Uruguayan nationality law


Uruguayan nationality law is mostly based on the principle of Jus soli. Its rules are written in the Uruguayan Constitution in Section III, Chapter I. Dual Citizenship is permitted under Uruguayan law, and people who naturalise as Uruguayan citizens are not obligated to renounce their previous nationality.

Types of citizenship

In Uruguay, there is a distinction between natural and legal citizenship, similar to the United States.

Natural citizens

Any person born in Uruguay acquires Uruguayan natural citizenship at birth.
A legal citizen is someone who obtained citizenship after birth. In this case, a language examination is necessary in order to ensure the person knows Spanish. One can obtain the Uruguayan citizenship in three different ways:
Legal citizens are not able to obtain the Uruguayan nationality.