Moving to Uruguay: the questions people actually ask

For immigration residency, the DNM publishes no annual day count, and re-entry permits exist precisely so you can travel while the file is open. For tax residency you need either more than 183 days in the calendar year, or a qualifying investment (UI 3,500,000 in real estate bought from 1 July 2020 plus 60 days' presence, among other tests). For citizenship, any single absence over 6 months resets the residence clock.

Under Título 7 and Decreto 148/007 art. 5 bis, you are tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Uruguay in the calendar year; or your main base of activities or economic interests is in Uruguay — including real estate above UI 15,000,000, or above UI 3,500,000 with 60 days' presence, or company stakes above UI 45,000,000 (promoted project) or UI 15,000,000 creating 15 jobs; or your spouse and dependent children live there. The DGI certifies it on Form 5202.

Yes. Each family member files their own residency application under the same category; minors need an apostilled birth certificate under one year old and a notarised authorisation from the parents. Spouses, partners, parents, siblings and children of Uruguayans have a dedicated permanent-residency category, and a family established in Uruguay cuts the citizenship wait from 5 to 3 years.

Yes — legal citizenship (ciudadanía legal) after 3 years of habitual residence with a family in Uruguay or 5 years without, applied for free at the Corte Electoral with DNM residence and movement certificates, proof of income and witnesses. Legal citizens receive a Uruguayan passport; Uruguay does not require you to give up your existing nationality.

Residency application 557.30 UI (Brazilian and Paraguayan nationals exempt for permanent residency); certificado migratorio for the cédula 55.70 UI; re-entry permit 225.60 UI each time you leave while the file is pending; nomad permit 55.71 UI; citizenship free. UI is the inflation-indexed unit — check the BCU's current value; the DNM notes fees are forfeited if a mandatory document is missing at your appointment.

Not by law — the DNM accepts applications directly online and in person. In practice you will need an escribano (notary) for income certificates and property, a public translator for documents, and usually a lawyer or gestor to manage timing and the tax election. Exit Global is an independent advisory, not a government body; residency is granted only by the DNM, and tax residency only by the DGI.

Yes. A foreign-employer salary is not Uruguayan-source income for IRPF, and the digital nomad permit and the permanent-residency income test both accept foreign earnings as medios de vida. What you cannot do is join a Uruguayan payroll on a nomad permit. Uruguay also exempts exports of technological services, which matters if you invoice through a local company.

Getting residency here does not end tax residency where you came from. Use the relevant Exit site — see exitglobal.app.