For Adults First and foremost, take care of the documents. Your passport must be valid (and a visa, if required for entry into Uruguay). Be sure to obtain a criminal background check from your home country and, if you have lived somewhere else for more than six months in the past five years, from there as well. It’s better to order a fresh birth certificate, as an old one won’t work.
Next comes proof of income. In Uruguay, this will be needed for the notarized certificate, so gather as much as possible in advance: employment contract or job offer, bank statements, freelance agreements, individual entrepreneur or company reports. Pension documents will also work, or, for example, documents about rental income or dividends. All of this will later become your golden fund.
If you have diplomas and certificates, bring them. Let them be apostilled, even if they won’t be needed right away. And a nuance for those connected to the USA or other “difficult” countries: it may be easier to request the criminal background check through Interpol in Montevideo.
For Children A child also needs a passport and a fresh birth certificate with apostille. If one parent is not traveling, then a notarized permission for departure and residence in Uruguay will be required, necessarily with apostille and proper wording “for residence in Uruguay.” It happens that immigration asks to specify an adult who will be responsible for the child in the country if the parents don’t live together with them.
Don’t forget about custody or divorce documents, if they exist, or a parent’s death certificate – all of this must also have apostille. And bring vaccination records or medical extracts, this will be useful during registration.
For Spouses and Partners Here it’s standard: marriage certificate (fresh and with apostille) or unión concubinaria registration, also with apostille. If you need to confirm relationship with children, add their birth certificates as well.
For Pensioners and People Living on Investment Income The main document is a certificate of pension appointment indicating the monthly amount, also with apostille. If you live on passive income, gather documents that confirm this: rental, dividends, interest, etc. All of this will later form the basis of the notarized certificate in Uruguay.
📌 Main rule: the more complete and “fresh” the document package you have on hand at the time of submission, the faster and easier the legalization process will go.