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U.S. citizens do not need a visa to stay in Uruguay for
fewer
than 90 days. When it comes to retirement, any foreign visitor can apply for a residency
visa. Generally, the requirements include owning property in the country, having a bank account with
adequate funds, having a clean police record and having proof of
income, such as Social Security, of $6,000 a year or
more. The
government encourages foreigners to settle in Uruguay so obtaining
residency is fairly easy (as is obtaining a Uruguayan passport and
dual citizenship). A nice perk of residency here is that all
foreign-sourced income, such as Social Security, U.S. stock
dividends, etc., is tax-free. Any
income earned in Uruguay, including rental
income, bank interest, etc., however, is taxed.
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Medicare is not accepted
outside of the U.S., and so health care, and paying for it, is
always a concern when thinking about retirement abroad. As
in many Latin American countries, medical care costs much less in
Uruguay than it does in the U.S. Low income foreigners and nationals are
entitled to free medical care in public hospitals, but this is not
recommended. Instead, most people buy a membership at a
hospital for around $50 to $75 a month, and this covers their care
(an interview, blood tests, etc. are required to buy a
membership). English-speaking expatriates favor membership at
Hospital Britanico (British Hospital) in Montevideo, 90 minutes away by
car. This modern facility is staffed with doctors trained in
the U.S., Canada and Britain and caters to the expatriate
population. Purchasing
international health insurance is another option when living in
Uruguay.
The quality of the care, depending on where
it is received, is fairly good. According to a 2000 World Health Organization study
(which was somewhat controversial), the country ranked 65th out of
181 countries when it came to the quality of its medical care (the
U.S. ranked 37th). Uruguay ranked slightly behind Mexico, a place where thousands of
Americans travel each year for health care and cosmetic
surgery.
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Punta del
Este's high
season is from December to March, and
temperatures during this time reach the 70°s
and 80°s.
Between late April and November, strong winds
sometimes combine with rain, cooling
temperatures into the 50°s,
and salty sea air envelopes the city.
Retirement in Uruguay has some drawbacks
(although not many). Once here, getting
back to the U.S. is a 13 hour
flight. Spanish is the official language,
and even though a little British English is spoken here and
there, it really is necessary to speak some of
the native language. Culture shock
is always a possibility. To help ease the
transition to life in Punta del Este, though, there is an
English-speaking expatriate group that maintains
a blog, meets
regularly for lunches and potlucks and welcomes new members.
So, really, what excuse is there not to retire in this
lovely, lively city by the sea?
Return
to Page 1
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