The Uruguay Passport Program has been ended by Uruguay. This page is being kept up just for reference purposes. There are Passport Programs in other countries .

Uruguay Fast Passport Program

Uruguay has a fast track program for a Passport for retired persons. You would not be a citizen with voting rights until you had your permanent residency for five years but you would be able to get a passport and a permanent residency in about 3 to 4 months. You would not need to remain in Uruguay for that entire time but you would need to be there for a lot of that period of time. This program is for retirees of foreign countries (non – Uruguay), also called pensionados and is covered in Uruguay Law 16.340 Article Number three.

Uruguay Permanent Residence Status, Passport – The retired person must first obtain residency status which is about a 30-day process for the temporary residency but this is a special program where things are accelerated and merged into one so to speak. Once the signed commitment to proceed with the investment required see below, is presented the the Uruguay Immigration Department who will communicate to the Customs Department to authorize the importation of the one car and personal effects such as furniture, appliances, clothes, books, dishes, etc, and to the Uruguayan Director of Civilian Identification in order to issue the Passport and Residency Card. This is a real and full passport good for travel, banking, identification, etc. Once you have the residency card, and passport it is a simple matter to get a Uruguay Drivers License with your existing drivers license. Next a Uruguay bank account is opened and a Uruguay Visa card is obtained. Now you have a Uruguay Passport, Residency Card, Drivers License and credit card which by any standards is a full set of identification for any purposes.

Retiree Income Requirements– The retired person will have to show a minimum income of $1500.00 per month. This need not be money derived from a government retirement plan. The income can be from other sources like rental income, investment income, etc. If the proof of this income is not in Spanish a certified Spanish translation must be obtained. The proof of income would need to be authenticated by the Uruguayan Embassy closet to the country of issuance of the retired income. In addition to the income requirement the applicant must in addition meet one of the following requirements:

1. Purchase a Uruguay piece of real estate with a value of $100,000. This means cash into the property of at least $100,000. The real estate must be titled personally to the applicant. A corporation, foundation or trust cannot be used to own the real estate for purposes of this program. You cannot put $20,000 down and borrow or mortgage $80,000. The real estate must be kept for 10 years and this is checked on by the government at onset and with regularity. We can assist with a realtor introduction and have the real estate agreements reviewed and negotiated by a Uruguay Attorney.
2. Or The applicant puts $100,000 into Uruguay Government Securities which are held in safe keeping by the Uruguay Government Bank for 10 years.
3. Or It is possible to mix and match for example $65,000 invested in a home and $35,000 in government securities.

Criminal Records Check – Here Uruguay is unusual. They require a criminal records check from your home country and every country you lived in the last five years. Lived would mean lived, not temporarily visited. Lived would also mean a country where you obtained some sort of residency that is reflected in your existing passport. We can explain ways to get this done, no worries. One method is to use Interpol in Uruguay. Ask us about this. It can get done, just several ways to get there.

Uruguay Health certificate – This is issued by the Uruguay Department of Public Health based on an exam performed in Uruguay.

Uruguay Attorney – You will have a Uruguay Attorney with you who speaks English and Spanish. The process is conducted in Spanish but your attorney will interpret everything for you.

Uruguay Retired Persons Benefits

Passport Issuance – Uruguay will issue a passport for the retired person and spouse plus children under 18 according to Article 17, decree 167 – 193.

Importation of Personal Goods – Furniture, appliances, books, clothes that will be used at the dwelling of the retired person can be imported duty free within six months of the granting of the permanent residency. The customs authorities will review the contents. Things like 97 new pairs of shoes would probably be construed as commercial quantities for resale. Same for 12 oriental rugs. It is a nice program and do not take advantage. The contents should match the size of the home. Two forty foot containers for a 120 sq meter apartment will not work for instance.

Importation of a Car Duty Free – The car must not be sold for four years. It must be registered in Uruguay. You will need clear title in your name to effect the relocation of the car. The car needs to be insured as per Uruguay law for auto insurance.

Other Facts

Uruguay Retired Persons Restrictions – This program does not carry with it the right to work. You may not work for a Uruguay employer. You could work for yourself or start a business. You must keep the real estate for 10 years. Violating any of these rules could result in the loss of the benefits of the program such as the passport and duty free exemptions.

Cost – The cost of for the program is $16,000 complete. This fee covers a full family unit (husband wife and children under 18 born of both the husband and wife). Single people or childless couple is same fee. There are nominal extra fees for health certificate, filing fees, notarization; police records check which should amount to a few hundred dollars at most. You would be responsible for your own airfare, hotel, transportation, and food. We can assist with finding a hotel and arranging for a driver with a car for you to hire.

Questions Welcome.