If you live in the departmento of Maldonado in Uruguay and you have not applied for residency yet, you are allowed a 90 day extension to the 90 day tourist visa you are given when you enter the country. Actually, you are allowed one extension whichever departmento you live in, but I live in Maldonado, so this post is about the Maldonado office.

Shawn and I went for our own extension last August. We arrived in May, got a 90 day extension in August, and then had to travel to Argentina in November. After returning from Argentina we are now on the first 90 day visa which will be up in February.

My mom arrived in August and her first 90 days expired last week. So we took her to the migración office (immigration office) in Maldonado. It is located at Ventura Alegre 727, between Román Guerra and Sarandí in the Centro part of Maldonado.

When Shawn and I went the extension cost 394 pesos. When we took my mom three months later it cost 401 pesos. I imagine the cost will continue to rise, but it's still a lot cheaper than going to Argentina! As US citizens we cannot go to Brazil to renew our tourist time in Uruguay unless we have an actual visa from the Brazilian embassy. It would be an easier trip, but thanks to tougher restrictions on Brazilians entering the US as tourists, Brazil returned the favor by requiring visas for all US citizens that want to visit.

As you can see from the picture, the immigration office has very reasonable hours: 9:15am to 2:30pm. It's a very simple process. Go to the nice man behind the desk. Give him your passport, the entrance paper they give you at the airport when you go through immigration upon your arrival to Uruguay, and say something childish like, "Necesito una extensión, por favor." It's probably not correct, but he'll get the idea and print out an extension for you in no time. Keep the new paper he gives you in your passport the same way you keep the entrance paper from the airport. You will need it again if you make a trip to Argentina or leave Uruguay by plane. It is your proof of entrance.

Pay the fee and you're off! Easy peasy.

Once you start the residency process the extensions and trips to Argentina are no longer necessary.