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Conciliation before suing: the compulsory first hearing

Last verified: 2026-10-28 · Status: Stable

You cannot normally go straight to court in Uruguay: before any ordinary civil or commercial lawsuit the claimant must request a conciliation hearing with the future defendant before a Juzgado de Paz or Juzgado de Conciliación. A settlement reached there has the force of a final judgment, and a defendant who fails to appear faces a presumption against it in the later case. Labor claims follow a parallel administrative conciliation at the Ministry of Labour before going to the labor courts.

USD figures use UYU 40.210 per US dollar, the BCU quotation for DLS. USA BILLETE on 27 October 2026; UI amounts use UYU 6.6803 per UI (BCU, 28 October 2026), except cash limits, which the law converts at the first day of the month: UYU 6.6516 per UI on 1 October 2026 (BCU). Retrieved from the BCU quotations service on 2026-10-28; conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Prior conciliation hearing required for ordinary civil and commercial claims	yes CGP art. 293, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Minimum notice for the conciliation hearing	3 daysCGP art. 295.1, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Validity of domiciles fixed at the hearing for the later case	6 monthsCGP art. 295.2, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Days after which a worker can sue without completed MTSS conciliation	30 daysLey 18.572 art. 6, as of 2026-10-28 · in force

The rule

1. Conciliation first, before any ordinary lawsuit. Before starting any proceeding the claimant must request a hearing to attempt conciliation with the future defendant, summoned at their domicile, before the Juzgado de Paz or Juzgado de Conciliación of the defendant's domicile. It is skipped when the defendant's domicile is unknown or the defendant is domiciled outside the department of the court competent for the main case.
Cost to do it: No fee is set in these articles; budget the lawyer's time to draft the request and attend the hearing.
Example: A supplier owed UYU 2,000,000 by a Montevideo customer first requests a conciliation hearing at the Montevideo conciliation court. / A claim of about US$49,739 goes through the same step.Código General del Proceso (Ley Nº 15.982), as reworded by Ley Nº 19.090 of 14 June 2013, CGP art. 293, 2013-06-14 official text · verified 2026-10-28

2. Exceptions. Conciliation is not required for proceedings outside the ordinary contentious route as defined in CGP art. 337 to 345, preparatory measures, new claims in pending cases or third party interventions, family, lease and labor matters (labor conciliation is administrative), annulment claims against non state public persons, consumer claims under Ley 18.507, recovery actions under Constitution art. 25, and other cases the law excludes.
Cost to do it: None.
Example: A landlord's claim under a lease goes to court without prior conciliation. / Not applicable.Código General del Proceso, as reworded by Ley Nº 19.090; numeral 6 added by Ley Nº 19.149, numeral 7 by Ley Nº 20.360 of 20 September 2024, CGP art. 294, 2024-09-20 official text · verified 2026-10-28

3. How the hearing works and what it achieves. The court convenes the hearing at least three days ahead on a short written request stating the basis and object of the future claim; the judge presides and records each side's position, proposals and result. The domiciles recorded are valid for the later case if it starts within six months. If the summoned party does not appear, this counts as a simple presumption against its interest in the later case. A settlement reached has the same effect as a final judgment between the parties and is enforced before the competent court, and nothing the judge says there counts as prejudgment.
Cost to do it: A settlement avoids the full trial; non appearance has an evidentiary cost.
Example: If the customer agrees at the hearing to pay UYU 1,800,000 in three instalments, the record can be enforced like a judgment if it defaults. / About US$44,765 enforceable without a new trial.Código General del Proceso, CGP art. 295, 296 and 297, 2013-06-14 official text · verified 2026-10-28

4. Labor: administrative conciliation at the MTSS. Before a labor lawsuit, conciliation must be attempted before the Centro de Negociación de Conflictos Individuales de Trabajo in Montevideo or the MTSS labor office in the interior, according to the employer's domicile or place of work. Domiciles fixed there are valid for the lawsuit if it starts within one year, and if the procedure is not completed within 30 days of the request the worker can obtain a certificate and sue. Filing the request interrupts prescription of labor claims.
Cost to do it: Attendance at the MTSS hearing, normally with a lawyer.
Example: A dismissed employee claiming UYU 600,000 of indemnity first summons the employer to the MTSS; if there is no deal within 30 days, the employee can sue. / About US$14,922.Ley Nº 18.572 (labor procedure); Ley Nº 18.091, Ley 18.572 art. 3, 5 and 6; Ley 18.091 art. 3, 2009-09-13 official text · verified 2026-10-28

Claim	Prior conciliation	Where	Rule
Ordinary civil or commercial claim	Required	Juzgado de Paz or de Conciliación of defendant's domicile	CGP art. 293
Proceeding outside the ordinary contentious route (CGP art. 337 to 345)	Not required		CGP art. 294.1
Family and lease matters	Not required		CGP art. 294.3
Labor claim	Required, administrative	MTSS (Montevideo centre or interior office)	Ley 18.572 art. 3
Consumer claim under Ley 18.507	Not required		CGP art. 294.6

Prior conciliation by type of claim

Worked example

A foreign distributor is owed UYU 2,000,000 (US$49,739) by a Montevideo retailer under an invoice without an arbitration clause. Step one: file a short written conciliation request in Montevideo; the hearing is set at least three days later. If the retailer does not appear, that counts against it in the ordinary claim; if it agrees to pay, the record is enforceable like a final judgment. Only if the hearing fails is the ordinary claim filed, within six months to keep the recorded domiciles valid.

Step by step

Check whether your claim is in an excluded category (non ordinary proceedings under CGP art. 337 to 345, leases, family, labor, consumer).
Check the contract for an arbitration clause, which takes the dispute out of court proceedings.
File the conciliation request at the court of the defendant's domicile, stating briefly the basis and object of the claim.
Attend with settlement authority; a deal is enforceable like a judgment.
File the main claim within six months of the hearing to rely on the recorded domiciles.

Common traps

Filing an ordinary claim without prior conciliation where it is required (CGP art. 293).
Not appearing when summoned: it counts as a presumption against you later (CGP art. 295.3).
Assuming labor disputes go straight to court: the MTSS conciliation comes first (Ley 18.572 art. 3).
Signing a settlement at the hearing casually: it has the effect of a final judgment (CGP art. 297).

Sources

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