Apostille and legalization of documents in Uruguay

Need to apostille or legalise a document in Uruguay? This guide walks through the full procedure: what it costs, how to book your appointment with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which documents need prior validation, and how long it takes.

Verified against the official procedure on gub.uy, last updated by the Ministry on 26/01/2026. Fees and opening hours are set by the Ministry and can change: always confirm on the official page before you go.

Apostille or legalisation: which one you need

Authentication validates the signatures on documents issued by Uruguayan public bodies so they hold legal effect abroad — and, in the other direction, validates foreign documents so they hold effect in Uruguay. Which procedure applies to you depends on a single fact: whether the destination country is a party to the Hague Convention.

Apostille: if the destination country is a party to the Hague Convention. It is a single step and the document is then ready to use there.
Legalisation: if the destination country is not a party (Canada, Kuwait and Cuba, among others). This also requires the intervention of the relevant consulate.

For documents arriving from abroad, legalisation also validates the signature of the Uruguayan Consular Agent who processed the document in the country of origin.

How much it costs to apostille a document in Uruguay

These are the current fees according to the official procedure:

Apostille: $777 Uruguayan pesos per document.
Legalisation: $379 Uruguayan pesos per document.

Payment is required upfront: the system will not let you book an appointment until the payment has cleared. You can pay online or through Abitab, and it is worth waiting 10 to 15 minutes after paying for the system to register it before you try to book.

If your documents are exempt from the fee

Because the system requires payment before releasing the calendar, exempt cases cannot book through the normal route. In that situation you need to request the appointment by email at [email protected], listing the documents involved and attaching the relevant supporting evidence if the exemption is on socio-economic grounds.

Contáctanos para más información

How to book an apostille appointment in Uruguay, step by step

Everything up to the appointment is done online; the appointment itself is in person. The order matters — skip a step and the system will not let you continue.

Go to gub.uy and create your user account, or sign in with electronic ID (Digital Identity Card, Identidad Mobile from Abitab, or TuID from Antel).
Validate the document. This step is mandatory and comes before payment. Scan and upload every page of the document as a PDF.
Pay online or through Abitab and wait for the payment to clear.
Book the appointment under “Iniciar trámite en línea”. You will only be able to book if slots are available.
Attend on the day with the original documents you scanned, at Cuareim 1384.

You can include up to 10 apostilles or legalisations per appointment. If you need more, you have to start a new procedure.

If the document holder cannot attend, a third party may go instead with a completed authorisation form. And if you cannot make your booked appointment, let them know at [email protected] with the relevant justification.

Where the procedure is done, and opening hours

Address: Cuareim 1384, ground floor (between Avenida 18 de Julio and Colonia), Montevideo.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 15:30.
Phone: 2902-1010, extensions 76291 and 76271.
Email: [email protected]

Appointment availability is refreshed periodically and usually opens up for the following two weeks. Because the way slots are released changes from time to time, it is worth checking the calendar on the official site at different points in the week.

Which documents need prior validation, and by whom

This is where a good share of appointments fall apart: some documents cannot be apostilled directly because another body has to validate them first. Check whether yours falls into one of these categories:

Documents from notaries and the Judiciary: Supreme Court of Justice.
Sworn translations: also the Supreme Court of Justice. If your document is in another language, sort out the official translation of the document first.
Degrees and academic certificates: Ministry of Education and Culture.
Vaccination records and health documents: Ministry of Public Health.
Documents from dioceses: Archdiocese of Montevideo.
Foreign documents: the original, unaltered, processed by the Uruguayan consulate in the country of origin.

In every case the document must be the original, in good condition, and bear the signature of the issuing authority.

Criminal Record Certificate

This one has an extra step: it has to be collected in person at the Ministry’s Citizen Service Centre, or by an authorised third party, with proof of identity. Collect it before starting the apostille or legalisation procedure, not after.

The documents people apostille most often

These are the most common cases and what they are used for:

Birth, marriage and death certificates. The most requested by far. If you are doing it the other way round — bringing certificates from abroad so they are valid here — see the guide to registering foreign certificates in Uruguay.
Degrees and academic certificates, for having qualifications recognised abroad.
Criminal record certificate, routine in immigration procedures and applications for legal residency in Uruguay.
Powers of attorney and notarial documents.
Paperwork for citizenship by descent, one of the most common uses: applications of this kind generally require apostilled birth and marriage certificates going back through the family line.

How long it takes

The document is handed back during the in-person appointment itself: you bring the original, it is apostilled, and you take it with you. What really determines the timeline, then, is not processing but availability in the appointment calendar — which is where it pays to plan ahead.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apostille a document without going in person?

No. Validation, payment and booking are all online, but the final step is in person at Cuareim 1384, where you present the original document. An authorised third party can go in your place with the relevant form.

How much does it cost to apostille a document in Uruguay?

The apostille costs $777 and legalisation $379, per document, in Uruguayan pesos. Payment is upfront and the calendar will not open without it.

What if the destination country does not accept an apostille?

If it is not a party to the Hague Convention — Canada, Kuwait or Cuba, for instance — legalisation applies instead of an apostille, with the intervention of the destination country’s consulate.