How do you convert a driving licence in Uruguay in 2026?

As a short-stay visitor, a valid foreign licence often covers driving for a limited period. Carry an International Driving Permit when your licence language is not Spanish. Rental desks and police stops go smoother with passport, licence, and permit together.

After Migraciones grants residence, plan for a Uruguayan licencia de conducir issued by the Intendencia de Montevideo in the capital or by your departamento’s traffic office elsewhere: Apply for a residence permit. Direct canje (exchange without full exams) is limited to nationalities covered by specific agreements. Everyone else should expect medical checks, a theory component, and a practical driving test in Spanish. Confirm the live list for your departamento rather than a forum memory.

A cédula with your current domicilio is the cleanest path: Get a cédula. If the card is provisional, print the Migraciones certificate trail the office expects. Medical exams and fee payments are standard. Pay fees from a local account when possible: Open a bank account.

Montevideo’s STM buses cover many daily trips without a car: Utilities, internet, and transport. Many movers delay car ownership until Punta del Este or Rocha weekends: Living in Montevideo and Living in Punta del Este. Know where mutualista emergency doors sit if you drive outside your barrio: Public and mutualista health.