| |
|---|---|
 Uruguayan passport front cover | |
 Picture page of a Uruguayan e-Passport | |
| Type | Passport |
| Issued by |  Uruguay |
| Purpose | Identification |
| Eligibility | Uruguayan citizenship |
| Expiration | 10 years |
Uruguayan passport (Spanish:Pasaporte uruguayo) is atravel document issued by theOriental Republic of Uruguay toUruguayan citizens. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance withvisa requirements, serves as proof of citizenship and facilitates access to consular services provided by thecountry's embassies worldwide. Passports are issued by the National Directorate of Civil Identification, an agency of theMinistry of the Interior.[1]
For travel withinMercosur—as well as Chile and Bolivia—Uruguayan citizens do not need a passport, as they may use their nationalidentity document instead. Since October 16, 2015, the Ministry of the Interior has issued biometric passports that meetICAO and U.S.Visa Waiver Program standards.[2]
According to the 2025Henley Passport Index, Uruguayan nationals had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 157 countries and territories, ranking the Uruguayan passport 23rd in terms of travel freedom.[3]
The first Uruguayan passport dates from 1925.
This passport did not came with nationality field, but withCiudadano legal after the name, and "ciudadano legal" translated as "naturalized citizen". It had the portrait photo of the holder, both front and profile and translations for four languages: French, Italian, and english.
In 1922 the Uruguayan passport required paid stickers as a fee that were affixed to the passport.
In 1925, the Uruguayan "Legal" Nationality appears on the passport for first time. This one is written as "Ciudadno/a legal", "Ciudadano Legal" translated into Spanish as "naturalized citizen".In 1951 a new series of the Uruguayan passport was released with a green cover. This one had "Ciudadano Legal" after the name, but without nationality field as the previous. It has the same photo format, and translated to French.
In 1954, the passport became machine written with new features. The legal nationality appears as "Ciudadano/a legal uruguayo/a". It is only in Spanish and French.
In 1969 there are new Blue covered passports. This passport embosses the Words "REPUBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUGUAY", the coat of arms the Uruguay, and the Word "PASAPORTE". These passports were written with pen, instead of machine written. The Legal citizenship does not appear anymore. Instead there is a new field that states the legal citizenship of the holder. This one has English translation instead of French.
In 1984 there is another update on the Uruguayan passport. This one is Machine written again. This one has more security measures and in the first page there is thecoat of arms of Uruguay. This one had a legal citizenship field, instead of putting it at "Nationality" field, like previous.
In 1998, the passport had many anti-counterfeiting features protection, and a field for the civil status, if the person is employed, and the photo does not include the profile photo anymore. Now the nationality of origin is indicated with the previous nationality of the person, which had at the origin, before becoming a legal citizen, with a clarification "(VEA PAG 7/LOOK PAGE 7)".[4]
In 2014, the Uruguayan passport, adhering to theMercosur Passport standards, had fairly new features, which includes the new map of South America, Safety measure visible under ultraviolet light. It is written in Spanish, English, and Portuguse, and in "OBSERVACIONES/ANOTAÇÕES/NOTES" may include a message such as "EL TITULAR DE ESTE PASAPORTE ES NACIONAL URUGUAYO, LEY 16.021/THE HOLDER OF THIS PASSPORT IS AN URUGUAYAN CITIZEN LAW 16.021/O TITULAR DESTE PASSAPORTE É CIDADÃO URUGUAIO LEI 16.021". The nationality field, like previous, has "VEA PAG 6/LOOK PAGE 6".[5]
In 2015 the Uruguayan government has announced a new ePassport, completely revamped. This one has new features, and extends the durability from 5 years to 10 years and correlates it to ICAO standards. It removes portuguese translation, and did not mention the legal nationality, like previous.[6]
Since theConstitution of Uruguay distinguishes between “nationality” and “citizenship,” only individuals born in Uruguay, or those born abroad to anOriental (i.e., Uruguayan) parent or grandparent, are considered “Uruguayan nationals”.[7][8] Consequently, Uruguay does not grant nationality throughnaturalization; instead confers "legal citizenship" to foreign residents who meet certain requirements.[A][9][10]
Because of this constitutional terminological distinction, a foreigner who became a legal citizen and obtained a Uruguayan passport would have their original nationality listed in the passport’s “nationality” field.[11] This has caused complications withvisa requirements and international recognition, since nationality—not citizenship—is the basis for these procedures.[12] In April 2025, the National Directorate of Civil Identification decided to replace the passport’s “Nationality” field with a combined “Citizenship/Nationality” field, using the URY code for both national and legal citizens so that the issuing country and the holder’s citizenship coincide.[13] The “birthplace” field was also removed.[14] However, in August 2025, after the new passports without the “birthplace” field were rejected in France, Germany, and Japan, Uruguay reversed the decision and reinstated the field.[15][16]
By contrast, countries such as theUnited States alsodistinguish between citizens and nationals, but this does not create issues, as both categories use the same nationality code in the "nationality" field, ensuring consistency in international travel documents.[17]
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