Car and driving licence in Uruguay: a used car may not enter the country
Uruguay prohibits the import of used cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles, since 2013 without an end date. So if you settle in Uruguay, you generally cannot bring your car permanently. You have your Dutch driving licence converted at the Intendencia of your department, once you have a Uruguayan identity card. The older you are, the shorter the new licence is valid.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Taking your car to Uruguay is not possible. Ley 17.887 prohibits the import of used passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, motorcycles, lorries and trailers, and Ley 19.171 extended that ban in 2013 sin límite de tiempo, without an end date. The Dirección Nacional de Aduanas writes that even Uruguayans returning for good may not import their used car. Your Dutch driving licence does come with you: you have it converted at the Intendencia, the departmental government.
| What | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Importing a used car permanently | prohibited, since 2013 without an end date | Ley 17.887 and 19.171 |
| Exceptions | diplomats, foreign service, officers, police, people with a disability; classics over 30 years for exhibition or competition | Aduanas, Ley 17.887 |
| Driving your own car temporarily | as a tourist, with an electronic customs declaration | Aduanas |
| Converting your licence | at the Intendencia, with a Uruguayan identity card | PUNC, Intendencias |
| What is converted | only category A (car up to 9 people) and G1, G2 (light motorcycles) | Maldonado |
| Validity, 60 to 68 years | at most 5 years | PUNC |
| Validity, 70 to 78 years | at most 3 years | PUNC |
| Costs in Canelones | 0.25 to 1.25 UR, by validity period | Canelones |
Why may your car not come along?
The ban dates from 2005 and was extended a few times, until in 2013 it came to apply indefinitely. The government can make exceptions with a certificado de necesidad from two ministries, but only for specialised vehicles, non-profit donations, cabins, and sports or classic cars over thirty years old used only for exhibition or competition. An ordinary move does not fall under that. Agricultural and construction machinery is not covered by the ban.
Customs lists the exceptions for private individuals separately: diplomats, people in the foreign service, army and police officers, and people with a disability.
There is one scheme that does mention a car. Ley 16.340 of 1992 lets a retired foreigner with at least US$ 1,500 a month in income from abroad and a home worth US$ 100,000 import one car free of duties; see household goods to Uruguay. Whether that may also be a used car is not stated in the law, and customs does not list retirees among the exceptions to the ban. Ask customs in writing before you ship anything.
Sell your car in the Netherlands, or leave it behind. Anyone who ships it anyway will not get it permanently imported in Uruguay. If you deregister it for export at the RDW, only do so once you know what you will do with it.
May you drive your own car temporarily?
As a tourist, yes. Customs temporarily admits a vehicle from outside the Mercosur, the admisión temporaria, with an electronic declaration under Resolución General 61/2023. That is a scheme for visitors, not a way to keep the car once you live there.
If the car goes to Uruguay, you deregister it for export at the RDW and make an export declaration with Dutch customs, because the country is outside the EU. Deregistering costs € 12 at the RDW.
How do you convert your licence?
In Uruguay the driving licence is called the Permiso Único Nacional de Conducir (PUNC). The Intendencias arranged it together. For a licence from outside the Mercosur you apply for a reválida at the Intendencia of your department. Your licence must still be valid, the documents must be legalised in the issuing country and translated into Spanish. Your Dutch licence is not taken in.
Maldonado, for example, asks for:
- a Uruguayan identity card or passport; a Dutch passport is not listed;
- a medical check, the aptitud psicofísica, at a recognised institution, at most 60 days old;
- your Dutch licence, translated if necessary;
- an overview of your licence history from the foreign authority, with apostille;
- no outstanding fines in Uruguay.
Every reválida involves tests. Canelones only converts a foreign licence after the tests that are needed, and Maldonado lists passing a test among the requirements. From the age of 75 Maldonado also requires a practical test, in a Uruguayan car with valid insurance. The years you have already been driving count. So you first need your identity card; see registration and numbers.
How long is the Uruguayan licence valid?
That depends on your age, and for those coming to retire it is a point to keep in mind. The national rules give a car licence at most ten years up to age 55, five years between 60 and 68, three years between 70 and 78, two years at 79 and one year from 80. You can renew from thirty days before the expiry date.
Conversion only gives the light categories: A for a car up to nine people, also with a trailer up to 4,000 kilos in total, and G1 and G2 for mopeds and motorcycles up to 200 cc. If you want a heavier category, you then take a separate test.
And if you buy a car?
Then you buy it in Uruguay. How you pay such an amount, with the limit on cash, is explained in bank and payments. What you may bring of your household goods is in household goods to Uruguay. Where the car and the licence fit into your move is shown in the route to Uruguay.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.3: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Uruguay or go straight to step 4.3 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Ley 17.887 — the ban on importing used cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles (IMPO) — impo.com.uy
- Ley 19.171 — the import ban extended without an end date (IMPO) — impo.com.uy
- Ley 16.340 — one duty-free car for retired foreigners with permanent residence (IMPO) — impo.com.uy
- Dirección Nacional de Aduanas — no permanent import of used vehicles, but temporarily as a tourist — aduanas.gub.uy
- Dirección Nacional de Aduanas — temporary admission of a tourist car from outside the Mercosur — aduanas.gub.uy
- Congreso de Intendentes — the Permiso Único Nacional de Conducir, converting a foreign licence and validity by age — gub.uy
- Intendencia de Maldonado — converting a foreign licence, requirements and tests — gub.uy
- Intendencia de Canelones — converting a foreign licence, costs by validity period — gub.uy
- RDW — deregistering a vehicle for export and the export declaration outside the EU — rdw.nl
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