On August 24^th a new Presidental Decree was posted that concerns all foreigners residing in Uruguay. The official Decree is posted on the Presidential Departments web-page, in Spanish, as a PDF, found at the following link: http://www.presidencia.gub.uy/_web/decretos/2009/08/EC1320%20.pdf

Although there aren’t too many changes to the process, it is exciting to see that the “carnet de salud” which entitles ones with a low enough income to free health care in public hospitals, is now available to both legal residents and non-resident foreigners. If a foreigner has sufficient means, they wil be enrolled in the “mutualista” program just as Uruguayan foreign nationals.

While many foreigners have been taking advantage of this system for a long time, it is good to see it finally written down on paper, official.

What is the cost of living in Uruguay? Well, for many it depends on where and how they live. What is for certain is that right now 1 US dollar is equal to about 23 Uruguayan pesos, which is better than it was last year.

I found this complete chart the other day on www.from-uruguay.com, and although it is dated September of 2008, nearly a year ago, the information is still pretty accurate.

Item	Peso UY	USD	Comment
Lunch at restaurant	from 100 to 200	from 5 to 10	Places where you sit, and there’s a waiter
Dinner for two in a fancy restaurant	from around 500 to 1200	from around 25 to 60	appetizer, main course, dessert, good wine for both
Lunch at Mac Donald’s	120	6	MD is not considered a cheap meal
Movie Theatre/Cinema	from 50 to 105	from 2.5 to 5	105 weekend price
Theater	around 300	around 15	expensive
20km taxi drive in Montevideo	around 350	around 15	from carrasco to ciudad vieja
Urban bus ticket	13.5	0.675	government is making it cheaper
1 lt of gasoline	32	1.6	got a car now
Renting a one bedroom apartment in a fancy neighborhood	from around 6000 to 8000 plus common expenses	from around 300 to 400	neighborhood being pocitos or punta carretas
Renting a two bedroom apartment in a fancy neighborhood	from around 7000 to 12000 plus common expenses	from around 350 to 600	for some reason real state bubble hasnt burst here, again this is per month.
Electricity bill	around 1000	around 50
Phone bill	from around 1500 to 3000	from around 75 to 150	five person house, one teenager
Water bill	around 300	around 15
cable tv bill	around 600	around 30
internet broadband (256k download)	from 200 to 600	from 10 to 30	at least some things are less expensive
Kilo of Potatoes	around 20	around 1
Kilo of apples	around 30	aroundaround 1.5
Kilo of bananas	around 25	around 1.25
1 lettuce	around 12	around 0.6
Kilo of fatless grinded meat	around 138	around 6.9
Kilo of beef loins	around 170	around 8.5
1 lt milk	18	0.9
1 loaf of bread	18	0.9

Relocating to Uruguay and trying to find accurate, up-to-date information on the internet regarding laws and policies can be extremely difficult. Sometimes even the Uruguay government sites and consulate sites can have conflicting information.

From a reliable source, attorney Mark Teuten, we have learned something about bringing household items duty-free. He states:

article 2 of Decree No. 119/004, which regulates Law No. 16.340 states that household goods, in reasonable quantities according to the opinion of the Custom’s authorities, can be brought in free of tax within 6 months of the grant of permanent residence.

Cara are not included in this, and it means only for the first 6 months after you have been approved for your residency, not during the time when your residency is still pending.

If you bring in household goods before you are approved for residency, you wil have to post a bond, or guarantee for the estimated value of the items you are having shipped in. You determine the value. The best option to make the guarantee is to secure it through Banco de la Republica. You purchase a Certificate of Deposit for the amount your items are valued, and then the bank guarantees they won’t cash it until you show proof of residency. They charge less than 2% of the value to issue the guarantee and once you have your residency all you have to do is take your cédula, the CD and a certification from Immigration to Aduana to the bank and they will sign off on it.

Mark is a reliable British-born attorney who is certified in both the UK and Uruguay to pratice law. He can help you out with residency, real estate, business matters and more. Visit his web-site at www.teutenabogados.com for more information on his practice and available services.

Hooray for Chinese food that is actually somewhat like Chinese food in South America!

As an extensive traveler I have found that Chinese food is actually a staple restaurant in most countries. In that statement, I use the term “Chinese food” quite loosely. What most restaurants serve up (even if you see a Chinese cook in the back) is what residents of the local country think Chinese food should taste like. You can imagine this is pretty frustrating for a Gringo who grew up pointing to items on the menu because the waiter didn’t speak any English.

Gran China, which is located on San Jose 1077 between Rio Negro and Paraguay in Centro actually does real Chinese food. The flavors are pretty dead on, and the spicy chicken was actually spicy! Overall, the entire experience left a pleasant taste in my mouth. The dumplings were right on, the fried rice was everything you would hope for, and even the sweet and sour and wonton soups were exactly what I would expect from a Chinese restaurant.

The place is small, only about two tables wide, and not particularly fancy, but they charge for the food not the atmosphere, so a a full multi-course meal with drinks can run you about UY$400.

If you don’t speak Spanish or Chinese the menu is in English, but you may need to use your deductive powers to figure out what some of the translated items actually are. Even if you get it wrong, you will surely enjoy whatever surprise plate the kitchen brings out.

If you are debating getting your residency in Uruguay I am here to tell you another benefit of being a resident: if you are working for a Uruguayan company and paying into BPS (social security) then you are entitled to receive health insurance via the government sponsored Health Insurance Plans.

Many who come to Uruguay, work for a Uruguayan company, and have their residency benefit from these plans. The health care is reliable, the insurance actually covers a good deal, and I think you’ll find you are way better taken care of than with some of the health insurance providers in the States.

The only issue with the arrangement of this health insurance is that the directors of Uruguayan corporations are not entitled to receive coverage from the health insurance plans through BPS. Directors, although they pay into BPS for themselves and their employees, must pay for private coverage.

The *sneaky* way out of this is my setting up your Uruguayan business and then hire nominee corporate directors from outside of Uruguay. They then give you total power of attorney so that you can operate the company, and since you are technically just an employee, you receive health insurance benefits via BPS.

Your other option is to set up a unipersonal, sole proprietorship, but that is another set of struggles in its own right.

When renting an apartment in Uruguay, there are a couple of things you should be aware of. The actual sitting down and examining/negotiating on the contract is not difficult in itself. The terms are usually straightforward and in general there are only 4 parties involved: you, your realtor, the landlord, and the landlord’s realtor.

In Uruguay every contract includes a deposit equal to 3–5 months of rent, plus the payment of 1 month’s rent in advance and the service fee to the realtor which is equal to 1 month’s rent. So, be prepared to fork over a large chunk of change right off the bat. If you are planning on staying in the apartment for less than a year the deposit may go down, but in general 5 months is the standard.

When looking into an apartment it is important to ask about “Gastos Comunes” which means Common Costs. These are paid separately from the rent and cover building maintenance, the doorman, lighting in the common areas and hallways and an elevator (if there is one). It is also important to ask if gas and electricity are included, and what the payment plan is if they are not. Also remember to ask if there are any outstanding bills on the apartment from previous renters such as electricity or water, as the company could end up trying to stick you with the bill.

The first step in moving to Uruguay is deciding on a place to live. The place you live will determine a number of other factors that you will have to face in Uruguay.

My recommendation, and that of pretty much every expat I have spoken with, is that it is always best to rent first, and buy later. I am an investor by nature and I know firsthand that deciding hastily, even when you are 100% positive it is the right choice, is never a good idea. So, before you even come to Uruguay, it is a good idea to research different areas, and make a list of the places where you are seriously considering relocating. Then, when you arrive in Uruguay systematically visit each one.

Recently someone wrote me about studying abroad in Uruguay, and since going back to school seems like a pretty popular thing to do at the moment, I decide to write a post about the International Eduaction Programs offered by Universidad ORT Uruguay.

Universidad ORT Uruguay has developed a special semester program for international students who are coming from non-partner universities. To qualify for the program you have to have completed 6 months of Spanish study at your home institution.

The program at ORT includes a Spanish course/workshop – 3 hours per week/ 6 ECTS credits, orientation and academic advisors, and up to 5 regular courses from the programs offered at the University, according to your background and Spanish level.

For more information about studying at the Universidad ORT Uruguay click here.

The Universidad Catolica also offers exchange programs for International Students. More information about their program can be received by writing to interinter@ucu.edu.uy.

The Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel is not only one of the most comfortable hotels in Montevideo, it also boasts the city’s largest casino, the Casino Victoria.

The Casino Victoria is actually two grand casinos, with slot machines and table games, and climbing jackpots. Games include baccarat, blackjack, bingo, horse races, and for the European guests, trendy French roulette tables.

As far as casinos go, Casino Victoria in Montevideo is a nice one. It opens daily at 2 pm, and offers a relaxed atmosphere where you can hang out with friends, grab a drink, and enjoy the evening.

Casino Victoria is constantly adding new games, and working to provide guests with a variety of games to play. The staff is friendly (and they almost all speak English!) and the vibe is great.

The hotel also boasts 2 bars, 3 restaurants, a spa, swimming pool, golf, tours, convention and meeting centers, and more, together with it’s 256 rooms and suites and only 11 miles away from the Carrasco International Airport. Situated in Plaza Independencia, it is close to everything, allowing guests to get a taste of Montevideo without having to travel too far. The hotel gets rave reviews, and so does the casino.

To read more about the Victoria Casino and make reservations click here.

759 Plaza Independencia

Montevideo, Montevideo 11100

www.radisson.com/montevideouy.com

Tel: (598) 2 9020111

Toll-free reservation line: (888) 201–1718

Almar Uruguay is one of the many companies that will ship your items to Uruguay. The company has been in operation for the last ten years, and serves as a Freight Forwarder and Logistics company.

The Almar Uruguay site is easy to follow, and provides comprehensive information on all their services, enabling you to decide if they are right for you.

Almar Uruguay provides customers with a comprehensive service, taking care of everything as regards to customs and more, whether you ship with them via land, sea or air. Almar Uruguay offers Customs Clearance, Merchandise Insurance, Port Storage Services under a Free Port System, warehousing of merchandise and more.