Establish residence in Establish residence in Uruguay Investor Guide

July 2019 Index

Introduction

» 1. Temporary entry: non-residents

» 2. Working in Uruguay: residents 2.1 Provisional identity sheet 2.2 Temporary residence 2.3 Permanent legal residence

» 3. Legal citizenship

» 4. Incentives to immigration 4.1 Fast Track for exporters – temporary residencies

3 INTRODUCTION

A residence permit will allow you to legally work in Uruguay. Before you begin the process with the National Immigration Office, you must choose the type of residence that best suits your situation:

» The Provisional Identity Sheet will enable you to work for a maximum period of 180 days. It will be issued only once and no extension is possible.

» Temporary Legal Residence will be more appropriate if you intend to remain in Uruguay for a period exceeding 180 days but less than two years; its effectiveness will depend on the activity you develop. If you are from , , Paraguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, , Colombia, Ecuador, Guayana, Peru or Surinam you can apply for MERCOSUR Temporary Residence with the advantage of not having to provide information on your means of livelihood nor an address in Uruguay.

» Permanent Legal Residence will be more appropriate if your intention is to remain in the country for a period exceeding 2 years or if your temporary residence has already expired and you wish to become a permanent legal resident.

4 1 TEMPORARY ENTRY: NON-RESIDENTS As a general rule, businessmen/women visiting the country are only required to submit their valid passport, except in some cases where a previous visa is required. Information on the countries that require visa is available at National Immigration Office Dirección( Nacional de Migración).

Citizens of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela may enter the country on presentation of their national identity card (passports are not required).

5 2 WORKING IN URUGUAY: RESIDENTS1

Migrants have equal treatment with nationals with respect to the exercise of a work activity, including related labor rights according to Law No. 18,250.

Companies may not hire or register in the Work Control Sheet foreigners who do not duly justify that they are legally authorized to work in the country, either permanently or temporarily. Any foreigner who wishes to apply for Legal Residence in the country may start the procedure and in the same act he will be given a migratory certificate to process the provisional identity card before the National Directorate of Civil Identification.

2.1 PROVISIONAL IDENTITY SHEET

The Provisional Identity Sheet [Hoja Provisoria de Identidad] will enable you to work for a maximum period of 180 days. It will be issued only once and no extension is possible.

Foreigners who process their temporary residence for a period of less than six months must:

» Accredit before the National Direction of Migration the activity that gives origin to its request. » Date of cessation of activity. » Notarial certificate certifying the complete data of the institution or company. » Copy of the identity document or travel document of the person requesting the procedure.

Once said activity has been accredited, they will have a certificate issued for the purposes of processing the Provisional Identity Sheet with the National Bureau of Civil Identification, whereby they will be registered with the relevant Social Security bodies and the Ministry of Work and Social Security.

1 For further information access to Dirección Nacional de Migración

6 2.2 TEMPORARY RESIDENCE2

Temporary Legal Residence will be more appropriate if you intend to remain in Uruguay for a period exceeding 180 days but less than two years. The interested party will be required to appear in person for the purposes of submitting his/her application to the National Immigration Office 1. The cost of this process amounts to 2.10 UR3.

Requirements:

» Identity document presented at entry. » I.D. photo. » Health card, issued by health institutions authorized by the Ministry of Public Health. » Proof of possessing the activity that gives rise to your admission as a temporary resident. » Letterhead specifying the activity carried out and the term of recruitment by the employer. In the case of residency for work, the letter must be accompanied by a certificate accrediting all the company’s data. » Criminal record of the country of origin and the country where he resided for the last 5 years before entering Uruguay (legalized or apostilled by that country) and translated into Spanish (if applicable). For persons over 18 years of age. » If you are a student, you must prove that you are a student by means of an official certificate from the educational institution.

Any foreign document submitted to be added to the file must necessarily be apostilled or legalized and if applicable translated into Spanish.

Minors under the age of 18 must also comply with the above:

» Present express authorization from their parents to settle temporarily in Uruguay. » Birth certificate of the minor. » If the child is not going to live with either parent, it must be established by the parents which adult is responsible for the child in the country. » If you are a student, you must prove that you are a student by means of an official certificate from the educational institution.

The validity of the legal residence will depend on the activity you carry out. In the case of professionals, technicians, specialized personnel, businessmen, directors, managers and administrative personnel, among others, the term of permanence is up to two years, which can be renewed for the same period, up to four years.

Nationals of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru or Suriname may apply for MERCOSUR Temporary Residence4 with special facilities to carry out the procedure of temporary residence .

If the foreigner wishes to stay in the country longer than the time foreseen by the temporary residence, both common and MERCOSUR, he/she must initiate the procedure corresponding to the Permanent Residence, prior to the expiration of the term of his/her temporary condition.

2 For further information visit: Residencia Temporaria. 3 USD 69,41 May 2019 values. 4 For further information visit Residencia Temporaria Mercosur

7 2.3 PERMANENT LEGAL RESIDENCE5

Permanent Legal Residence will be more appropriate if your intention is to remain in the country for a period exceeding 2 years or if your temporary residence has already expired and you wish to become a permanent legal resident. The interested party will be required to appear in person for the purposes of submitting his/her application to the National Immigration Office. The cost of this process amounts to 2.71 UR6.

Requirements:

» ID photo » Identity document presented at entry » Health card » Accredit livelihoods (varies according to the activity being carried out) » Criminal record » Birth certificate and/or marriage » Certificate of good conduct » Accredit the spirit of permanence

In the case where permanent residence is granted, the length of stay admitted is indefinite. As in the temporary residence procedure, citizens of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, or Suriname, and foreign relatives of nationals in the country have special facilities to process the settlement. In these cases, the procedure can be initiated directly in the country of origin (in the corresponding Uruguayan mission) and there will be no cost. In the following link you can see the documentation required to start this procedure abroad.

The required documentation and more information to carry out the procedure is available on the website of the National Direction of Migration.

5 For further information visit Permanent Legal Residence. 6 USD 89,57 May 2019 values.

8 3LEGAL CITIZENSHIP7

Foreigners of legal age (18+) who provide a police clearance certificate can be eligibile to become a Legal Citizen in Uruguay if:

» They have a family settled in the Republic and capital or property in the country or exercise any science, art or industry and have lived three years in the Republic, uninterruptedly. » Do not have a family settled in the Republic but have any of the attributes of the fore- going subsection and have lived five years in the Republic, uninterruptedly. » Are granted a special grace by the General Assembly for notable services or relevant merits.

In order to start the procedure, the interested party must present proof of:

» Authorization to reside in the country » Nationality » Age » Identity » Residence » Family constituted » Settlement » Good behavior » Democratic ideas

The interested party shall be required to appear in order to present his application to the Electoral Court. The procedure has no cost, and once approved it has an indefinite duration.

7 For futher information on how to proceed visit : Carta de Ciudadanía.

9 4INCENTIVES TO IMMIGRATION8

Policies which favor foreign investments also convey incentives to immigration, as well as to Uruguayan citizens who lived abroad for two years and who settle in the country, entering capital to be invested in activities which serve economic, social or cultural development.

Law 18.2509 deals with equal treatment with . The State guarantees the right to equal treatment with Uruguayans to all foreigners who enter and remain in the country, complying with the forms and conditions established in the Law, both in terms of rights and obligations. With regard to work, foreigners will have equal treatment with nationals and the same labor rights as Uruguayans:

» admission to employment » remuneration or salary » working conditions » access to vocational training.

Under certain conditions, the introduction of tools, machinery, devices and instruments required for the exercise of their profession, arts and crafts or trade is custom duty-exempt; this also apply to their personal effects and household goods.

8 Source: IMPO, live in Uruguay: liveinuruguay.uy 9 Law 18.250.

10 4.1 FAST TRACK FOR EXPORTERS - TEMPORARY RESIDENCES

Those exporting companies that want to incorporate people (investors, operators, technicians, managers, middle managers linked to companies) to their work team, may access the Uruguay XXI service which will facilitate the processing of visas and / or temporary residences.

This possibility is applicable for interested parties who:

» have already entered the national territory as tourists » initiate the procedure in their country of residence through Uruguay’s missions abroad

Through this Fast Track mechanism, visas and/or temporary residences will be authorized by the National Direction of Migration (DNM) or Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as appropriate, within a period of up to 10 working days from the filing of the requirements. For more information access the following link10.

10 For further informatios visit: Fast-track.

11 Our services for Investors

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