Why get permanent residence status in Uruguay

This is a valid question. I myself lived in Uruguay for over three years without residency, even after getting a job and married, just to avoid the paperwork and the general hassle involved.

For many people however there are good reasons for getting permanent residence status. Some of these include:

1. To ensure you have the right to live in Uruguay in the event that there are changes in visa requirements in the future.
2. The security to know that you can return and live here whenever you want – the bolt hole option.
3. For those who already need a visa, to ensure that they can come and go without having to go through the time consuming and expensive process of getting a new visa every time – and also the risk that it will not be given.
4. To ensure that you use any real estate you may have bought. No point in buying a nice vacation property if you can’t use it!
5. As a necessary step in the process of getting a second passport.
6. If you are already living here, then as a means of bringing in household possessions without paying tax.

The above do not pretend to be a definitive list, although these are the most important in my experience. As stated above, I did not apply for permanent residence until after three years here. That was the situation 28 years ago and the law has not changed in the meantime.

Of course, that does not mean that it will not change at some time in the future. Indeed I would be inclined to think that looking to the future, Uruguay’s immigration laws are likely to get less flexible than they are at present, which would validate applying for permanent residence status sooner rather than later.