The waterfront at Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Uruguay · Country guide

Moving to Uruguay from the US

Visas, residency routes, citizenship and tax for Americans moving to Uruguay, with the law behind each rule.

Source-checked37 sources, 36 officialHow we check

Today's rate: $1 = 40.70 pesosUpdated 14 Nov 2026

CapitalMontevideo

Visa-free (US)90 days, renewable once for 90 more

Residency income fromNo fixed minimum in law

CitizenshipAfter 3 years with family, 5 without

Tax on foreign income12% on foreign interest and dividends; a 10-year break can apply

Dual citizenshipYes: you keep your US citizenship

Uruguay in brief

Visit visa-free: 90 days, renewable once for 90 more at an immigration office.
Remote workers: a provisional permit needs only a passport copy and a sworn statement, with no income test.
Permanent residence straight away: remote employees and retirees can apply directly; the law sets no fixed income.
Citizenship in 3 or 5 years: 3 with your family in Uruguay, 5 without, and you keep US citizenship.
Work done here is taxed from day one: 12% as a non-resident, the resident scale after 183 days.
New residents from 2026: foreign investment income can be shielded for the arrival year plus 10 more.

About Uruguay

Uruguay is small, flat and temperate, with grasslands, Atlantic and river beaches, and a third of its people in Montevideo. Its stable democracy earned it the nickname "the Switzerland of South America", and mate tea is everywhere.

The stone gate and wooden drawbridge of the old walled town of Colonia del Sacramento, framed by trees. — Old city gate, Colonia

People on the rocks and promenade beside Pocitos beach in Montevideo, with apartment towers behind. — Pocitos beach and boardwalk

A tall Uruguayan chivito sandwich stuffed with steak, ham, lettuce and tomato on a wooden board. — A homemade chivito sandwich

By the numbers

3.5 millionPeople, 2023 census

Size of MissouriLand area

96%Live in cities

38 yearsHalf are youngerNeeds review

3World Heritage sitesNeeds review

$25,200GDP per person

Needs reviewAn early census figure; confirming it in the final results.

Needs reviewThe count is from reference lists; confirming it on the official list.

Regions

Montevideo: The capital, with city beaches, museums, festivals and fine old buildings.
Atlantic coast: Summer beach towns, from glitzy Punta del Este to quieter La Paloma.
Colonia and the west: Colonial Colonia del Sacramento, a World Heritage town facing Buenos Aires across the river.
The north: Hot springs at Salto and Paysandú, and hilly Rivera on the Brazilian border.

Culture and daily life

Language: Spanish, spoken as in Buenos Aires, with vos instead of tú.
Food: Beef-heavy and mild: wood-fired asado and the huge chivito steak sandwich.
Pace of life: Mate is a daily ritual: people carry a gourd and thermos down the street.
Religion and holidays: Mostly Catholic but firmly secular: Holy Week is officially Tourism Week, and Christmas is Family Day.

Economy and politics, briefly

Prices: inflation was 4.87% in the year to October 2026.
Politics: President Yamandú Orsi took office on March 1, 2025, for a term to March 2030.

Sources (11)

Cities in Uruguay

Where our city guides are planned. Hover a city to find it on the map.

All Uruguay guides

Every rule with its legal source.

Entry and visas90 days visa-free, renewable once for 90 more Residency2 routes: a provisional remote-work permit and permanent residence Citizenship3 years with family in Uruguay, or 5 without TaxesWhat retirees and remote workers pay

Free tools

Count your days in UruguayTourist days used and left, the tax-residency test, and the US 330-day count.Social Security and Medicare in UruguayPayments, direct deposit, agreements and what Medicare covers.

Still being checked

Processing times: none are published, including the wait between approval and your ID.
Remote employees: how a non-resident paid from abroad pays tax, and whether local social security applies under the US agreement.
Citizenship clock: whether time on the provisional permit counts toward citizenship or permanent residence.
Income for permanent residence: immigration decides case by case; no official figure is published yet.
Older tax break: residents by 2025 may still choose it until Dec 31, 2026, per the tax office; the law says 2025. Needs review

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