The Uruguayan government authorized a residence permit for nomads digital and foreign remote workers, with which these people will be authorized to work legally within the country for six to 12 months, reported the Uruguay XXI Institute.
In this way, Uruguay joined the list of countries that have special residences for foreigners who travel and work remotely and digitally, residences known as “visas for digital nomads”. Brazil, Spain and the United Arab Emirates are some of those countries.
In principle, the permit is granted for a residence of six months, although it has the possibility of extending it for another six months.
This type of residence permit has stood out since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, since many people who worked digitally while traveling the world were stranded for several months in different countries.
Bill
In December 2022, the nationalist senator Juan Sartori presented a bill in Parliament that dealt with this issue. “After the pandemic, digitization and teleworking have become a trend at the business level and workers tend to settle in countries that offer them the best residence and visa conditions,” stated the legislator in the text he presented, and to which he agreed The Observer.
At that time, the legislator defined the “digital nomad” as any foreign worker who uses technology and the internet to work and who transfers his temporary residence to the national territory, being able to develop his profession in that condition protected by current labor legislation.
In its initial bill, the idea was raised that the residency last up to two years and it could be renewable, only once, for a similar period of time.
Residency requirements
The residence is intended for people who work for their own account or for companies abroad.
To request a six-month stay as a digital nomad – after entering Uruguay as a tourist – applicants must complete an online form with personal data and sign an affidavit stating that they have sufficient means to support themselves financially during their stay in the country.
The provisional identity sheet is the authorization issued to foreigners who manage temporary residence in Uruguay for a period of less than 180 days. This process, which can be started online, costs 55.71 Indexed Units ($322).
Some of the requirements that those applying for this permit must meet are: not having a criminal record in any of the countries in which they have lived for more than six months in the last five years, and having a vaccination certificate issued in Uruguay.
According to a statement from Uruguay XXI, there are currently no salary requirements, but “this, as well as other requirements, may change in the future.”
