URUGUAY – New Law Expedites Permanent Residence for Mercosur and Associated Nationals
Law No.19.254, regarding permanent residence for Mercosur and associated nationals, which was passed in August 2014 has now been implemented.
Who Benefits?
Nationals of Mercosur member countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela) and Associate members (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) as well as Guyana and Suriname qualify for the new expedited process. The law also applies to a spouse, sibling, parent or grandchild of a Uruguayan national born abroad.
How Does The New Permanent Residence Route Work?
The new law allows nationals of Mercosur (Mercado Común del Sur) and Associate member countries, as listed above, to obtain permanent residence in Uruguay. Effective immediately, applications can be made either on arrival in Uruguay (i.e. a change of status application), or from a Uruguayan diplomatic mission abroad. The initial permanent residence cards will be issued within 30 days of application. This is a significant reduction in processing time compared to previous temporary residence route for Mercosur nationals. Additionally, documentary requirements are slightly less onerous. Note that the permanent residence cards themselves must be renewed every three years. Permanent residence following this process is also available for certain relatives of Uruguayan nationals born abroad.
Action Items
- If you have upcoming assignments or local hire moves to Uruguay for the above listed nationalities, note that the new permanent residence route will very likely be preferable to the previous temporary residence route.
- If you are an Immiguru licence holder, you will be able to access full details of the new route (including detailed timing, document lists, qualifying criteria, etc.) in Immiguru.
- Contact us or our partner (listed below) directly for more information.
