2,000,000 of receivables in Uruguay can be enforced under CGP art. 530 without first recognizing a final judgment.Código General del Proceso, art. 530, 532, 535 and 536, 1988-10-18 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. Uruguay approved the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention by Ley 18.836, acceded on 9 February 2012 and has applied it since 14 October 2012. Public documents from other contracting states, such as court judgments, notarial deeds and registry certificates, need only an apostille instead of consular legalization.
Cost to do it: One apostille per document in the issuing state, at that state's fee; translation into Spanish is still required for court use.
Example: A certified copy of an Argentine judgment needs an Argentine apostille, not Uruguayan consular legalization. / A US judgment and proof of service, each apostilled by the issuing US state, are accepted in Uruguay without consular legalization.Ley Nº 18.836 (approval of the Apostille Convention), regulated by Decreto 322/012, single article, 2011-11-15 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Counterpart	Service and evidence	Documents	Source
Mercosur state	Las Leñas Protocol via Central Authorities	Translation; no legalization via Central Authority	Ley 16.971
OAS state party to the Panama conventions	Inter American letters rogatory and evidence conventions	Translation	DL 14.534
Any other state	CGP letters rogatory by parties, consuls, administrative authority or courts	Apostille or legalization; translation	CGP art. 526 and 527; Ley 18.836
Hague Service or Evidence state	Not available for Uruguay		HCCH status tables

Cooperation channels by country of the other court

Worked example

A Uruguayan distributor sues a Florida manufacturer in Montevideo. The court issues a letter rogatory with the claim translated into English, transmitted by the party's agent or through consular channels (CGP art. 527); the manufacturer is given between 60 and 90 days to appear (art. 126). The manufacturer, in turn, wants a Montevideo witness heard in a US case: it must use a letter rogatory executed under Uruguayan procedure, since Uruguay is not a party to the Hague Evidence Convention. Documents exchanged, such as US corporate certificates, need an apostille (Ley 18.836).

Step by step

Identify the treaty channel: Las Leñas for Mercosur, Panama conventions for OAS parties, otherwise CGP letters rogatory.
Translate the documents into the language of the requested state.
Choose the transmission route: Central Authority, consular, administrative or judicial (CGP art. 527).
Apostille foreign public documents for use in Uruguay (Ley 18.836).
Calendar the 60 to 90 day appearance term for foreign defendants.

Common traps

There is no Hague Service Convention channel with Uruguay; planning on it delays cases.
Untranslated letters rogatory are not executed (CGP art. 527.4; Las Leñas art. 10).
Executing a foreign letter rogatory does not mean the foreign judgment will later be recognized (CGP art. 528).
An apostille certifies the signature, not the content, and does not replace translation.

Sources

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