Uruguay Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in uruguay, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Uruguay maintains a relatively open and reliable trade and investment regime with few border restrictions and limited use of non-tariff restrictions, yet Uruguay’s trade policy tends to favor regional partners over bilateral trade relations with the U.S. In general, its trade strategy errs on the side of liberalizing trade and investment at the national, regional, and multilateral levels. Outside of its Mercosur tariff agreements, Uruguay imposes relatively high import taxes when compared to other countries in the region, which can raise the prices of foreign products. These import taxes are primarily designed to generate government revenue rather than protect domestic production, given Uruguay’s limited manufacturing sector.

Products of U.S. origin are subject to the Common External Tariff (CET) established by Mercosur, ranging from 0 percent to 35 percent based on the CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) value of the product. In July 2022, Mercosur approved a 10 percent reduction in the CET for over 80 percent of product lines, lowering the average CET from 8.5 percent to 7.1 percent. Uruguay applies preferential tariffs on certain imports, such as equipment for agriculture and hotels, capital goods, and goods for projects declared of national interest. These goods may also be eligible for tax exemptions. 

Many products originating from Mercosur member countries benefit from a competitive advantage due to lower logistics costs and the duty-free status of many types of produce. For an index of Mercosur duties on specific products, visit the Latin American Integration Association’s Tariff Index: Country Items Tariffs

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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