Working in Uruguay: your residence permit lets you work, your diploma you have recognised
In Uruguay you do not need a separate work permit: a residence permit gives the right to work. Anyone coming for a Uruguayan employer gets a residencia temporaria with a wage of at least the minimum wage, 25,383 pesos a month in 2026. You pay 15 % pension contribution and your health contribution through the BPS. You have a university diploma recognised by the Ministry of Education.
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In Uruguay you do not apply for a separate work permit. The Ministerio del Interior puts it briefly: a residence permit is the permission to live, study and work in the country. Anyone coming for a Uruguayan employer applies for a residencia temporaria with a letter from that employer. The wage must be at least the national minimum wage: since 1 July 2026 25,383 pesos a month. With a residencia permanente you may also work.
| Situation | What you arrange | What you prove |
|---|---|---|
| Employee of a Uruguayan employer | residencia temporaria or permanente | letter from the employer with position, duration and wage, plus a notarial statement about the company, or your employment record at the BPS |
| Short work, less than 180 days | hoja de identidad provisoria | letter from the institution with the end date; then registration with social security |
| Remote work for a foreign employer | hoja de identidad provisoria nómada digital, or residencia | sworn statement; no BPS registration |
| Employee of a foreign company without a branch in Uruguay | residencia permanente | notarial statement about the company, your income and how you work |
| Sole proprietorship | residencia | registration with the BPS and the DGI, with an accountant's statement |
What does working cost in contributions?
An employee pays 15 % of their wage in pension contribution through the BPS; the employer 7.5 %. On top comes the FONASA health contribution: 3 % to 8 %, depending on your wage and whether your partner and children are co-insured. The employer pays 5 % for that. How healthcare then works is explained in healthcare in Uruguay.
The minimum wage is a monthly amount. For a daily wage you divide it by 25, for an hourly wage by 200. It was raised twice in 2026: to 24,572 pesos on 1 January and to 25,383 pesos on 1 July.
Which country insures you?
The social security treaty between the Netherlands and Uruguay is clear: anyone working in Uruguay falls under Uruguayan legislation, even if the employer is based in the Netherlands. The exception is posting: if your Dutch employer sends you to Uruguay temporarily, you stay insured in the Netherlands, as long as it lasts no more than 24 months.
For income tax, what counts is where you do the work. Uruguay taxes income from activities in the country, and that also applies to wages from a foreign employer for work you do in Uruguay. What the scheme for newcomers does and does not cover is explained in AOW, pension and tax.
If you keep working remotely for a Dutch employer, have it worked out beforehand which country levies contributions and tax. Under the treaty the country of work insures you, and Uruguay taxes wages for work in Uruguay. A payslip that simply continues in the Netherlands can therefore be wrong on both sides.
How does it work as a digital nomad?
Since Decreto 238/022 there is a hoja de identidad provisoria for anyone working remotely for an organisation abroad. You then do not need to register with social security. It is valid for less than 180 days and can be extended once by 180 days. If you stay longer, you apply for a residencia. See the residence routes.
How do you have your diploma recognised?
The Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) handles the recognition of foreign diplomas from after secondary school. It has two forms:
- the reconocimiento, for tertiary programmes that are not a university degree, such as técnico or tecnólogo;
- the reválida, for a university degree: bachelor, master, specialisation or doctorate. It gives you the right to practise the profession in Uruguay, alongside other requirements the law may set for that profession.
You make a separate application for each diploma.
You apply for both online on gub.uy. You upload your diploma, front and back, and your transcript, with apostille. Documents in a language other than Spanish, English or Portuguese are translated by a Uruguayan traductor público. You can start with your passport, but to finish you need a Uruguayan identity card.
The application costs 160 pesos. If a reválida goes further, you pay 1,926 pesos and come to the ministry with the originals.
What do you do in the first weeks?
Your identity card, your registration and a bank account for your wages are arranged shortly after arrival; see registration and numbers and bank and payments. How the steps fit together is shown in the route to Uruguay.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 2 of 5 of the journey, step 2.1: 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 2.1 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.
- Ministerio del Interior — a residence permit gives the right to live, study and work — gub.uy
- Dirección Nacional de Migración — residencia temporaria for employees, with a wage of at least one minimum wage — gub.uy
- Dirección Nacional de Migración — the residencia permanente, with the proof per kind of work — gub.uy
- Decreto 394/009, articles 4 and 8 — means of support through work, and the hoja de identidad provisoria (IMPO) — impo.com.uy
- Decreto 319/025 — the minimum wage of 24,572 and 25,383 pesos in 2026 (IMPO) — impo.com.uy
- BPS — the pension contribution, 15 % for the employee and 7.5 % for the employer — bps.gub.uy
- BPS — the FONASA health contributions — bps.gub.uy
- Ministerio de Educación y Cultura — recognition and reválida of foreign diplomas, with the costs — gub.uy
- Ministerio de Educación y Cultura — which diplomas fall under reconocimiento and which under reválida — gub.uy
- Social security treaty Netherlands–Uruguay, articles 6 and 7 — the country of work insures you, posting up to 24 months — wetten.overheid.nl
- IRPF, Título 7, article 6 — income from work in Uruguay is taxed (IMPO) — impo.com.uy
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