Citizenship via adoptive parent (Ciudadanía natural por adopción)Citizenship via adoptive parent (Ciudadanía natural por adopción)
Eligibility quiz
Were you adopted by a Uruguayan citizen?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Uruguayan passport
Uruguayan citizens can get a passport for international travel.
They can also travel to MERCOSUR states and associated states with an Uruguayan identity card.
Live in Uruguay for life
Uruguayan citizens can live in Uruguay without renewing an immigration permit.
Citizenship itself does not need periodic renewal.
Live and work in 9 countries
Study in Uruguay
Uruguayan citizens can access public services, including education, on the same nationality basis as other Uruguayan citizens.
Work in Uruguay
Uruguayan citizens can work in Uruguay without a foreigner's work permit.
Legal citizens must wait 3 years after their citizenship document is granted for public employment, and some jobs have extra requirements.
Get help abroad
Uruguayan consulates can help after accidents or disasters, contact relatives and help citizens who are detained.
They can issue passports, legalise documents, help protect children and people unable to care for themselves, and direct citizens to legal, medical or document-certification help.
Vote and run for office
Uruguayan citizens can vote and run for office%20Anexo%20Normativo/II/Constituci%C3%B3n%20-%20art.%2073%20al%2085%20y%20322%20al%20331.pdf) from age 18, though some offices have extra requirements.
Most legal citizens must wait 3 years after their citizenship document is granted to exercise these rights.
They can then present it to get a voting credential.
Use public healthcare
Uruguayan citizens living in Uruguay can use the national health system.
Coverage is available to residents through the applicable public, mutual or private arrangements.
How to apply
From outside UruguayFrom outside Uruguay
Travel to Uruguay
If you live outside Uruguay, travel to Uruguay before applying. You cannot file this application at a consulate.
Plan your travelSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I travel to Uruguay to apply for the Certificado de Avecinamiento?”
Once in UruguayOnce in Uruguay
Find an electoral office
Find out where to present your request to the Electoral Court in Uruguay.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Where can I apply for the Certificado de Avecinamiento with the Corte Electoral near your city, Uruguay?”
Record your adoption
If your adoption in Uruguay has not yet been recorded, arrange for your adoptive parents to record it at the civil registry with two adult witnesses.
Find adoption registrationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I register an adopción plena in Uruguay for a Certificado de Avecinamiento?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the documents required for your request to the Electoral Court.
See required documentsHand in your request
Go to the Electoral Court in person to request your Certificado de Avecinamiento and bring your supporting documents.
Find application instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I present a request for a Certificado de Avecinamiento to the Corte Electoral in Uruguay?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for the Electoral Court to decide on your request and respond if it asks for more information or documents.
See what happens nextSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after I request a Certificado de Avecinamiento from the Corte Electoral in Uruguay?”
Get your civic credential
After your certificate is issued, bring your identity document and the case number from your certificate request to a departmental electoral office or mobile office to register and get your first civic credential; there is no fee or need to book. You can then vote in Uruguay’s elections.
Find where to registerSearches DuckDuckGo for “Where do I get my first credencial cívica after requesting a Certificado de Avecinamiento in Uruguay?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificate
Bring your birth certificate from Uruguay’s foreign births register or your birth certificate issued abroad.
Adoption record
Bring your adoption judgment or another official adoption record. It must show that your adoption qualifies as a full adoption if it took place abroad, or was a qualifying adoption under Uruguayan law if it took place in Uruguay.
Parent's citizenship record
Bring a record showing that at least one of your adoptive parents is Uruguayan. Ask the Electoral Court which record it accepts.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Voting and registration
Citizens must register to vote%20Anexo%20Normativo/II/Constituci%C3%B3n%20-%20art.%2073%20al%2085%20y%20322%20al%20331.pdf) and vote in elections.
Living abroad does not by itself remove these duties.
Citizenship can be lost
Legal citizenship is lost if you later become a citizen of another country by naturalising.
Political rights can be suspended for physical or mental incapacity, a sentence, prosecution for an offence punishable by prison, or habitual conduct the law calls dishonourable.
For legal citizens, violent or violence-inciting anti-constitutional groups and losing good conduct can also lead to suspension.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
r/uruguay
Spanish Reddit group for people interested in Uruguayan local life
Join on Redditr/monte_video
Reddit group for people interested in Uruguayan local life
Join on Redditr/LegalUruguay
Spanish Reddit group for people interested in Uruguayan local life
Join on RedditConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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