Buy property in Uruguay as a foreigner

Yes. Uruguay does not impose restrictions on the purchase of real estate by foreigners. The process is the same as for a Uruguayan citizen.

On average between 30 and 60 days from the offer to the deed, depending on the complexity of the transaction and the availability of documentation.

Yes. Through a notarized power of attorney granted in your country of origin (apostilled), a representative can sign on your behalf before a notary.

The notary conducts a title study and requests certificates from BPS, DGI, local government, and registries to ensure the property is free of encumbrances.

The notary is a public professional who verifies the legality of the transaction, drafts the purchase deed, and registers it in the corresponding registries.

Notary fees (2–3%), ITP (2% of fiscal value), registry fees, real estate commission (3% + VAT), and bank transfer fees.

Yes. You can appoint a local management company to handle tenants, collections, and maintenance. We offer that service.

Transfers are made to notary accounts in Uruguay. We guide you in opening a local bank account if necessary.

If the offer includes withdrawal clauses, you can cancel by forfeiting the deposit. We advise you to include conditions that protect you.

We analyze your profile (housing, investment, lifestyle), show you market data, and guide you with comparative visits.

Not automatically. A real-estate investment may establish tax residency through either of two separate tests: holding property worth more than 15,000,000 UI on December 31; or holding property worth more than 3,500,000 UI, acquired on or after July 1, 2020, and spending at least 60 days physically present in Uruguay during the year. DGI uses the UI value in force on December 31 and applies specific valuation and evidence rules. Tax residency and immigration status are separate processes; buying property does not by itself grant legal residency.

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It is a tax option for people who acquire Uruguayan tax residency from January 1, 2026. It allows qualifying foreign capital income to be taxed under IRNR for the year of the change and the following ten tax years. Depending on the case, Law 20.446 requires an investment above 12,500,000 UI in urban property, annual contributions of at least 625,000 UI to eligible funds, or meeting the more-than-183-day physical-presence test in each year. It also sets conditions on prior tax residence and use of earlier regimes. This is general information; a tax adviser should confirm how it applies to an individual case.

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There are two routes. One: make the 10.5% withholding on gross accrued rent definitive (residents under IRPF, non-residents under IRNR), with no annual filing. Two: file at 12% on net rental income, deducting the admitted expenses (management fee, lease-contract fees with their VAT, the municipal property tax and the primary-education tax). The break-even is deductible expenses of ≈12.5% of gross rent: below that, the definitive 10.5% wins; above it, the 12% on net income does.

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Yes — on Uruguayan assets, with the property assessed at its cadastral value, which is usually well below market price. The rate hinges on a detail almost nobody mentions: if you rent the property out, you pay IRNR on that income, which places you under the general 0.10% rate, charged only on the amount above the non-taxable minimum (UYU 6,653,000 for individuals, 2025). The higher 0.70%–1.50% scale applies only to non-residents who do NOT pay IRNR — for instance, an apartment kept empty or for personal use — and it is assessed from the first peso of taxable wealth, with no such minimum. In Vivienda Promovida projects the wealth tax can be exempt while the benefit lasts. Source: DGI's official rate table and art. 53, Title 14.

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