Before you start

Cédula de identidad, including a provisional one
Your foreign licence, translated where required
A medical examination at the Intendencia or an authorised provider
Proof of a Montevideo address

Step-by-step

1
Apply at the Intendencia de Montevideo, not at a national office
Licensing is a departmental competence. If you live in Canelones or Maldonado you apply there instead, and the requirements differ in detail even though the licence is valid nationwide.
In personWho: You
2
Take the medical examination
A sight, hearing and general fitness check done as part of the application. It is quick and inexpensive, and is repeated at each renewal.
In personWho: You
3
Check whether your foreign licence can be exchanged
Some licences can be converted on the strength of the original document; others require the theory and practical examinations. The Intendencia publishes the current position — confirm before booking anything else.
OnlineWho: You
4
Understand that the alcohol limit is zero
Uruguay moved to a 0.0 g/l blood alcohol limit for all drivers. There is no permitted glass of wine with dinner. Enforcement through roadside testing is routine and the penalties are severe, including immediate licence suspension.
In personWho: You
5
Budget for the patente under SUCIVE
Annual vehicle tax is set through the national SUCIVE system, which harmonised rates that used to vary wildly by department. Registering a car in a cheaper department to save on patente no longer achieves anything.
OnlineWho: You
6
Consider not owning a car at all in central Montevideo
Pocitos, Punta Carretas, Cordón and Ciudad Vieja are walkable and well served by buses, and parking in the coastal districts is genuinely tight. Cars are expensive here — import duties are heavy and fuel is state-priced and high.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Cédula de identidad
Foreign licence with translation where required
Medical certificate from the Intendencia or an authorised centre
Proof of address in Montevideo

Things most newcomers don’t know

Your driving licence is a municipal document, which changes where you go and what you are asked for.

Uruguay devolves licensing to the nineteen departmental intendencias, so the office, the fees and the exact requirements depend on where you live rather than on national rules. The licence itself is valid across the country and the departments accept each other's, but a newcomer looking for a national road-traffic authority will not find one. Go to the Intendencia de Montevideo.

Source: Intendencia de Montevideo

The blood alcohol limit is zero, and this is not a rounding of a low limit.

Uruguay legislated a 0.0 g/l limit for all drivers, removing the small permitted allowance that most countries retain. In a culture built around long lunches and asados this is a genuine behavioural change, and roadside testing is common rather than exceptional. Visitors from countries with a 0.5 limit consistently underestimate it, and a positive reading here is not a technicality.

Source: Ministerio del Interior

SUCIVE ended the department-shopping that used to define car registration.

Before 2012 the annual patente varied enormously between departments and Uruguayans routinely registered vehicles wherever it was cheapest, which starved some intendencias of revenue. SUCIVE unified the rates and the collection. If somebody advises you to register a car in another department to save money, they are working from a decade-old playbook.

Source: SUCIVE

Cars are a luxury purchase here in a way they are not elsewhere in the region.

Uruguay levies heavy import duties on vehicles and prices fuel through the state company ANCAP at levels well above its neighbours. The same car costs meaningfully more than in Argentina or Brazil, and running it costs more again. Combined with a compact, walkable coastal city and a functioning bus network, this is why a large share of central Montevideo households simply do not own one.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Looking for a national licensing authority instead of going to your Intendencia.
Assuming a small drink before driving is within the limit — the limit is zero.
Registering a vehicle in another department expecting a cheaper patente.
Buying a car before testing whether the bus and walking pattern covers your life.
Letting the licence expire and discovering the medical must be redone.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.