Uruguay
Location: South America
Broadcast Regulators
Visas & Permits
Visas & Permits
Crews travelling on Western passports can enter visa-free for stays of up to 90 days.
Work permits aren’t required to film in Uruguay.
Please contact a local embassy, consulate or representative for more information. Alternatively, there are specialist companies that provide visa and immigration support to the media industry who may be able to assist.
Film Location Permits
Uruguay has a very film friendly, well established and streamlined permitting process.
Most city locations take only a couple of days to permit. More complicated requests, such as closing city streets or filming at the airport, take only a week to permit.
Customs
For productions looking to bring in film equipment, Uruguay is not an ATA carnet country.
Good stock of standard camera, grip and lighting equipment is available in Uruguay.
Some specialised crew, equipment and talent may also need to be brought in from Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo. More specialised equipment can easily brought in from the US or Europe.
Using a customs broker is a good idea to get equipment in and out of Uruguay. The process usually takes about a week.
When to Film
When to Film
Uruguay has a temperate climate, with mild summers and winters not receiving any snow.
Summer is from November to March and offers long sunny shoot days with cool nights. Weather-wise, this is the best time to film.
In Uruguay, Christianity is the largest religion, so those holidays are observed.
Public Holidays
Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Uruguay.
Costs & VAT
Uruguay has one of the most competitive per shoot day costs in the world, for a production service centre of its calibre.
Local costs are much less expensive than Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico. The main cost is getting there.
Some productions choose to shoot in Uruguay through Argentina, but it’s generally less expensive to work directly with a Uruguayan service producer and have them source additional requirements from Buenos Aires.
The standard VAT rate in Uruguay at the time of writing is set at 22%.
Funding & Tax Incentives
Funding
Instituto Nacional del Cine y el Audiovisual del Uruguayo (INCAU) (National Institute of Cinema & Audiovisual of Uruguay)
Incentives
Entertainment Partners' Production Incentives Map: Information for Uruguay.
Treaty Documents