Free Medical Care in Montivideo, Uruguay

Today I spoke with an M.D. who works at the public hospital in the Ciudad Vieja area of Montevideo. He is a cardiologist.

Naturally I questioned him about health care in Uruguay.

As already posted elsewhere in this blog, medical care is reported to be very good here--and affordable. I have been told that if you need something as sophisticated as a heart transplant you would need to cross the river to Buenos Aires. But Uruguay is prepared for illness short of that.

Actually, free medical care is available at the hospital in the Old City. Those of you from the U.S. who are old enough to remember the old free county hospitals may have a good idea of how this physician described the public hospital. You have to wait for a long time because they accept everyone. Even someone with a child with sniffles. It is so easy to run to the hospital when it is free. Probably it is the worst thing you can do since who knows what you can pick up there that you didn´t have already--in ANY hospital.

But they will treat anyone, whether you are a resident or not, citizen or not--doesn´t matter. You will have to pick up and pay for your own medication if you do not have a card issued by the hospital. All you have to do to get a card is apply for one. Once you have a card, they will even provide your medications.

However, this cardiologist told me that if you can afford the private doctors and clinics you are better off there. I said "Why? Is there something wrong with going to the public hospital?"

"No," he said, "but sometimes we do not have the things we need. Sometimes we don´t even have gloves."

But still, qualified free medical care is available for those who need or want it.

Of course there are private physicians and numerous private clinics and hospitals. I have not had experience with them, but other expats report satisfaction with their private medical care.

© Arlean Kelley 03/11/2009 All rights reserved.

Please feel free to send any questions to us at newsfromlatinamerica@yahoo.com. We will answer in the blog or write or call you directly. If you click on the "comments" below you can write comments for all to see. Article contributions from other expats living in Latin America are encouraged. They are, of course, subject to editing.

How to Qualify for Residency or Citizenship in Uruguay

Some of the first questions we all ask are:

Must I be a legal resident before I can buy real estate?

How can I live in the country legally?

Are my property rights protected there?


You don´t need legal residency to buy real estate in Uruguay. You can just cross the border into Uruguay and buy real estate. The Uruguay government claims to protect the rights of Uruguay citizens and foreigners equally the same.

There are two ways that you can live in Uruguay without getting on the wrong side of the Uruguay immigration laws.

1. Take a bus, the hydrofoil, or the ferry across the river to Argentina every 90 days. Go shopping. Go out to dinner. Go to the opera. As you cross the border back into Uruguay, you automatically renew your tourist visa.

Or, if you choose to live on the Atlantic coast of Uruguay, and you are a U.S. citizen, get a visa for Brazil and take a mini-vacaton there every three months. Many non-U.S. citizens do not need a visa to enter Brazil from Uruguay, but U. S. citizens must obtain a visa to enter Brazil.

When I lived in Bariloche, Argentina, in the Andes near the border with Chile, I crossed a mountain pass into Chile every three months. In winter it was not unusual for the pass to have snow and ice. In Uruguay you don´t even have snow and ice to contend with.

But why even do that if you don´t have to? If you have $500 a month retirement or from another source, or you can find a job or a way to work in Uruguay, you´re in. Well, almost. You just need to jump through a few hoops.

You must provide documents to immigration as follows:

1. Your birth certificate

2. Your marriage certificate. If you are divorced or your spouse has died, just to be on the safe side, bring a copy of your divorce decree or the spouse's death certificate. This is just an overview. If you do decide to obtain legal residence, I suggest you check with an immigration attorney regarding your own circumstances.

3. Police record from your home country as well as anywhere else you have lived in the last five years. (For U.S. citizens, this is obtained at the Interpol office in Uruguay.)

4. Documented proof that you meet the income requirements. At present that requirement is $500 per month. This income can come from a pension, retirement fund, rental property either in Uruguay or elsewhere, income from a company you own, or a job contract in Uruguay. Really almost any income, if sufficient, will qualify you for residence.

These documents must be obtained before leaving your home country. They must be legalized at the Uruguay Consulate in your home country and legalized in Uruguay at the Foreign Ministry.

You must also provide a certified translation of all documents into spanish language.

My own immigration attorney suggests gathering the documents, having them authenticated, then sending them to him just to be sure everything is in order before leaving for Uruguay.

You then enter Uruguay as a tourist and present your papers to immigration. Once you have submitted the papers, and before you are approved, you are allowed to ship personal and household items into the country duty free. You do not have to wait until official approval. However, there is a process of posting the duty amount for the incoming goods just in case you do not follow through with your residency. But once you do, the deposited amount is returned to you.

It can take 8 months to a year and a half for temporary residency. It may well depend on whether you do it yourself, use an attorney or representative, and even what representative you use and the connections that person has with immigration. As you probably know, much of what happens in Latin America depends upon who you know.

There are also some medical requirements. Women are required to have a mammogram and all applicants must have a tetanus shot. I have no idea why tetanus. Living in Uruguay is not that much different from any other developed country--I am only reporting the current requirements.

After one year as a temporary resident, you may apply for permanent residence. In three to five years, you may apply for citizenship and a second passport.

Although I prefer to work with a knowledgeable attorney or representative, a number of expats here successfully obtained their residency without an attorney.

If anyone has had a different experience from what is reported here, your input is appreciated. As we all know, things change often in Latin America and your input could be important to someone just now taking this step.
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© Arlean Kelley 03/11/2009 All rights reserved.

Please feel free to send any questions. We will answer in the blog or write or call you directly. If you click on the "comments" below you can write comments for all to see, or just send us an email. Article contributions from other expats living in Latin America are encouraged. They are, of course, subject to editing. If you would like to subscribe to this blog, email us at newsfromlatinamerica@yahoo.com and we will add you to our mailing list. Likewise send us an email if you want to be removed from the list. We look forward to meeting you personally--in Latin America!

Shopping the Organic Market in Montevideo

This is especially for those purist folks who are concerned about the poisons and other chemicals that add insult to so many of our fruits and vegetables around the world.

When we were considering living in Montevideo, one of my concerns was about the availability of organic produce and other food products. To my delight I found that there are, indeed, farmers in Uruguay who are committed to organic farming.

A small section of the Sunday open market at Parque Rodo is populated with organic farmers. We buy fruits and vegetables, organic wheat flour, bread, cheese and even personal care products there.

However, in my neighborhood of Montevideo, known as "Centro," only blocks from where I live, a group of organic farmers have opened a coop-type storefront where they bring their food products for display and sale. You can find fruits and vegetables, cheese (yes we can even get organic cheese), some meat, personal care items, books, honey--even some handcrafted items.

They tell me that, if I call in my order the evening before, they will even deliver to my front door.




















I have met some Uruguay people who tell me that the farming culture in their country traditionally leans toward avoiding unnatural farming methods and insecticides, and that even the farmers who are not organic avoid pesticides as much as possible.

Something else that I find interesting is the knowledge among the people about the use of herbs for healing. That interest shows up in the selection of books on display at the store. They offer for sale quite a few books dedicated to medicinal herbs.





















Productos Organicos is not a health food store like those to which many of us are accustomed. There are no shelves stacked with bottles of vitamins and minerals in pill and capsule form. It is all just fresh farm produce.

Since I like to buy fresh wheat and grind my own flour using the grain attachment of my Champion juicer (does a fantastic job!) I was looking for a source of fresh, organic wheat. I did find an organic wheat farmer here. Someone else in our English speaker´s group (covered in a different article) also found a source of organic seeds for sprouting and grinding.

So for you organic folks, I assure you that we are down here busily gathering information for you all . . . as well as for ourselves!

Purchasing at the organic section at the Parque Rodo market is most economical. All depends on whether you are looking for economy or convenience. The market at Parque Rodo is available only on Sunday whereas Producto Organicos is open every day.

Sadly for those of us who understand the value of an uncorrupted food supply, the organic farmers tell us that Monsanto is here in Uruguay and the Uruguay government is now allowing their seeds. There are stipulations as to how far away they have to be with their genetically modified seeds, but of course it would be best if they were not in the country at all from the point of view of those of us who profer organics. Or even prefer food as nature intended us to eat it--without pig or bacterium genes!

When the camel gets its nose inside the tent, I get worried!

However, the only GM crops, so far as I know right now, are corn and soybeans. Also some crops used for oil, like canola and cottonseed oil, may be genetically engineered. A Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_foods lists genetically engineered foods.

A very high percentage of the corn and soybeans in the U.S. are GM products. This is why I don´t eat corn. There was a genetically modified tomato at one time but it could not compete with a traditionally grown tomato so it was taken off the market.

Therefore, for now, GM foods in Uruguay are not a problem (unless one likes corn a lot) and there appear to be plenty of organic farmers ready and willing to provide organic products for those of us who are interested.

As I learn more about organics and farming in Uruguay I promise to let you know.

© Arlean Kelley 03/11/2009 All rights reserved.

Please feel free to send any questions. We will answer in the blog or write or call you directly. If you click "comments" below you can write comments for all to see. Article contributions from other expats living in Latin America are encouraged. They are, of course, subject to editing.

Buying Uruguay Real Estate

This week I purchased my first Uruguay real estate. It is a three-story building in the Centro area--downtown Montevideo--two blocks off the main street, a pleasant four block walk to the waterfront, and walking distance to the Old City.

The structure is only 37 years old, according to the record. While the inside is a shambles, the building itself is wonderfully solid construction. The first floor is an empty storefront and the upper two floors were designed as a four-bedroom, three-bath house, complete with balcony, patio with BBQ grill, and a stairwell going all the way to the roof.

The roof can be used for sunbathing, family get togethers, hanging laundry or throwing a rooftop party if one were interested.

Although it is a wonderful building, it was left unloved--vacant and neglected for years after the previous owner died. The family had raised six children there. They moved away long ago. When the mother became infirm, this Uruguay real estate was rented to a government agency to help with her expenses. When the agency moved out, the building was left alone and empty--a medium for graffiti artists.

Sadly the renters that used it for those years left it in terrible shape.

In addition, leaves were allowed to pile up on the roof and block the drains, causing filtration of water and, eventually, mold in some of the rooms.

Here are some pictures.

Here is your Uruguay reporter in her new diversion of building renovator!

Taking up old carpet

A Little Work Required Here!

Second Floor Patio and Grill

View From the Third Floor

And so begins the business of restoration. We will keep you informed of the progress.

If you happen to be one of us crazy people who just love to see a wonderful, neglected building restored to warmth and beauty, there are plenty of similar real estate opportunities here in Montevideo.

Uruguay is probably one of the few places left in Latin America that is beautiful, tranquil and stable, with low crime, low living costs, where you can find real estate reasonably priced.

A building of this quality, situated even in San Telmo, Buenos Aires (not in the posh Ricoleta area), would cost about three hundred percent more, even in its present condition. And it would not be in the downtown business area.

Stay tuned for more real estate information. Until next time . . .

© Arlean Kelley 05/18/2009 All rights reserved.

Please feel free to send any questions. We will answer in the blog or else write or call you directly. Comments are welcome. There is a tiny envelope at the end of the blog where you can write comments for all to see. Contributions from other expats living in Latin America are also welcome. They are, of course, subject to editing.

The Open Farmer's Market in Centro

Today (May 8, 2009) was market day in my neighborhood in Montevideo. Actually two days are market day in my neighborhood--Tuesday and Friday. Of course any day is market day if I want to go to the grocery store.

I don´t.

For those of you who ask about prices, today I bought the following. I paid pesos but will change value to dollars for comparison purposes. All of the following are fresh.











Pears 50 cents per pound
Oranges 50 cents per pound
Red delicious apples 60 cents per pound
Leaf lettuce 25 cents per pound
Spinach 25 cents per pound
Tomatoes 25 cents per pound
Tangerines 40 cents per pound
Kale 40 cents per pound

June 21, 2009

I have returned to Florida, U.S.A., for a few weeks. It is always wonderful to return to my home country. In addition, with the reversed seasons, winter had seriously set in in Montevideo--as seriously as it ever sets in. Wintering in Montevideo is similar to wintering in Central Florida.

After the cold, sometimes windy streets of Montevideo, the Florida heat and sunshine that many complain about was for me a welcome change. I have been back for two weeks and I am still soaking it up.

However, a few visits to the local grocery stores and I already miss the market in Montevideo with its lush, juicy and inexpensive tree-ripened fruit.

I suspect that since we are getting so much of our food now from outside the United States, it is picked green to allow for shipping time. Much of the fruit appears to be ripe and does in fact soften to what we would consider edible ripeness. But it is relatively tasteless compared to the locally grown produce that is available to us in Uruguay. I think that, if people in Florida are smart, they will plant fruit trees in their front yards instead of ornamentals. Why not plant something that produces something of value?

An organic vegetable garden in the back yard would also be a great idea!

©Arlean Kelley 05/08/2009 All rights reserved

We always appreciate your feedback. Please post your comments if our information has been helpful or if you have corrections or further information. Article contributions of others living in Latin America are encouraged, subject of course to editing. If you would like to subscribe to this blog, just send an email to newsfromlatinamerica@yahoo.com and we will add you to our mailing list. Likewise if you want to be removed from the list. We look forward to meeting you in person--in Latin America!

Labor Day in Uruguay

Yesterday (May 1, 2009) was Primero de Mayo in Uruguay.

Labor Day!

Little did I know.

Labor Day in Uruguay is a major, major holiday. I was here Easter. Most stores were closed. But the Internet places and quite a few restaurants were open.

But on May 1 the city shuts down. People in Uruguay just plain do not labor on labor day! Holidays in Latin America are times to spend with family and friends.

I had an appointment to meet a friend at 2 p.m. I waited at the bus stop on a strangely deserted street, wondering where all the buses were.

A young woman noticed me and asked in spanish , "You aren´t waiting for the bus, are you?"

"Yes," I said.

"There´s no bus today. It is necessary to find a taxi."

Well let me assure you that there were no taxis either. To be more accurate, I did find a few taxis. They were all parked in the parking lot at the city square with no driver in sight. Obviously the taxi drivers had also joined the festivities.

I called my friend to tell him I was stranded in Centro. Since he too is a transplant to Uruguay, he had forgotten it was Primero de Mayo.

When you join us down here in Latin America, I suggest that you pick up a calendar early and note the holidays. It might save you some unwelcome surprises AND some broken appointments.

In spite of the inconvenience of being able to accomplish absolutely nothing on a holiday, I like the fact that people in this part of the world have their priorities in place in many ways and business and money are not necessarily at the top of their list.

©Arlean Kelley 05/01/2009 All rights reserved.

We always appreciate your feedback. Please post your comments if our information has been helpful or if you have corrections or further information. Article contributions of others living in Latin America are encouraged, subject of course to editing. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, just send us an email to newsfromlatinamerica@yahoo.com. Likewise if you want to be removed from the list. We look forward to meeting you in person--in Latin America!