Uruguay Residency Renewal: Deadlines, ID Card and Losing Residency

A common question among foreign residents is whether Uruguayan residency has to be renewed and what happens if a deadline is missed. The answer depends on the type of residency and the stage of the process. This guide covers Uruguay residency renewal, ID card renewal, processing times and the cases in which you can lose residency. To apply for the first time, see legal residency in Uruguay.

Do you need to renew permanent residency in Uruguay?

No. Permanent residency (legal definitiva or definitiva Mercosur) does not expire. Once granted, you don’t reapply or prove income again. What expires is your ID card, and renewing it requires an Immigration Office certificate confirming you are still a resident.

How to renew your ID card as a permanent resident

1. Request the immigration certificate for renewal online on gub.uy while in Uruguay, up to 6 months before your card expires. You only upload your ID card (front and back), or a police report if it was lost.
2. Wait for review (about 15 days) and pay through the link sent by email (55.70 UI).
3. Book your renewal with the National Civil Identification Office online, by phone or through the app.
4. Attend with your old card and the certificate. There is a renewal fee (around UYU 450 in 2026, with a more expensive express option), paid when booking.

See Uruguayan ID card for foreigners and Uruguay residence certificate.

Extending temporary residency

Temporary residency is granted for 6 months to 2 years and can be extended for the same period. Apply within the 90 days before it expires; in Montevideo, by email to the Immigration Office’s temporary residency department.

• Mercosur temporary residency lasts 2 years and can be renewed only once; after that, the path is permanent residency.
• If you want to stay, you can apply for permanent residency before your temporary residency expires. See permanent vs. temporary residency.
• If it expires, you lose resident status and must start a new application.

Residency in process: how long the provisional ID lasts

Under Decree 208/013, the ID card issued while residency is in process is valid for 2 years and can be renewed up to twice, for one year each, while the Immigration Office decides.

How long does Uruguay residency take?

It depends on the route and on your file being complete. For Mercosur and family-link permanent residency, Law 18.250 provides that the Ministry of the Interior should decide within 90 business days. The general route usually takes longer. Incomplete documentation is the main cause of delays, since missing documents are accepted only once.

Travelling while your residency is in process

• Each trip abroad requires a re-entry permit (225.60 UI).
• If you are away for six months or more during the process, you must submit a new criminal record certificate.

Can you lose residency in Uruguay?

Article 47 of Law 18.250 allows the Ministry of the Interior to cancel residency when the holder:

• obtained it through false or fraudulent acts;
• committed an intentional crime in Uruguay punished with imprisonment, or repeatedly committed crimes (except refugees);
• as a permanent resident, has been absent from Uruguay for more than three years;
• entered under a state-subsidized program or tax exemption and failed to meet its conditions (for example the Law 16.340 retiree regime);
• committed terrorism or human rights violations.

Exception: under Article 48, cancellation does not take effect for parents, spouses or partners of Uruguayan nationals.

FAQ

Need to renew or protect your residency?

At GlobalTax we review your status, handle extensions and ID certificates and, if you have spent long periods abroad, advise on keeping your residency. Contact us.