Is ID Uruguay mandatory in Uruguay?

1. What “mandatory” means in practice: a universal resident ID with procedural steps

Uruguay’s identity document — the cédula — is described in multiple accounts as compulsory for all residents, including citizens and foreign residents, and is issued with a lifelong personal identification number assigned the first time the holder obtains the card ^[1]; the National Directorate of Civil Identification administers the process and the card is the main ID used for everyday transactions and travel within Mercosur ^{[1] [2]}.

2. When foreigners need one: residency triggers the obligation

Foreign nationals who intend to live or work in Uruguay beyond short tourist stays must follow residency procedures that involve requesting a personal ID during or after the residency application; official guidance and multiple relocation guides note that once residency is initiated applicants obtain a provisional or temporary cédula that grants resident rights while the case is processed ^{[3] [4] [5]}.

3. Short-term stays, tourist visas and special permits: exceptions and workarounds

Tourists and visa-exempt visitors typically enter on passports and a 90‑day stay; they are not treated as residents and therefore do not immediately require a Uruguayan cédula ^[6]. However, Uruguay has introduced special pathways — notably the digital nomad permit approved by decree in May 2023 — that grant a six‑month residence permit and can, in some descriptions, allow stay without applying for a full temporary ID, creating a narrow exemption from the usual cédula pathway for qualifying digital nomads ^[7]. Official entry and migration pages still indicate that where residence is established the applicant must request a personal ID, so the digital‑nomad exception is a specific, administratively defined program rather than a broad rule ^{[3] [8]}.

4. The common administrative pattern: provisional IDs while paperwork is complete

Multiple relocation guides and migration services report that Uruguay issues provisional or temporary identity cards — for example “resident in process” cedulas valid while applicants complete documentation — and that these allow people to access services and remain legally in the country during processing, with permanent status and a full cédula finalized later ^{[7] [9] [5]}. In practice this means that even when documents are pending, the state provides an identity credential tied to the residency procedure ^[10].

5. Contradictions, caveats and limits of the reporting

Sources converge on the basic rule — residents need a cédula — but nuances vary across government pages, expat guides and commercial advisers: some stress mandatory registration from 45 days of age for citizens and residents ^{[1] [2]}, while others focus on administrative flexibility (temporary cards, digital‑nomad permit) that can alter when and how the card is issued ^{[7] [8]}. The available reporting documents the existence of programmatic exceptions (digital nomads) and widespread use of provisional IDs, but these sources do not provide the full text of the underlying statutes or a single authoritative legal citation in this collection; therefore this analysis reports how the rule is applied in practice according to government and immigration‑oriented sources, not a verbatim reading of Uruguay’s civil‑identification law ^{[3] [7]}.

Conclusion: direct answer

Yes — for practical and legal purposes the Uruguayan identity card is mandatory for residents (including foreign residents and citizens from infancy), and the state issues provisional or temporary cédulas during residency processing; exceptions are limited and administratively prescribed (notably the digital nomad permit in 2023, which allows certain stays without the normal temporary ID pathway) ^{[1] [2] [7] [3]}.