Uruguay digital nomad visa & residency (2026)

The Identidad Provisoria Nómada Digital, operative since May 2023, allows remote employees, freelancers, and entrepreneurs working for non-Uruguayan clients to reside legally in Uruguay for 180 days, renewable once for a further 180 days (12 months total). Applicants enter as tourists and complete the process entirely online through liveinuruguay.uy; the government fee is approximately USD 11.

Applicants must submit a sworn affidavit (declaración jurada) confirming financial self-sufficiency and hold valid health insurance for the duration of their stay; no statutory minimum income figure is codified for the initial 6-month term. A clean criminal record from all countries of residence in the past five years is required only at the renewal stage for the second 180-day extension.

Uruguay applies a strict territorial tax principle: income generated abroad is exempt from Uruguayan personal income tax (IRPF). Digital nomad permit holders who do not formally acquire tax residency are generally not taxed on their foreign earnings during their stay.

After the nomad permit period, holders may apply for Temporary Residency (Residencia Temporaria) via the Dirección Nacional de Migración. After two years of legal residence (with at least six months presence per year), they may qualify for Permanent Residency and, subsequently, Uruguayan citizenship after three to five additional years.

Remote workers with stable passive income (pensions, dividends, rents) may qualify for the Independent Means (Rentista) residency without needing employment. A standard work/employment visa also exists for those formally contracted by Uruguayan-registered employers. Both are administered by the Dirección Nacional de Migración under the 2014 Migration Law.

Uruguay has no codified 'golden visa' law, but under existing migration and investment regulations, accelerated permanent residency is available to investors who purchase real estate worth at least approximately USD 525,000 and spend a minimum of 60 days per year in Uruguay, or who invest at least USD 2.25 million and create at least 15 jobs in their first year. Uruguay XXI (the official investment promotion agency) promotes these pathways.