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Ship or Carry?

Posted on July 11, 2007
Filed Under Transportation, Expat Tips, Immigration | 5 Comments

Sooner or later, anyone considering life abroad needs to tackle the question: do I ship my stuff of do I bring all-I-can-fit in my suitcases? In a previous article, I mentioned that my wife and I had recently been converted into the shipping group. However, when I reread the article today, it occurred to me that I should have discussed the pros and the cons of shipping as well. Read more

The Appliance Dilemma

Posted on July 7, 2007
Filed Under Transportation, Expat Tips, Immigration | 18 Comments

As most of you may already know, we are planning to move to Uruguay in the next couple of years. For some time now, the subject of whether to ship our household goods or have a large bonfire keeps coming up between my wife and me. My wife was more inclined to the bonfire approach (donation, really), while I have been more partial to the prune and ship approach.

After months of debate, we are now both firmly in the camp of bringing the stuff with us. And we have Urufish to thank for it. He helped settled the issue once and for all, by writing about the trans-hemisphere moving process and the costs associated with it. Read more

Uruguay as a Retirement Destination

Posted on July 4, 2007
Filed Under Real Estate, Cost of Living, Immigration | 11 Comments

A reader asked me to compare retirement incentives offered by the Uruguayan government versus incentives offered by other countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Nicaragua, Honduras etc. Since I don’t know much about those countries, I decided instead to write more generally about the advantages and disadvantages of Uruguay as destination for retirees. Even though the incentives offered by the Uruguayan government to foreign retirees aren’t many, there are several other factors that may be just as important when comparing countries. Read more

Uruguayan Immigration Update

Posted on June 8, 2007
Filed Under Immigration | 13 Comments

This week JP from OutInUruguay took the initiative to go to the Immigration Office (DNM) in Montevideo and get whatever information he could. He was kind enough to send me scans of the material he obtained. Of particular interest to expats are four sheets of paper listing the requirements for the permanent residency application process. I translated these requirements and they can be found here.

It is important to note that this new information does not contradict what has been reported here and elsewhere about the process, but it does include new information. And it contains better instructions regarding the Certificate of Good Conduct for individuals from countries other than the US. Read more

Traveling to Brazil

Posted on May 30, 2007
Filed Under Expat Tips, Immigration | 12 Comments

If you move to Uruguay, sooner or later you will be tempted to travel to the big neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. If you come from Europe and North America, you’ll find going to Argentina easy and convenient. After all, Argentina is close and you won’t need a visa to enter as a tourist. Brazil however is quite another story. Depending on the country you come from, obtaining a tourist visa can be pricey and cumbersome.

If you have a passport from any country in South America, you don’t need a visa. For nationals from the Mercosur countries (plus a few other countries, like Chile) the national id (cédula de identidad) can be used instead of a passport. At the border entry point, you are issued a visa valid for a 90 day stay. Read more

First Cédula

Posted on May 2, 2007
Filed Under Expat Tips, Immigration | 2 Comments

In a previous post, I discussed the steps required to apply for permanent residency in Uruguay and in this post I’ll cover what it takes to apply for a Uruguayan Nation ID (cédula de identidad). The cédula will be needed for many things in Uruguay, such as placing your children in public school, opening checking accounts, getting a local driver’s license etc. Don’t worry, compared to the permanent residency process, getting your cédula will be child’s play. You will be able to apply for one right after your visa status change request has been accepted and you have a Certificado de Llegada or a document proving you are in Trámite. Please note that you can only apply for a Uruguayan ID after your Certificates of Good Conduct (police or FBI reports) have cleared. So if you request these certificates through the Uruguayan Interpol office instead of in your home country, you won’t be able to apply for a cédula for several months. Read more

Applying for Permanent Residency

Posted on April 29, 2007
Filed Under Expat Tips, Immigration | 11 Comments

In a previous post, I discussed the steps that need to be taken before leaving for Uruguay in order to apply for permanent residency. In this installment I will cover what needs to be done after the arrival in Uruguay. In the next installment, I will discuss how to apply for a national ID (cédula).

After you arrive in Uruguay, keep in mind that you will be dealing with government officials that have an enthusiasm for bureaucracy and procedural matters. So take a deep breath and go along for the ride. Don’t try any shortcuts as it will probably only delay things. To the best of my knowledge, here’s what you need to do: Read more

Uruguayan Permanent Residency

Posted on April 28, 2007
Filed Under Expat Tips, Immigration | 6 Comments

If you are considering residency in Uruguay and are frustrated by the lack of information available from the Uruguayan consulate, you are not alone. Most of the information on the web on this subject is vague, incomplete or contradictory. So it is not surprising that many Uruguayan expats recommend hiring an immigration consultant (gestor) to facilitate the process. This may be tempting because the process is rather complicated. But keep in mind that a gestor will cost you around 400 dollars per person and will NOT increase the likelihood of being accepted. Actually, it may delay the process because if you wait to assemble the required documents only AFTER the gestor tells you to, you’ll lose precious time, maybe several months. Either way, it is always a good idea to understand the process. And if you are like me, you will want to prepare the necessary papers and documents, well BEFORE heading to Uruguay. Read more

Uruguayan Citizenship

Posted on April 26, 2007
Filed Under Expat Tips, Immigration | 24 Comments

The rules covering the rights to Uruguayan citizenship are spelled out in the country’s constitution. In order to make this information more accessible to people who don’t know Spanish well enough to read legalese, I am posting my informal translation of the relevant articles below. Keep in mind that I simplified the wording. But I kept the original meaning to the best of my ability. It is important to note that even though the Constitution is the law of the land, understandably, it does not spell out how it is carried out in practice. I will publish more details if and when I manage to get a hold of that information. Read more

Uruguay Links

Posted on March 2, 2007
Filed Under Services, Real Estate, Immigration | Leave a Comment

As some of you may have noticed, I took a little break from writing posts. No, it was not due to laziness. Actually, I got tired of never finding the links to the great information I had hoarded about Uruguay. I used my break to organize it and to put the links in a place I could easily find them, the Uruguay Dreaming Blog site.

Read more