oldcitytowerThe last decade has seen record numbers of foreigners wishing to move to Uruguay.The reasons for this may vary. Some look to live in a stable and relatively prosperous country where they can find a good place to settle and raise a family. Uruguay provides them with comfortable lifestyle, nice and relatively safe neighborhoods, good schools and medical care.

Others may take into account that Uruguay offers investment opportunities that provide special benefits and the same tax treatment as Uruguayan nationals, as well as having a good system to develop business.

Other important factors are Uruguay´s social and political stability, its strong democratic tradition, and the fact that Uruguay allows foreigners who want to invest with an entrance point to the Mercosur.

Taking into account the great increase in the number of applications, the Uruguayan government has come to the conclusion that it needs to speed up and simplify the residence process.

There is still a lot of work to be done and improvements that need to be made in the system, but proceedings at the Immigration Office have changed for good and there is a lot of improvements in the procedure for filing an application.

The downside to date has been longer turnaround times at the Immigration Office. Proceedings can take 18 to 24 months. But it is no longer necessary to queue up for hours outside the Immigration Office before it actually opens in order to get one of a limited number of tickets to be able to start proceedings. Now, in an amazing technical development, you can use the phone to book your appointment. The internet would still appear to be an unknown concept to the Immigration Office, but perhaps in a few years’ time it will even be possible to book over the web!

In any event, the telephone system represents a vast improvement. It is now possible to get an appointment within one to two weeks of booking.

Another improvement at the Immigration Office is the “Rapid Response System” for permanent residence applications. This means that applicants can book their appointments and start the residence application by just paying for the proceedings and presenting an I.D. photo, and completing the forms. Then they will have time to present the rest of the documents required by the office in order to proceed with the application. This system allows applicants to start the application as soon as possible, without having to present all the documents. It is even possible to get the Uruguayan provisional ID card (cedula) for a period of two years.

For temporary residence proceedings these benefits are not applicable, because in order to apply, applicants need to have all the required documents at the time of applying.

Since October 2014 another development in the residence process took place. As a result of a new law that has been passed, Law No.19.254, the Immigration Office is no longer handling permanent residence applications for citizens from Mercosur countries and most other South American countries, and also for those applicants that have Uruguayan family members or partners.

The Immigratton Office only handles permanent residence applications from citizens that are not members of Mercosur or certain South American countries, and all type of temporary residence applications (Mercosur and the common temporary residence applications).

Permanent residence applications by citizens of the Mercosur and certain South American countries, and by applicants that have Uruguayan family members or partners are handled instead by the Foreign Affairs Office.

The proceedings there are much easier, and once the application has been filed, residence is granted in no more than three months. Apart from this, there are also a lot of benefits for applicants in relation to the formal requirements in order to obtain residence. They do not have to present documents to prove income, they do not have to present a health ID card, they just need to present a non-criminal record. Furthermore, the proceedings are free of charge!

The only disadvantage is that, in order to apply, applicants need to get an appointment in advance. They can do this by phone or by the Foreign Affairs Office web page. But appointments are currently being given for 6 months in advance.

In conclusion, we think that progress has been made in this field, and of course there are a lot of changes that still need to be made. The Immigration Office is still very strict in controlling the actual intent of the applicant to reside in Uruguay, and the time that the applicant is actually in the country. This may complicate some applications and create delay in proceedings. In the meantime, the changes in practice that we have mentioned give foreigners a lot of benefits.

For applicants for countries requiring a visa, it has now become quite difficult to get this even for a tourist visa. In the light of the growth of ISIS and recent terrorist attacks in the developed world, it is likely that our authorities will increase the controls made on people from those countries wishing to move to Uruguay. So Uruguay will not be an oasis for refugees as much of Europe now is. But at the same time they hope to maintain their reputation as the safest country to live in in South America.

Dra Maria Victoria Angulo / Dr. Mark Teuten

(For the basic article explaining what you will need to qualify for residency in Uruguay, go here.)

Mark Teuten, Attorney

Mark Teuten, Attorney

Our thanks for this update go to Mark Teuten who is, himself, a long-time expat, having first come to Uruguay in 1990,  intending to stay for one year. He is still here 24 years later. He practiced law in England from 1987, then requalified in Uruguay in 2004 and set up his own firm the same year. Mark writes, “I married in 1991 and am still happily married to the same lady! We have 3 children, ages 21, 17 and 14.”

You may contact him at

Dr.Mark Teuten
Teuten Abogados
Juncal 1408, Oficina 702
CP 11000 Montevideo – Uruguay
Tel: + (598 2) 9088638
Fax: + (598 2) 9088640
mteuten@teutenabogados.com
www.teutenabogados.com

(This is not a paid advertisement and we receive no remuneration for passing this information to you. We publish it solely for your information. We just hope it is helpful.)

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