Countries › Uruguay › Guide › 10. Capital markets and finance › Financial consumer protection and credit reporting in Uruguay: disclosure, withdrawal rights, abusive clauses, complaints and credit bureau rules

Financial consumer protection and credit reporting in Uruguay: disclosure, withdrawal rights, abusive clauses, complaints and credit bureau rules

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

Before any credit offer is formalized, providers must disclose the cash price, amount financed, number and frequency of payments and charges for default, and financial institutions and credit firms must also give the effective annual rate (Ley Nº 17.250 art. 15; Ley Nº 18.212 art. 4). Offers made off premises or online can be cancelled within five business days today and within ten calendar days from 1 January 2027, when online sellers must also show a withdrawal button (Ley Nº 17.250 art. 16, as replaced by Ley Nº 20.531 art. 108); abusive clauses are void and the SSF handles complaints against supervised entities. Credit bureaus may process payment history; unpaid debts of individuals may stay registered five years, renewable once, and paid debts five years from payment, and creditors must report a payment within five business days (Ley Nº 18.331 art. 22).

USD figures use UYU 40.21 per US dollar, the BCU quotation for DLS. USA BILLETE on 27 October 2026; amounts in Unidades Indexadas (UI) use UYU 6.6792 per UI, the BCU quotation for 27 October 2026, and amounts in Unidades Reajustables (UR) use UYU 1,940.77, the IMPO published UR value for September 2026 (the latest published on 27 October 2026). All were retrieved on 27 October 2026. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Withdrawal right for distance and off premises contracts	5 business daysLey Nº 17.250 art. 16, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Withdrawal right from 1 January 2027	10 calendar daysLey Nº 20.531 art. 108, as of 2026-10-27 · pending
Window to cancel after automatic renewal	60 calendar daysLey Nº 17.250 art. 31 I), as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Retention of unpaid commercial debt data of individuals	5 years, renewable onceLey Nº 18.331 art. 22, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Retention of paid debts	5 years from payment, not renewableLey Nº 18.331 art. 22, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Creditor deadline to report payment to bureau	5 business daysLey Nº 18.331 art. 22, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. A consumer is any individual or company that acquires or uses products or services as final recipient; those who buy to integrate them into production, processing or sale are not consumers. In every offer and before signing, the provider must state the price including taxes; for credit or financing, the cash price, the amount of credit or total financed, and the number and frequency of payments, and financial intermediaries, credit administrators and similar must also state the effective annual interest rate; and the updating mechanism, interest and other default charges, extra costs and place of payment.
Cost to do it: No fee; disclosure duty.
Example: A car dealer advertising instalment finance must show the cash price, total financed and number of payments next to the instalment amount. / A consumer loan of UYU 402,100 (US$10,000) must state the effective annual rate with at least two decimals (Ley Nº 18.212 art. 4).Ley Nº 17.250 (Consumer Relations), Art. 2 and art. 15, 2000-08-11 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. An offer of products or services made outside the business premises, by mail, phone, television, internet or similar, lets the consumer who accepted cancel the contract by right, without liability, within five business days from signing or delivery, at the consumer's choice, by any reliable means; the provider must refund at once. From 1 January 2027 the period becomes ten calendar days from signing, delivery or start of the service, and providers selling online must display a link called Botón de arrepentimiento, visible, prominent and at first access, which counts as a reliable means of withdrawal.
Cost to do it: Implementation cost of the withdrawal button for online providers.
Example: A credit card contracted by phone on 4 January 2027 can be cancelled until 14 January 2027. / A US$500 online financial service subscription contracted before 1 January 2027 follows the five business day rule.Ley Nº 17.250, art. 16; replaced by Ley Nº 20.531 art. 108 from 1 January 2027 (art. 2), Ley 17.250 art. 16 and 16 BIS; Ley 20.531 art. 108 and art. 2, 2026-10-01 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Ley Nº 20.531, promulgated 1 October 2026, replaces art. 16 from 1 January 2027: ten calendar days instead of five business days, counted also from the start of the service, plus the mandatory online withdrawal button.

3. A clause is abusive when it creates clear and unjustified imbalances against the consumer or breaches good faith. The listed abusive clauses include those that waive consumer rights, let the provider change the contract unilaterally, give only the provider a termination right, treat the consumer's silence as acceptance of changes, or set deadlines before automatic renewal for opting out; consumers may cancel within 60 calendar days after an automatic renewal. Breach of good faith or of the duty to inform lets the consumer choose repair, termination or performance, plus damages.
Cost to do it: No fee; contract review cost.
Example: A bank account contract allowing the bank to change fees at will without notice contains an abusive clause. / A consumer whose US$120 annual card fee renewed automatically can cancel within 60 days of the renewal.Ley Nº 17.250, Art. 30, art. 31 and art. 32, 2000-08-11 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. The SSF must issue rules for the protection of consumers of financial services and handle complaints from consumers of supervised persons and entities. The BCU publishes comparisons of implicit rates and other features of loans granted by financial institutions, cooperatives and civil associations; the Ministry of Economy's consumer protection unit does the same for retailer financing and other lenders outside BCU control. Usury breaches by consumer lenders are sanctioned by the BCU or the Ministry depending on the lender.
Cost to do it: Filing a complaint with the SSF has no fee set in the law.
Example: A customer of an e-money institution who is charged undisclosed fees can complain to the SSF. / A buyer of a US$1,500 appliance on store credit complains about the rate to the Ministry of Economy's consumer protection unit.Ley Nº 16.696 art. 38 A) and W) as worded by Ley Nº 20.446; Ley Nº 18.212 art. 13 and 24, Ley 16.696 art. 38 A) and W); Ley 18.212 art. 13 and art. 24, 2025-12-16 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Processing data to report on solvency or credit, including payment and default history, is expressly authorized when taken from public sources or supplied by the creditor. Data on commercial obligations of individuals may stay registered for five years from entry; if still unpaid, the creditor may ask once, within 30 days before expiry, to register it for another five years. Cancelled or extinguished obligations stay registered, marked as such, for at most five years from cancellation, not renewable. Bureaus must report objectively without subjective assessments. When a registered debt is paid, the creditor must inform the bureau within five business days and the bureau must update the record within three business days.
Cost to do it: No fee to request an update set in the law.
Example: A borrower who pays an overdue debt on 2 November 2026 should see the bureau record updated within eight business days at most. / An unpaid US$3,000 debt registered in 2026 can stay on file until 2031 and, if renewed on time, until 2036.Ley Nº 18.331 (Personal Data Protection), art. 22 as worded by Ley Nº 18.719, Art. 22, 2010-12-27 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. Workers and pensioners may choose the bank or e-money institution for their pay; providers must accept anyone, with basic accounts free of opening, maintenance and closing charges and no minimum balance, and must inform users clearly. Payroll deductions to repay loans are valid only with the worker's express signed consent. Payroll credit and salary deduction loans have lower usury markups of 20 and 30 percent over BCU averages.
Cost to do it: Basic accounts are free by law.
Example: A bank may not charge a monthly fee on a basic salary account. / From 1 November 2026, a peso salary deduction loan below UI 10,000 for up to 366 days is capped at 26.39 percent (BCU Comunicación Nº 2026/212).Ley Nº 19.210 (Financial Inclusion); Ley Nº 18.212 art. 11, Ley 19.210 art. 22, art. 24, art. 25 and art. 31; Ley 18.212 art. 11, 2014-04-29 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Worked example

Online loan in 2027: a consumer takes a UYU 201,050 (US$5,000) personal loan through a lender's app on 10 March 2027. The app must show the Botón de arrepentimiento on first access; the consumer may withdraw until 20 March 2027 (ten calendar days, Ley Nº 17.250 art. 16 as replaced by Ley Nº 20.531 art. 108) and the lender must refund what was paid.
Credit bureau clean up: a borrower repays a defaulted UYU 120,630 (US$3,000) credit on 2 November 2026. The creditor must tell the bureau within five business days and the bureau must update within three business days; the paid record may still show, marked as paid, for up to five years (Ley Nº 18.331 art. 22).

Step by step

Build the pre contract disclosure: cash price, financed amount, number and frequency of payments, effective annual rate and default charges.
Review standard terms against the abusive clause list of Ley Nº 17.250 art. 31.
Before 1 January 2027, add the Botón de arrepentimiento to online channels and move to ten calendar days.
Set up a complaints process; supervised entities answer to the SSF.
Report payments to credit bureaus within five business days and track renewal dates for unpaid debts.

Common traps

Companies can be consumers when they are the final recipient (Ley Nº 17.250 art. 2), so business banking products for small firms may fall under consumer rules.
From 1 January 2027 the withdrawal period counts in calendar days and also from the start of a service, which changes onboarding flows for financial apps.
Silence cannot be treated as acceptance of contract changes (art. 31 H)).
Unpaid debts may be re registered only once and only if requested within the 30 days before the original five years expire (Ley Nº 18.331 art. 22).

Sources

← Listed company governance, disclosure and market abuse in Uruguay: directors' duties, related party deals, stake reporting, insider dealing and sanctionsReal estate and land in Uruguay: who may own, how title is secured, transfer tax, cash limits and tax on rent, gains and wealth →