Countries › Uruguay › Guide › 8. Immigration › Permanent residence in Uruguay for non Mercosur nationals: means of living, documents, timeline, absence rule and cancellation

Permanent residence in Uruguay for non Mercosur nationals: means of living, documents, timeline, absence rule and cancellation

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

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

Any foreigner who intends to settle in Uruguay can apply for permanent residence by showing a clean criminal record, means of living (a local job, self employment registered with BPS and DGI, a pension or rental income, or business ownership) and a health and vaccination check; there is no investment threshold and no quota. The DNM fee is UI 557.30 (about US$92.57) plus UI 55.70 for the identity card certificate; the residence is indefinite but ends after more than three years of absence and can be cancelled for fraud, serious crimes or breach of the conditions of a subsidized or tax exempt entry. Permanent residents work on the same footing as nationals and, after three years of habitual residence with family (five without), may apply for legal citizenship.

USD figures use UYU 40.210 per US dollar (BCU, DLS. USA BILLETE, 27 October 2026) and UI amounts use UYU 6.6792 per Unidad Indexada (BCU, 27 October 2026), both from the BCU quotations service; UR amounts use UYU 1,940.77 (IMPO value table, September 2026, latest published). Conversions are for orientation only; DNM fees are set in UI and move with the index.

Key facts

Permanent residence filing fee, per person	557.3 UIDNM procedure sheet, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Permanent residence filing fee in US dollars (UI 6.6792, UYU 40.210, BCU 27 Oct 2026)	92.57 USDDNM procedure sheet, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Absence that ends permanent residence	more than 3 yearsDecreto Nº 394/009 art. 10, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Minimum investment for permanent residence	None: means of living test only textDecreto Nº 394/009 art. 4 B, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Criminal record look back period	5 yearsDecreto Nº 394/009 art. 4 A, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. A permanent resident is a foreigner who enters with the intention of settling for good and meets the legal conditions. The applicant files with the DNM or a Uruguayan consulate and must prove: (A) criminal records from the country of origin and of residence in the last five years, legalized and translated, showing no exclusion under Ley 18.250 art. 45 B, C, D and 46 (with a five year wait after serving any sentence; not required for applicants under 18); (B) means of living: a job offer with the employer registering the worker with social security and in the work control register, a sworn statement plus BPS and DGI registration for the self employed, reliable proof of a retirement, pension or rental income sufficient to live on, or the documents that prove business owner status; and (C) a health card.
Cost to do it: DNM fee UI 557.30 (about UYU 3,722 or US$92.57) plus UI 55.70 (about UYU 372 or US$9.25) for the migration certificate used to obtain the identity card.
Example: A retired US couple living on a pension shows a notarial certificate of the pension income; a British freelance designer registers a single person firm with BPS and DGI and files a sworn statement of activity. / Government fees about US$101.82 each for the filing and certificate.Ley Nº 18.250 art. 32; Decreto Nº 394/009, Ley 18.250 art. 32; Decreto 394/009 art. 4, 2009-08-24 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. The DNM procedure sheet (updated 19 February 2026) asks for: valid identity document and visa if the nationality requires one; national scope criminal records from the country of origin and every country of residence of six months or more in the last five years, apostilled or legalized and translated (a consular certificate is accepted); marriage certificate issued within the last year or a judicial cohabitation recognition when needed; a photo; a valid health card and vaccination certificate; and proof of sufficient monthly income by category (employee: notarial income certificate or BPS work history; self employed; business owner; employee of a foreign company; retiree or pensioner). Minors need an apostilled birth certificate and parental authorization, and those aged 4 or more must prove they study. If the applicant spends more than six months abroad during the process, a new criminal record certificate from the country of stay is required.DNM procedure sheet Residencia Legal Permanente, Requirements and other data, 2026-02-19 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. When the application is started abroad, all requirements are proved before the consular agent, who prepares a detailed report on whether to authorize it; consulates send the file to the DNM through the Directorate for Consular Affairs.Decreto Nº 394/009, Art. 5, 52 and 53, 2009-08-24 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. Permanent residence lasts indefinitely as long as the conditions for admission are not distorted, and ends if the holder is absent from Uruguay for more than three years. The Ministry of the Interior may cancel any residence and order expulsion for fraud, intentional crimes punished with penitentiary or repeat offending, absence of more than three years, breach of the conditions of a state subsidized program or of a tax exemption that motivated the residence, trafficking, money laundering, drug or arms convictions, terrorism or human rights violations; cancellation does not take effect against a parent, spouse or partner of a national. Cancellation can be challenged under Constitution art. 317 with suspensive effect.Decreto Nº 394/009; Ley Nº 18.250, Decreto 394/009 art. 10; Ley 18.250 art. 47, 48 and 49, 2008-01-06 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Permanent residents may work as employees or on their own account under the labor and social security rules in the same form and conditions as nationals, and have the same treatment in social security admission and benefits.Decreto Nº 394/009; Ley Nº 18.250, Decreto 394/009 art. 43 and 44; Ley 18.250 art. 19, 2009-08-24 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. Recognized refugees are permanent residents and receive an identity card showing that status; asylum seekers are residents in process with a provisional card until the Refugee Commission decides.Decreto Nº 394/009, Art. 9, 2009-08-24 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Applicant	Evidence
Employee in Uruguay	Job offer, BPS registration by the employer; notarial income certificate or BPS work history
Self employed	Sworn statement of activity, BPS and DGI registration
Business owner	Documents proving owner status issued by the competent bodies
Employee of a foreign company	Proof of monthly income (DNM sheet category)
Retiree, pensioner or rentier	Reliable proof of the benefit or rental income sufficient to live in Uruguay

Means of living accepted for permanent residence (Decreto Nº 394/009 art. 4 B and DNM sheet)

Worked example

A Canadian investor who bought a Montevideo apartment and lives on rental and dividend income files for permanent residence with a notarial certificate of income. Fees: UI 557.30 (about UYU 3,722 or US$92.57) plus UI 55.70 (about UYU 372 or US$9.25). While waiting, two business trips abroad require two re entry permits of UI 225.60 (about UYU 1,507 or US$37.47) each, about US$74.95. The residence then runs indefinitely, but if the investor moves back to Canada for more than three years it lapses.

Step by step

1. Decide whether permanent residence fits better than temporary residence: permanent needs a settled means of living; temporary suits a fixed term assignment.
2. Gather apostilled and translated criminal records, birth and marriage certificates; marriage certificates must be less than one year old.
3. On arrival, get the Uruguayan vaccination certificate and a health card.
4. Prepare means of living evidence, usually a notarial income certificate or BPS work history.
5. File online (gub.uy user, PDFs), pay UI 557.30, and attend the audience at Mercedes 1004, Montevideo, or a DNM office in the interior.
6. Use the residence in process certificate for a provisional identity card; request re entry permits before trips.
7. When granted, pay UI 55.70 for the certificate and obtain the definitive identity card.

Common traps

Staying out of Uruguay for more than three years ends permanent residence (Decreto 394/009 art. 10); long absences also restart the clock for citizenship (absences over six months in a row reset the count, per the Corte Electoral sheet).
Residence linked to a tax exemption or state subsidized program can be cancelled if the conditions are not met (Ley 18.250 art. 47 D).
Convictions with sentences over two years, or repeat offending, block residence until five years after the sentence is served (art. 46).
Documents issued electronically with online verification need no apostille; other foreign documents do, and translations must be by a Uruguayan sworn translator.
An identity card is not proof of tax residence; the DGI issues tax residence certificates separately (see the tax residence page).

Sources

← Temporary residence in Uruguay for workers, executives, professionals and entrepreneurs: requirements, terms, renewals and feesMercosur residence in Uruguay: permanent residence by nationality, the two year temporary option, fee exemptions and the Brazil border document →