Visa
Retirement residence in Uruguay
Uruguay has no separate retirement visa: retirees apply to DNM for permanent residence and show a pension or investment income. DNM asks for a notarial certificate of the monthly amount and how it reaches Uruguay, and prints no income figure. The fee is 557.30 UI.
- Official names
- Residencia legal permanente (rentista, jubilado y pensionista en el exterior); Residencia legal permanente (jubilado en Uruguay)
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM). Checked 16 October 2026.
Who it’s for
- Uruguay has no separate retirement visa on the DNM pages we read. Retirees use the permanent residence procedure, which has a means-of-support category for a "rentista, jubilado y pensionista en el exterior": a person living on investment income or a pension paid abroad.
- A second category, a retiree in Uruguay, covers a pension paid by a public entity in Uruguay and asks for a copy and the original of the latest payment receipt.
- Permanent residence is for people who intend to live in Uruguay permanently, and it can be requested directly without holding temporary residence first.
- DNM's temporary residence page lists only workers, students and religious workers, so it has no category for a pensioner who wants a temporary permit.
- The page states no minimum age and no minimum pension size.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM). Checked 16 October 2026.
Money tests
- DNM asks for a monthly nominal income "sufficient for support" and prints no figure, so the amount you need is unknown from the pages we read.
- You prove it with a notarial certificate of your status, the source of the income, the monthly amount and how it is received in Uruguay.
- A pension paid in Uruguay is shown with the latest payment receipt from the public entity that pays it.
- DNM's residence hub says fees can be waived for insufficient resources; it does not say how that is assessed.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM). Checked 16 October 2026.
Documents
- You need your original, valid identity document and, if your nationality needs a visa to enter, a valid visa; DNM's list shows none needed for ordinary US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passports.
- A criminal record certificate, legalised or apostilled and translated, is asked from your country of origin and from each country where you lived for at least 6 months in the last 5 years, for applicants over 18.
- You need a valid Uruguayan health card and a vaccination certificate issued by a provider authorised by the Ministry of Public Health under Decree 136/2018.
- Documents issued abroad are apostilled or legalised under Law 15.441 and translated into Spanish by a Uruguayan public translator; documents issued electronically that can be verified need neither.
- You bring a passport-size photo on the day of the appointment, and a marriage certificate under a year old only if you need it to prove a relationship.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM). Checked 16 October 2026.
Timing
- You can apply online through DNM's "Iniciar Trámite en Línea" (paying by bank transfer or payment network) or in person at the Departamento de Residencias, Mercedes 1004, Montevideo, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 15:00.
- DNM states no processing time for permanent residence, so the wait is unknown.
- Arriving more than 10 minutes late to the appointment forfeits the appointment and the fee.
- After applying you can get an identity card marked "resident in process", valid for two years the first time.
- Until then, a non-resident visitor gets 90 days, renewable for 90 more, in the visitor categories of Decree 394/009 (article 13).
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), IMPO. Checked 16 October 2026.
Fees
- The procedure costs 557.30 UI, about UYU 3,715 or US$92 at the UI value of UYU 6.6653 on 15 October 2026 and UYU 40.236 per US dollar on 14 October 2026.
- The migration certificate for the national ID card costs 55.70 UI, about UYU 371.
- While the file is pending, each exit from Uruguay needs a re-entry permit of 225.60 UI, about UYU 1,500.
- Brazilian and Paraguayan nationals applying for permanent residence are exempt from the procedure cost, and DNM lists insufficient resources as another ground for waiving it.
- DNM sets no price for the notarial certificate of income or for the sworn translation; those are private costs and we found no figures for them.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Banco Central del Uruguay (BCU). Checked 16 October 2026.
How long it lasts and renewal
- This route is permanent residence, which DNM treats separately from temporary residence (6 months to 2 years, renewable).
- The "resident in process" ID card is valid for two years the first time, and DNM will not renew it until all the requirements are met.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM). Checked 16 October 2026.
Path to permanent residence
- Retiree residence is itself permanent residence, so there is no temporary stage to complete first.
- Legal citizenship asks for three years of habitual residence if you have family constituted in Uruguay and five if not, from age 18, with means of living proven for the same years.
- Trips out of Uruguay of more than six consecutive months restart the citizenship count, and the procedure has no cost.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Uruguayan government procedures catalogue (gub.uy). Checked 16 October 2026.
Tax
- You are a Uruguayan tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in the calendar year there, or if the main base of your activities or economic or vital interests is there; a spouse and dependent minor children in Uruguay are presumed a vital interest.
- Residents are taxed on income from activities, assets located and rights used economically in Uruguay, and on capital income and gains from non-resident entities; non-residents pay the non-resident tax on Uruguayan-source income at 3% to 12%.
- Capital income of a resident is taxed at 12% for most income and 7% for some, such as certain dividends. We found no DGI source on how a pension paid from abroad is taxed, so that is unknown.
- The new-resident option in article 24-bis covers foreign capital income and gains for the year you become resident and the ten after; whether it reaches a pension is not stated in the sources we read.
Sources: IMPO, Dirección General Impositiva (DGI), Uruguay XXI (investment promotion agency of the Government of Uruguay). Checked 15 October 2026.
Your passport
If you hold a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport
What differs for each passport, from the same sources. A line that says there is no difference means the sources we read name none.
United States passport
- Ordinary US passports are listed as needing no visa to enter, and the State Department says no visa is needed for stays under 90 days.
- DNM says a person born in the United States can have fingerprints taken at Interpol in Montevideo so that it requests the FBI certificate.
- The US–Uruguay social security agreement applies to US retirement, survivors and disability benefits and does not apply to Medicare or Supplemental Security Income.
- The US taxes citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, and an FBAR is due for foreign accounts above $10,000 together.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), US Department of State, US Social Security Administration (POMS GN 01760.105 and GN 01760.110), Internal Revenue Service, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Checked 16 October 2026.
Canada passport
- Ordinary Canadian passports need no visa to enter; Canada's travel advice says no tourist visa is needed for stays up to 90 days.
- The Canada–Uruguay agreement has been in force since 1 January 2002; each country pays on the periods creditable under its own program, and periods in the other country can count towards qualifying.
- The RCMP's certified criminal record check is fingerprint-based and national; DNM does not name the Canadian document, so ask it to confirm.
- Uruguay's embassy and consulates in Canada cannot arrange residence or work permits, so the file is made with DNM in Uruguay.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Uruguay (MRREE), Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Checked 16 October 2026.
Australia passport
- Ordinary Australian passports need no visa to enter, and Smartraveller says Australians can enter for up to 90 days without one.
- The Australia–Uruguay social security agreement, signed on 26 August 2025, is not yet in force and could take up to two years.
- The Australian Federal Police issue a National Police Check for A$57 online or A$114 with fingerprints, and DFAT adds an apostille for A$105 a document.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Smartraveller), Department of Social Services (DSS), Australian Federal Police (AFP), DFAT (Smartraveller). Checked 15 October 2026.
New Zealand passport
- Ordinary New Zealand passports are listed as needing no visa to enter.
- New Zealand's list shows no social security agreement with Uruguay. Work and Income says you can apply to keep NZ Super while living overseas, and that with no agreement you may get your full payment depending on months lived in New Zealand between ages 20 and 65.
- Request a Criminal Record Check from the Ministry of Justice, which aims to answer within 20 working days; the Department of Internal Affairs apostilles certificates for NZ$37 each.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand), Ministry of Justice (New Zealand), New Zealand Government (govt.nz). Checked 16 October 2026.
Other visas
Other visas in Uruguay.
The country
More on Uruguay.
Questions about Retirement residence in Uruguay.
Does Uruguay have a retirement visa for foreign pensioners?
Not as a separate visa on the DNM pages we read. A pensioner requests permanent residence and shows income in the category "rentista, jubilado y pensionista en el exterior". Ask DNM whether anything else applies to your case.
How much pension income does Uruguay's retiree residence ask for?
DNM asks for a monthly nominal income "sufficient for support" and prints no figure. You show it with a notarial certificate of your status, the income source, the monthly amount and how it reaches Uruguay.
What does Uruguay's retiree permanent residence cost?
The procedure costs 557.30 UI, about UYU 3,715 (US$92) at the UI value of UYU 6.6653 on 15 October 2026, plus 55.70 UI (about UYU 371) for the migration certificate. A pending file pays 225.60 UI for each exit.
Can a retiree apply for Uruguayan permanent residence without temporary residence first?
Yes. DNM says a person who meets the requirements can request permanent residence directly. Its temporary residence page lists only workers, students and religious workers as activity types.
Do social security agreements cover retirees moving to Uruguay?
The US and Canada have agreements with Uruguay; the US one excludes Medicare and SSI. Australia's, signed 26 August 2025, is not in force. New Zealand's list shows none, though NZ Super can be kept overseas if you apply.
Sources
Official sources we used.
Government and official pages only, each with the date we checked it.
- Régimen de visas de admisión (list of countries and passports), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 15 October 2026. Official list read on 15 October 2026: United States, ordinary passport, "No necesita Visa". The page does not give the length of stay. The Atlas Visa Map recorded the same visa-free status and a 90-day maximum stay (verified 27 May 2026) against the DNM home page.
- Uruguay: international travel information (country page and travel advisory), US Department of State (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Residencia legal: permanent residence (requirements, costs, how to apply), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: general documents and means of support by category, 557.30 UI, 55.70 UI and 225.60 UI, online and in-person application. The page states no processing time.
- Program Operations Manual: effective date and scope of the agreement with Uruguay, US Social Security Administration (POMS GN 01760.105 and GN 01760.110). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026 (SSA Program Operations Manual): the agreement applies to US retirement, survivors and disability benefits and does not apply to Medicare or Supplemental Security Income; it removes dual coverage for US Social Security taxes and Uruguayan contributions.
- US citizens and residents abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Régimen de visas de admisión (list of countries and passports), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 15 October 2026. Official list read on 15 October 2026: Canada, ordinary passport, "No necesita Visa" (diplomatic and service passports are marked as needing a visa). The page does not give the length of stay. The Atlas Visa Map (refreshed 13 May 2026) recorded Canadian passports as visa-free with a 90-day maximum stay (verified 27 May 2026) against the DNM home page.
- Visas for entry into Uruguay (Embassy of Uruguay in Canada), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Uruguay (MRREE). Checked 15 October 2026. Official page read on 15 October 2026: holders of ordinary Canadian passports do not need a visa to enter Uruguay; holders of Canadian diplomatic and service passports, and of a Canadian refugee travel document, do.
- Uruguay travel advice and advisories, Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Uruguay: pensions and benefits (Canada–Uruguay social security agreement), Government of Canada (Service Canada). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: the Canada–Uruguay agreement came into force on 1 January 2002; each country pays on the periods creditable under its own program, and periods in the other country can count towards qualifying.
- Criminal record checks: where to go, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Checked 15 October 2026. Certified (fingerprint-based) criminal record checks, through a local police service or an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting company in Canada, or from outside Canada with a paper copy of your fingerprints; date modified 6 August 2024.
- What the consulate can do for you (Consular Section, Ottawa), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Uruguay (MRREE). Checked 15 October 2026. Official page read on 15 October 2026. Lists what the consulate cannot do, including arranging residence, work or a work permit and regularising a person's migration status with local authorities.
- Régimen de visas de admisión (list of countries and passports), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 15 October 2026. Official list read on 15 October 2026: Australia, ordinary passport, "No necesita Visa" (diplomatic and service passports need one). The page does not give the length of stay; Smartraveller (V12) says up to 90 days. The Atlas Visa Map (refreshed 13 May 2026) recorded visa-free status and a 90-day maximum stay (verified 27 May 2026) against the DNM home page.
- Uruguay travel advice and advisories (Internet Archive copy), Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026.
- International Social Security Agreement between Australia and Uruguay (Internet Archive copy), Australian Government, Department of Social Services (DSS). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Apply for a National Police Certificate, Australian Federal Police (AFP). Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026 (the older address afp.gov.au/what-we-do/national-police-checks leads here). A$57 online (digital certificate, most arrive within a few days); A$114 with fingerprints, which go by post and take 15 to 30 business days; a hard copy can be requested.
- Notarial services and fees (fee schedule from 1 January 2026), Australian Government, DFAT (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 7 October 2026 (page updated 30 September 2026), read on 15 October 2026: apostille A$105 per document; payment in Australia by card only.
- Documents we can legalise, Australian Government, DFAT (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 7 June 2026 (updated 4 March 2026), read on 15 October 2026: DFAT can legalise National Police Checks and birth certificates; a limited range of electronic official documents is accepted and assessed when lodged; scanned copies are not accepted.
- Régimen de visas de admisión (list of countries and passports), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 15 October 2026. Official list (page dated 19 August 2025) read on 15 October 2026: New Zealand, ordinary passport, "No necesita Visa". The page does not give the length of stay. The Atlas Visa Map recorded New Zealand as visa-free with a 90-day maximum stay (verified 27 May 2026) against the DNM home page, which does not itself print the 90 days; Decree 394/009 (V4) does, for the visitor categories.
- Social security agreements, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026.
- NZ Super and Veterans Pension: living overseas, Work and Income, Ministry of Social Development (New Zealand). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: you can apply to keep NZ Super if you intend to live overseas (not the United Kingdom); the rate depends on whether New Zealand has a social security agreement or the Pacific arrangement with the country; with no agreement you may get your full payment depending on months lived in New Zealand between ages 20 and 65.
- Criminal records: request your own Criminal Record Check, Ministry of Justice (New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026. No update date shown. Online request; the Ministry aims to respond within 20 working days and says about 90% are answered in under a week. The page gives no cost and does not mention apostilles.
- Getting an apostille in New Zealand: fees and timing, New Zealand Government (govt.nz), Department of Internal Affairs Authentication Unit. Checked 15 October 2026. Page last updated 15 September 2026: NZ$37 per certificate, 15 working days, urgent service NZ$120 extra and 5 working days, form BDM460, a New Zealand notary public where notarisation is needed; courier is extra. It does not say whether a criminal record check from the Ministry of Justice can be apostilled.
- Types of residencies in Uruguay (English), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: lists temporary, permanent, Mercosur, family-of-Uruguayans and provisional identity card routes. It gives no money amounts and does not mention investor residence.
- Residencia legal: temporary residence (requirements, costs, how to apply), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026 (page updated 12 March 2026): temporary residence for workers, students and religious workers; minimum 6 months, maximum 2 years, renewable; 557.30 UI, 55.70 UI and 225.60 UI. The page states no processing time.
- Residencias en Uruguay (DNM hub page), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: fees may be waived for Brazilian and Paraguayan nationals and for insufficient resources; the Residencias por Arraigo programme stopped receiving applications in November 2025.
- Régimen de visas de admisión (list of countries and passports), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Frequently asked questions about Uruguayan residency (English PDF), Dirección Nacional de Migración (DNM), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 15 October 2026. Official PDF dated 25 September 2023, read on 15 October 2026. Fee of 557.30 indexed units plus 55.7 for the first migration certificate; no stipulated processing time; one appointment per person; "resident in process" ID after applying. Written in 2023, so the fee lines are checked against V1 and V2.
- Decree 394/009 (regulation to the Migration Law 18,250), articles 8 and 13, as updated, IMPO, the official legislation database of Uruguay. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Unidad Indexada (UI) values, 6 October to 5 November 2026, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Checked 15 October 2026. UYU 6.6653 per UI on 15 October 2026.
- Interbank US dollar rate, 14 October 2026, Banco Central del Uruguay (BCU). Checked 15 October 2026. UYU 40.236 per US dollar on 14 October 2026.
- Carta de ciudadanía (ciudadanía legal uruguaya), Uruguayan government procedures catalogue (gub.uy), citizenship procedure. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026 (page updated 27 May 2026): three years of habitual residence with family constituted in Uruguay, five without; age 18; absences over six consecutive months restart the count; no cost.
- Title 7 (IRPF), article 2: who is resident, IMPO, the official legislation database of Uruguay (Texto Ordenado 2023). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Information on residency for tax purposes: Uruguay, Dirección General Impositiva (DGI), as published by the OECD. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Title 7 (IRPF), article 6: what is taxed, IMPO, the official legislation database of Uruguay (Texto Ordenado 2023). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Investor's guide: the Uruguayan tax system, Uruguay XXI (investment promotion agency of the Government of Uruguay). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Title 7 (IRPF), articles 37 and 48: tax rates, IMPO, the official legislation database of Uruguay (Texto Ordenado 2023). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Title 7 (IRPF), article 24-bis: new-resident option for capital income (from 2026), IMPO, the official legislation database of Uruguay (Texto Ordenado 2023). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Law 20,446 (2025-2029 Budget Law), including article 3 (in force) and articles 190 to 192, IMPO, the official legislation database of Uruguay. Checked 15 October 2026.