Uruguay spouse visa (permanent residence by Uruguayan link)

Under Law 19.254 permanent residence is granted to foreign relatives of Uruguayans. The Foreign Ministry's guide lists spouses, partners in a de facto union recognised by a Uruguayan court, parents, siblings and grandchildren. Foreigners married to a Uruguayan use this route rather than the general permanent residence.

Present the identity document or passport of the Uruguayan relative, your own valid identity document, a criminal record certificate at national level from the country where you lived in the last five years for more than six months, a marriage certificate, national or foreign, issued within the last year, or a registered concubinage ruling under Law 18.246, and a valid vaccination certificate from a vaccination centre in Uruguay. A foreign marriage certificate must be apostilled or legalised and translated by a Uruguayan public translator, or registered with the Uruguayan civil registry.

Start online with a gub.uy user, select the residence type, attach the PDFs and pay by bank transfer or a collection network. The DNM reviews the file; once accepted, you book an appointment at the office of your choice and attend in person with all originals. A representative can be designated for follow-up after the procedure starts. In Montevideo, notifications and re-entry permits are handled through residenciaspermanentesmercosur@minterior.gub.uy.

Once the procedure has started and until residence is granted, you must pay a re-entry permit of 225.60 UI each time you leave Uruguay. If you leave for more than six months during the procedure, you must present a criminal record certificate from the country where you stayed. The procedure must be finished at the office where it began; transfers are allowed only for documented reasons such as a later move. The identity card as a resident in process is not renewed unless all requirements have been met.

Minors present their birth certificate, apostilled and translated or as a Uruguayan copy, and the express authorisation of the parents who exercise parental authority. If a parent cannot attend, an authorisation from abroad must be notarised by a Uruguayan notary and is valid for 180 days. If the minor will not live with either parent, the parents must name the responsible adults in Uruguay, who sign the application.