Company formation in Uruguay

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Important: a non-resident's right to own the company does not automatically grant a right to live, work or manage it from that country. Immigration, work permits, substance, effective management and tax residence are assessed separately.

• —Technology, software, exported services and regional headquarters with genuine Uruguay operations or management.
• —A single/few-owner business suited to flexible SAS governance and capital rules.
• —A traditional subsidiary, joint venture or larger share structure through an S.R.L. or S.A.

• —A Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada (SAS), a flexible share company; the digital route has specific participant/signature limits.
• —A Sociedad Anónima (S.A.), a traditional share corporation for a larger ownership/governance structure.
• —A Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (S.R.L.), a closely held quota/partner company for operating subsidiaries and joint ventures.
• —A branch of a foreign company, the registered branch of an existing overseas entity.

• —Partners/shareholders need not be Uruguayan or resident; the entity must have a legal address in Uruguay.
• —Digital SAS is available only to natural-person participants/administrators/representatives within portal limits and with a recognised advanced electronic identity/signature.
• —The official digital SAS route permits up to six partners and up to three administrators; eligibility is checked on the filing date.
• —Most non-residents use a Uruguayan notary, power of attorney, legalisation/apostille and electronic notarial support for registry/DGI/BPS filings.
• —After receiving a RUT, a digital SAS reports beneficial owners to the Central Bank within the prescribed period; official guidance states 45 days.
• —Empresa en el Día was discontinued from 1 January 2026 and must not be used as a current formation route.

• —A passport or other acceptable ID for every founder, director, manager, signatory and ultimate beneficial owner (UBO).
• —Proof of residential address and tax residence; the registrar, agent, bank or other reviewer sets the document-validity period.
• —A transparent ownership chart through to natural persons and, for a corporate participant, registry documents, good standing and authorised resolutions.
• —A description of the product, markets, counterparties, expected turnover, source of funds and source of wealth, supported by evidence.
• —The name, Uruguay legal address, purpose, duration, capital, shares/quotas, partners/shareholders and administrators/representatives.
• —Digital SAS bylaws/e-signatures or a notarised formation instrument, power of attorney and registry filings for the traditional route.
• —Apostilled foreign-entity/authority documents with Spanish translation, plus RUT, BPS/DGI and BO/BCU information.

1. 01Select an SAS, S.A., S.R.L. or branch based on owners, signatures, capital, governance, tax and activity.
2. 02Check digital-SAS eligibility; if the profile is unsuitable, approve the notary/power-of-attorney/apostille route.
3. 03Execute electronic or notarial constitutional documents and complete registry, DGI/RUT and BPS registrations.
4. 04File BO data with the BCU and establish books/accounting, invoicing, payroll and sector/municipal permissions.
5. 05Banking begins separately after the RUT, governance, local address and transaction-evidence preparation.

• —Uruguay tax analysis generally applies source-based principles, but entity form, local activities, services, assets and cross-border flows determine actual liability.
• —IRAE/other income taxes, VAT, wealth tax, withholding, payroll/BPS and municipal duties are reviewed by a local accountant.
• —Foreign effective management, owners and CFC rules can create tax/reporting outside Uruguay despite territorial treatment locally.

General overview, not personal tax or legal advice. Rules are rechecked before filing.

• —A bank checks the RUT, constitutional/registry file, legal address, representatives/signatories, BO/BCU disclosure and source of funds/wealth.
• —Business rationale is evidenced by contracts, counterparties, countries, website, expected flows and local/substantive operations.
• —A local representative/signatory or in-person identification may be requested; digital SAS formation does not guarantee remote banking.

• —Statutory bookkeeping, DGI tax returns and BPS/payroll filings according to activity and employees.
• —Corporate books, partner/shareholder meetings, administrator/representative and capital/ownership updates under the selected form.
• —Beneficial-owner BCU reporting upon formation and subsequent changes within applicable periods.
• —Licensing, municipal, sector, audit/publication or foreign-investment obligations apply where triggered.

• —Using the discontinued Empresa en el Día or assuming every foreigner can sign a digital SAS creates an invalid filing plan.
• —Failure to file BO data after the RUT or update control information creates registry/BCU compliance exposure.
• —Incorporation does not conceal ownership or disapply AML/KYC. Registered agents, registries, tax authorities and financial institutions may obtain and verify UBO information.
• —The place of incorporation does not automatically determine tax residence. Effective management, permanent establishment, CFC, withholding and the owners' personal residence require separate analysis.
• —Company registration does not grant a regulated-activity licence, immigration status or a bank account.

• —Digital-SAS eligibility review or coordination of the Uruguayan notary/power of attorney, DGI/BPS, BCU BO and accounting hand-off.
• —Comparison of entity forms, ownership structure, tax links and substance requirements before filing.
• —Coordination of the registered agent, notary or local representative, translations, apostille and the complete corporate file.
• —Preparation of a bank-ready KYB data room and responses to legitimate compliance requests; approval and timing remain with the bank or EMI.
• —Accountant hand-off and creation of an annual-return, BO, tax, licence and substance compliance calendar.

The exact Basic scope and all exclusions are listed in the pricing section above. Non-standard structures and external costs are agreed before payment.

Requirements checked on August 9, 2026. Before filing, we recheck rules, forms, fees and restrictions with the registration authority.