Uruguay Improves Their Residency Process
The 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.)
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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Hello Again Arlean Thank you for your June 11th response which I am responding to you here since there was no reply button to click after your June 11th message.Most of my questions were listed in my original message dated June 9th but will list again clearly below.Once again thank you in advance.
1.Submit a letter of intent and application to the National Migration Office within 90 days after arrival.
Q:Any type of letter and a specific application form? If so where to download this application form and what specific wordings in English,Spanish or both(I do not speak Spanish) should be used in the letter? I am told that an appointment well in advance is required yet when my Uruguayan friend called this office they said no advance appointment is required so now I am very confused.
2.Submit birth certificate and a police record from country of origin,country that issued your passport and countries where you have lived in the past 5 years.
Q:I am American, was born in NYC and carry an American passport.However I have not lived in the States since 1986 having moved to Asia and now living in Taiwan for 6 years.I have no convictions and have never been arrested in my lifetime.I assume I would need a police record from Taiwan which is not a problem and one from the USA using Interpol’s office in Montevideo which seems to be a long drawn out process despite the improvements I keep reading about.Once again I am confused if an advance appointment is required based on the experience my Uruguayan friend had as I mentioned in a previous message dated June 10th.
3.Get a simple medical exam in Uruguay.
Q:Not a problem as I am very healthy.But what is a “simple medical and pictures”?
4.Provide evidence of your financial means of support.
Q:This is not a problem as I detailed in my previous message dated June 9th However I have read only this document must be certified by a notary in Uruguay.Is this the only document from abroad that must be notarized in Uruguay?
5.Turn it all in with a copy of your passport.
Q:Is the National Migration Office the same as the Foreign Affairs Office or The Immigration Office or are they one in the same? I am asking since these different titles seem to be used depending on what link you read or whom you speak to.
6.All documents from abroad (excluding proof of income) must be “Apostilled”. No one in Taiwan has this service.The American Consulate or The Uruguayan Consulate may notarize the documents but I would need to check.
Q:If documents can be notarized either from the American or Uruguayan Consulates is this acceptable and if not then what?
Obtain your temporary cédula and once final approval is confirmed (which depending on whom you ask takes anywhere from 12-36 months) obtain your permanent cédula.I mention this as I have a British friend who has been waiting 3 years for his permanent cédula and is very frustrated by this length of time having purchased a house,getting married and having children.
Hi Robert, I emailed you in response. Sorry I think we must have missed your previous questions. I hope this time they can be answered. Best to you, Arlean
Good Morning,I have been following the many comments here and on other links for the steps in obtaining a temporary cédula which eventually will lead to a permanent one.From what I have gathered in the simplest form is the process with my questions or comments under each point below.I am asking for several reasons.I plan to retire in Uruguay as I have many long term Uruguayan friends who have been asking me to move for 10 years even offering me an apartment in Montevideo or a house in Pirenopolis gratis.I will finally bite the bullet and be in Uruguay from July 14-Sept 26 and would like to accomplish all the requirements during this trip as the flying time from Taiwan to Uruguay is a killer.
Submit a letter of intent to Immigration,and obtain approval
Q:Any type of letter or a specific form if so where to download this and what specific wordings should be used?
Obtain your police background check
Q:I was born in NYC,am American and carry an American passport.However I have not lived in the States since 1986 having moved to Asia(Hong Kong 24 years where I have permanent resident status and ID card and for the last 6 years moved and living in Taiwan where I am just a visitor having to exit/enter every 90 days).Never been arrested in my lifetime.I assume I would need a police record from Taiwan which is not an issue and one from the USA using Interpol’s office in Montevideo which seems to be a long drawn out process despite the improvements.
Get a simple medical exam
Q:Not a problem and assume in a Uruguyan hospital approved by the government.What are the tests they request and yes I am healthy.
Provide evidence of your financial means of support
Q: Not a problem.My bank account and investments generate more than enough funds to support my lifestyle which is quite simple.I also have social security that is triple the amount of the $1500 a month number that seems to be the magic figure.
Turn it all in with a copy of your passport
Q: Where and to whom? Foreign Affairs Office or The Immigration Office or are they one in the same? A link in English if possible would be welcome.
Obtain your temporary cédula (ID card)
Q:Same as above.
Receive final approval, and obtain your permanent cédula
Q: Same as above.
Many many thanks in advance
Hi, I am this morning referring your question to the attorney that we recommend in Uruguay, Mark Teuten. You should hear from him soon.
Hello Arlean,
Noted and thank you.As an FYI one of my Uruguayan friends called both Interpol and the Foreign Affairs Office in Montevideo on my behalf and in both cases they either never answered and/or picked up the phone then laid it down while they were talking to someone in their office.Finally when he was able to get a person on the line explaining what I mentioned in my previous both orgs said no appointment is needed just walk in with required documents which I find very hard to believe.
Thank you so much. We appreciate feedback like that. Mark Teuten, our Uruguay attorney, has informed us that Uruguay has taken steps to streamline the immigration process. In fact, there is an article in Four Flags Journal about that by Mark. We hope all goes smoothly for you. Thanks for the info.
You are most welcome. I have read the article Mark wrote but still have many concerns.So will just arrive with as much paperwork in advance and if it does not work out smoothly then I don’t retire in Uruguay…….life will go on.
If you want to tell us your questions, we might be able to help you. Also might ask him to add to the article if we know the questions that you still have. I think you’ll do just fine though in Uruguay. If you were from a country that requires a visa, then it might get a little more complicated. .
Hi
I am from India and wish to relocate myself to Uruguay. what documents would i require to show there to get a Temporary or Permenant residence visa.
Thanks
Hi Sean, do you have a sponsor in Uruguay? Mark Teuten, our Uruguay attorney, tells us that anyone who has to have a visa to enter Uruguay also needs a sponsor–a relative or someone else inside Uruguay–in order to apply for residency. If you do have to have a visa, being from India, and you have a sponsor, get back in touch we will connect you with the right people. Arlean
I can attest to the ease of the new system, as I just went through it within the last month. It took two weeks to get my initial appointment and there was no waiting at the apoitment time whatsoever. I had my temporary cedula within a week after that. I found that everything proceeded very orderly. I had all of my required documentation and income verification with me, with official translations — although it takes about 45 days to obtain the Uruguayan birth certificate which then must also be filed.
While it is possible for USA citizens to obtain their FBI report through Interpol in Uruguay, I would recommend beginning this before departure in the U.S. as it takes the FBI 4 months to process (if you do it in U.S. it also needs to be apostilled). If you do it from Uruguay you have this same amount of time PLUS mail to and from USA. While you can send the application from Uruguay to the FBI by Fedex, FBI ONLY sends the report back to Uruguay via regular mail (no Fedex or express mail) and regular mail can take MONTHS by itself. The man who processed my paperwork at migrations department told me applications take about 24 months but since I had my FBI report already it would probably only take 12 months in my case. We will find out in about a year’s time if he is right (but it only makes sense).
Thank you, Phil, for this great and helpful comment and contribution.