Eligibility quiz
Was either of your parents born in Uruguay?
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
Find your consulate
Find the Uruguayan consulate that handles birth registrations for your place of birth or where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Uruguayan consulate handles inscripción de nacimiento ocurrido en el exterior for your city?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the consulate and the electoral office.
See required documentsDownload the application form
Download the form for registering a birth that occurred outside Uruguay.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Where can I download the Uruguay inscripción de nacimiento ocurrido en el exterior form for the consulate serving your city?”
Fill in the form
Fill in the birth registration form if you are an adult. For a child, a parent or legal representative fills it in.
Get form helpSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the Uruguay inscripción de nacimiento ocurrido en el exterior form?”
Find two witnesses
Find two witnesses over 18 who can attend the consulate with valid identity documents. Neither witness can be a parent of the person whose birth is being registered.
Find witness requirementsSearches DuckDuckGo for “Who can be a witness for Uruguay inscripción de nacimiento ocurrido en el exterior?”
Book an appointment
Ask your consulate for an appointment, following its instructions for sending the completed form and copies of your documents.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book an appointment for Uruguay inscripción de nacimiento ocurrido en el exterior at the consulate serving your city?”
Go to your appointment
Bring the required documents and your two witnesses to the consulate. If the application is for a child, both parents should attend unless there is a valid reason for one to be absent; an adult applicant attends in person.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “What happens at a Uruguay inscripción de nacimiento ocurrido en el exterior consulate appointment in your city?”
Get your birth record
Once the birth is registered, obtain the Uruguayan birth record. You will still need to complete the steps in Uruguay to exercise citizenship.
Get your birth recordSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I obtain a Uruguayan birth record after inscripción de nacimiento ocurrido en el exterior?”
Once in UruguayOnce in Uruguay
Move to Uruguay
Establish yourself in Uruguay before applying for the certificate that records your settlement there.
See settlement requirementsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I establish myself in Uruguay for the certificado de avecinamiento?”
Find your electoral office
Find the electoral office that serves the place where you live in Uruguay.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Uruguay electoral office serves your city for certificado de avecinamiento?”
Apply for your certificate
Go to your electoral office in person and hand in the required documents for the certificado de avecinamiento. There is no fee.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I apply for a Uruguay certificado de avecinamiento at the electoral office serving your city?”
Get your certificate
The electoral office issues the certificate when it confirms the required settlement acts. Keep the file number you receive for your electoral registration.
Get your certificateSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I receive my Uruguay certificado de avecinamiento and file number?”
Apply for your card
Take your certificate file number and a photo ID to a departmental or mobile electoral office to apply for your first credencial cívica. It is free and you do not need an appointment.
Apply for your cardSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I apply for a Uruguay credencial cívica primera vez after a certificado de avecinamiento?”
Collect your card
Collect your credencial cívica from the departmental electoral office when it is ready, using your receipt or identity card. Your electoral registration lets you exercise your citizenship.
Find collection detailsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I collect my Uruguay credencial cívica primera vez?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your birth certificate. For a consulate or electoral office, also get your parent’s birth certificate and your Uruguayan grandparent’s birth certificate, showing that your grandparent was born in Uruguay. For the civil registry, bring your original certificate and a full copy; for an electoral office, yours and your parent’s can instead be Uruguayan records from the Book of Foreigners. Your consulate may ask for handwritten Uruguayan certificates less than a year old; digital certificates do not expire. If a translation for the civil registry was made abroad, add a certificate of agreement from a Uruguayan sworn translator.
Marriage or union records *
Bring your marriage certificate or the court record recognising your partnership. The marriage or recognised partnership must have been in place for at least three months before you apply for the settlement certificate.
* Only if you use your spouse’s or partner’s evidence of settling in Uruguay.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationDeath certificates *
Bring the death certificate for your parent or grandparent if it is available. Ask the office that recorded the death for the certificate.
* Only if you apply at a consulate and your parent or grandparent has died.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
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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