Overland Uruguay Travel
Pan American Highway > Uruguay
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Contents
- 1 Visiting Uruguay
- 2 Entering Uruguay with a Car or Motorbike
- 3 Driving in Uruguay
- 4 Gas price in Uruguay and Diesel price in Uruguay
- 5 Safety and Security Considerations
- 6 Camping in Uruguay
- 7 Navigation
- 8 Special Overland Travel interests
- 9 Vehicle Maintenance
- 10 Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Uruguay
- 11 References
- 12 Helpful External links
Visiting Uruguay
Give a brief overview of what it's like to visit. How easy is the border, how safe is the country, are there great things to see and do, etc.
Entering Uruguay with a Car or Motorbike
Correct as of: December 2013
Required Paperwork
(To check if you need a travel Visa for Uruguay, application instructions and fees see: Uruguay Visa online application at VisaHQ.com)
Vehicle registration a matching passport are required.
Process at border
- The owner of the vehicle gains entry at immigration (migración), including a stamp in their Passport.
- The owner must show the new passport stamp, drivers license the original vehicle registration to customs (aduana)
- The owner is issued a temporary import permit for the vehicle.
If you ship into Uruguay, you'll want to read this excellent blog post from June 2014 that describes in excellent details the steps you need to follow to retrieve your vehicle when it arrives: Getting a vehicle through customs and out of port in Montevideo, Uruguay - Dare2Go
Cost of entry
Free.
Permitted length of stay
12 months.
Extension of stay
If you need more time on your permit, the Administracion Nacional de Aduanas is at the port of Montevideo, near the BuqueBus terminal. GPS: -34.904881,-56.211773. Tourists are issued a 90 visa which is renewable at any department capital pretty easily. The fine for overstaying a visa is $20.00 USD
Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country
The vehicle import permit is good for 12 months, so Uruguay is one of the best options for storing your vehicle. The Aduana does not stamp the vehicle into the owner's passport, which means they can easily leave the country while the vehicle is in storage (as long as the vehicle does not overstay the 12 month permit).
Exiting with a vehicle
Describe the paperwork requirements and process at the border to exit.
Driving in Uruguay
Recommended books for Overlanding in Uruguay
Vehicle insurance requirements
Insurance is not required paperwork when crossing the border. Technically insurance is required. Vehicles with Mercosur registration are required to have a 'blue form' insurance for the region. Most of the time this isn't a problem for overlanders but some Brazilians in overland converted buses have been stopped at the boarder.
Cost of insurance
N/A
Where to purchase vehicle insurance
Unknown. There is no insurance for purchase at the Frey Bentos border crossing and it is not believed to be required.
Driving license
An International Driving Permit is recommended to complement your driver's license.
Driving side of road
Right.
Unknown if RHD vehicles can be driven in Uruguay.
Mandatory items in vehicle
State any mandatory items that must be carried in the vehicle. (i.e. safety triangle, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc.)
Roads
General Road quality
Highways along the edge of the country, especially along the south are all paved and generally good. Highways in the interior are well maintained gravel. In general Uruguay's got flat boring and well maintained roads.
Road signs
Road signs generally follow international standards. Within cities the street names are often poorly signed or only in small placards on the sides of buildings.
Toll roads
The highway from Colonia through Montevideo to the boarder with Brazil in Chuy has tolls where the road crosses department boundaries. The tolls are not expensive, $2.50 USD as of August 2013.
Bribery in Uruguay
Bribery is very uncommon in Uruguay.
Checkpoints
There is a network of check points for police. Although they are staffed drivers are not expected to stop unless they are flagged down.
Traveling with pets
List the entry requirements and anything else required to travel with a pet.
Gas price in Uruguay and Diesel price in Uruguay
Last updated: January 2014
Currency and unit to display:
| Gasoline Grade | Price |
|---|---|
| Unleaded | $U43.40 UYU per Liter[1] |
| Diesel | $U39.90 UYU per Liter[1] |
Gas and Diesel Availability / Frequency
All gas and diesel are at fixed prices across the whole country. Often it is more than 50km between gas stations and many towns do not have any gas station.
Gas and Diesel Quality
Gas and Diesel are of low quality. Diesel has a % of biodiesel mixed in. All fuel is refined by the state owned oil company in Montevideo.
Safety and Security Considerations
Driving at night
Uruguay is generally a very safe place to drive. There are traffic accidents and generally the roads are not as safe as Europe but it's more more relaxed and orderly than the rest of Latin America.
Vehicle parking
In the center of Montevideo during the day you must pay for parking by registering the location and license plate. You can do this at kiosks but locals do it by sending a text message from their phone. Do not leave vehicles on the street in the old city or city center over night. Locals use garages except in the wealthiest neighborhoods where there are private security watching the street.
The city has a licensed system of parking monitors who are paid a few pesos to watch cars on each block and help you park. They keep cars safe but don't work at night.
Special driving considerations
A List of special things to be careful of (i.e. Unsigned speed bumps, abnormal road rules, people or animals on the road, etc.).
List any roads that are not recommended to drive for safety or other security reasons.
Security advisories and information
- Country Specific Information - U.S. Department of State
- Travel Reports and Warnings - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
- Travel advice by country - Foreign and Commonwealth office (U.K.)
- Travel Advice for Uruguay - Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Camping in Uruguay
Describe if organized "pay" camping is common. List the facilities commonly found at these campsites.
List the approximate average price range of camping in organized campgrounds.
Also discuss the possibility of "wild" or "roadside" camping. How common is it? Is it considered safe, or a bad idea.
Camping guide books
There is an extensive network of both public and private camp grounds across Uruguay. It is not uncommon for RV's and campers to park along the beach and in beach towns. Punta del Diablo in particular has a small group of RV's parked along the beach downtown in the summers.
Drinking water
All tap water in Uruguay is safe to drink.
Paper maps
Reise Know-How are amoung the best paper maps. Purchase paper maps before arriving in Uruguay
GPS Maps of Uruguay
GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc. in Uruguay
Propane tanks are available through out the country. Every town has repair garages. Everything goes through Montevideo. Parts and importing are expensive.
Special Overland Travel interests
If you can handle driving over sand dunes then Cabo Polonio is a real treat. Only accessible by big unimog trucks or 4v4's the town has no streets or grid power and is surrounded by dozens of sq km of sand dunes. Camping is allowed freely.
Vehicle Maintenance
Dealers
4x4s / Trucks
- Toyota Global Dealer Locator
- Land Rover International Dealer Locator
- Mercedes Benz International (select country on bottom right)
- Jeep International site locator
Motorbikes
Local Garages
Add known good mechanics here.
Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Uruguay
Buy
Vehicles are very expensive in Uruguay, costing much more than in Argentina and Brazil.
Sell
It's virtually impossible to import used vehicles in to Uruguay.
References
Links to the source of any information - blogs or discussion forums, etc.
Helpful External links
Add any helpful external links here.
- Uruguay: Visa and Passport requirements | World Travel Guide
- Health Information for Travelers to Uruguay - Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Uruguay travel guides at wikivoyage
- Uruguay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
