You want to come to Uruguay but the borders are closed and you don’t meet the existing requirements. There may still be a way.
In theory, it should be possible to apply for permanent residence through a Uruguayan consulate abroad.
In which case if your residence application is accepted for processing, then you should be able to obtain a certificate from the Immigration office which will allow you permission to enter Uruguay and complete the residence process once here.
There are practical problems with this route at the time of writing.
Due to COVID 19, many consulates are still closed in their respective countries. Those that are open have never processed a residence application before and are reluctant to start now.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering how to deal with this situation (as of July 31 2020).
Any decision has a political component as the government has been very firm in dealing with the virus and the great majority of the cases at present are related to people coming in from abroad (mainly via the land border with Brazil). So, they will not want to do anything which could compromise the public health.
At the same time, the new government (which took power on March 1, less than two weeks before the first Coronavirus appeared in Uruguay) is on record as wanting to encourage foreigners to come to Uruguay and make it easier for them to settle here.
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If you would like to explore if you can start Uruguay residency proceedings through a foreign consulate, we recommend you contact Teuten Associates
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FURTHER READING
Find out if you are eligible to apply for an exception to enter Uruguay
The documents you need to for Uruguayan residence
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Mark Teuten is a British lawyer based in Montevideo since the 1990s. He has law degrees from both the UK and Uruguay. He can help you with your residency applications, setting up a registered company and other legal matters. Guru’Guay has recommended him to our readers who have praised his trustworthiness, clarity, prompt communication even over great distances and careful advice regarding courses of action.
This article is for information purposes only. Please consult with a lawyer as to your particular circumstances.
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I have a house in COLONIA but I can not spend 180 days a year in Uruguay as I have several businesses in other countries. Can I get permanent residency?
George, The answer before the pandemic was “No” as the Immigration Office required that one be physically present for almost the whole time the application for permanent residence was pending with only very short absences allowed. We are hoping that after the pandemic eases and the borders reopen the Immigration Office will be more flexible as you are not alone in your situation and the government itself has said that it wants to encourage immigration into the country.