Uruguay entry requirements and visa extension

• Most people don't need a tourist visa to enter Uruguay.
• Citizens of all South American countries don't need both a visa and passport to enter Uruguay. They can simply enter Uruguay using the national IDs.
• EU citizens, American citizens, and citizens from a few other countries can enter Uruguay visa-free for a period of up to 90 days. This category of tourists however need to have a passport that's valid for at least 6 months from the day they article in Uruguay. You'll be given a tourist form to fill out on your plane or ferry to Uruguay. Upon arrival, you'll get a 90-day stamp on your passport at immigration offices.
• For nonvisa-free countries, you have to apply for a visa at Uruguay's diplomatic missions abroad. The Visa fee is $42.

Visa extension

• You can only extend your visa once by a period of 90 days. After this period elapses you'll have to renter Uruguay and will receive a new 90 days stamp.
• You can either opt to extend your visa at immigration offices or you could overstay and pay the extension fee at the airport. Either way, you'll pay $20.
• Immigration offices are only located in Montevideo on 25 de Mayo in Cuidad Viejo.

The process is very simple and fast:

1. Once you arrive at immigration offices, they'll give you a number and you have to queue for a few minutes to be attended to by the receptionist.
2. Explain to the receptionist that you need to extend your passport. If they don't understand English hold your passport and say prorrorogar, which means extend in Spanish. They'll understand what you're trying to communicate and will direct you to a second desk where you'll drop off your passport while you pay visa extension fees at the cashier's office. You'll then pick your passport with the new stamp at another desk.

• Most people in Colonia Del Sacramento simply renew their visas by a visa run to Buenos Aires then re-enter Uruguay again.