Moving to and living in Uruguay

The best local experts and service providers

Personal recommendations are essential to getting good service in Uruguay. Think of Guru’Guay as a friend sharing her favourite contacts. We only recommend people and companies we know personally and professionally and have vetted.

Does your company love working with foreigners? If you think you have what it takes to be a Guru’Guay Top Pick, contact us now.

Why Uruguay is an increasingly interesting choice to live

Uruguay has a notable history and society. It’s been an outlier in South America for centuries.
Learn about the history, culture and society

A risk analyst from the USA evaluates Uruguay’s strengths and weakness as a place to live in an increasingly unstable world.

Cost of living

Uruguay is a developed country and quite expensive by Latin American standards.  Most people are considered middle class, however the majority cannot afford a car or to consider buying a home until they are well into their thirties. Public transport and bicycles are popular modes of transport generally out of necessity, not choice. It’s not easy to find well-paying employment. Most people make ends meet by living in extended families, and eating out rarely.

• The average Uruguayan income

How to become a Uruguay resident

OK, you know you have the means to support yourself in Uruguay. What next? Uruguay is probably one of the easiest countries in the world to immigrate to and obtain residency. You need a clean criminal record and be able to prove a monthly income of around 1500 USD per person.

• Basics of getting residency, bringing personal belongings tax-free and health care
• How to become a resident (documentation and other requirements)
• Applying as a retiree (worth reading even if you’re not of retirement age)
• Benefits of Uruguayan residency (more relevant than ever given the recent pandemic)
• Vaccines required
• Travelling with minors once you have residency
• Our recommendations for law and notarial firms ^{Top pick}
• Our recommendations for relocation specialists ^{Top pick}

Retiring to Uruguay

• Retiring to Uruguay Q&A
• The importance of making a will in Uruguay
• The (limited) rights of the surviving spouse

Buying real estate in Uruguay

Over the last ten years a growing number of Europeans and North Americans have been buying real estate in Uruguay. This is partly down global factors, increases in the value of farmland and the stability of Uruguay’s economy and laws. The latter is an open secret in South America with Uruguay regarded as a safe haven for Latin American investors particularly those from Argentina for decades. There are no restrictions on who can purchase property–except for those affecting rural property—but you must use a public notary to prepare the legal documents. The notary ensures the title deeds are in order and that there are no outstanding debts on the property.

Uruguay has a legal regime which provides for the free entry and exit of foreign currency and also permits it to be freely converted into the local currency. All real estate transactions are carried out in US dollars. As will be seen below, for certain tax aspects the value is recalculated in Uruguayan pesos and taxes are paid in pesos, but the transaction itself will always be in US dollars.

• Property requirements, taxes and the buying process in Uruguay
• Investing in farmland
• What’s it like buying a new build in Uruguay?
• Our recommendations for realtors ^{Top pick}
• Our recommendations for property appraisal and renovation ^{Top pick}

Health care

Uruguay has a very affordable public-private healthcare system. Anyone can buy membership in Uruguay’s forty or so health institutions—the majority of which are known as ‘mutualistas’. Find out the coverage available and how to join the afforable ‘mutualista’ system as a tax-payer or employee.

• How Uruguay’s health care system works
• Obtaining insurance in Uruguay

Starting a business

• Setting up a business
• Taxes on businesses
• Business insurance in Uruguay

Tax residency

This measure from 2020 was aimed principally at Argentine nationals who are looking for ways to escape the Argentine tax man.

• Who can get tax residency and what is the difference with legal residency

Travel Guidebooks

With passion & soul

Written by a Brit with all the contacts and knowledge accrued over almost twenty years living in Uruguay, this guidebooks will make your holiday planning stress-free and ensure you have an unforgettable time in one of South America’s least-explored destinations. Buy the Guru'Guay guidebooks for your tablet, kindle and phone or get the paperback versions.