Uruguay Travel Risk Overview
Is Uruguay safe right now? Checked 15 October 2026
Uruguay scores 35/100 on our travel risk index (Moderate). The US State Department rates Uruguay Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 28 Jul 2026); the UK has no advice against travel; Canada says: exercise normal security precautions (with regional advisories). No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Uruguay has a Travel Risk Calculator score of 35 out of 100 (moderate risk tier); city-level files are available for 32 cities. The score combines five layers (security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards, current alerts) built from government advisories and open data. This page also covers nine safety categories (crime, disease & health, government advisory, political & civil unrest, natural disaster & weather, transport & route, environmental, digital security, money safety), the current US State Department advisory, GDACS disaster alerts, CDC health notices for Uruguay, recent news headlines, plus links to every city we have an editorial file for.
Run a personalized Uruguay assessmentAI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 15, 2026
Uruguay currently maintains a Level 2 travel advisory and a moderate baseline risk composite score of 35 out of 100. Additionally, travelers should note a Level 1 CDC health notice regarding global dengue.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Oct 16, 2026 03:07 UTC
How safe is Uruguay to visit in 2026?
Uruguay currently sits at 35/100 on Travel Risk Calculator's five-layer score, which puts it in the moderate-risk tier. Most travelers will be fine in Uruguay with normal preparation, but a few risk categories warrant attention. The full live US State Department advisory text for Uruguay, current GDACS disaster alerts, CDC health notices, and recent news headlines are shown in the Live conditions section below. For city-specific files (Montevideo, Aiguá, Punta del Este), see the City Risk Files section below — they include neighborhood-level scam patterns, transport notes, and medical-access details where available.
Country score
Driven by: crime and scams (61/100) and security (29/100).
Uruguay's score of 35 is higher than the scores of 41% of the 241 countries we cover.
Data file
| Source | Editorial regional baseline 2026-05-15 (GPI + State Dept advisory + WHO health/transport + INFORM disaster) |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 2026-05-18 02:25:55 |
| City files | 32 |
Assessment memory
Anonymous assessments help Travel Risk Calculator identify which country and city files deserve deeper review.
| Saved assessments | 0 |
|---|---|
| Average composite | No saved signal yet |
Score layers
Safety categories
Official Government Travel Advisories
Cross-referenced official travel advice from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, normalized to a unified 1–4 risk scale.
Department of State
Exercise increased cautionin Uruguay due to crime. Exercise increased caution in Uruguay due to crime. Crime is most common in these departments: Montevideo Can…
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
FCDO travel advice for Uruguay. Includes safety and security, insurance, entry requirements and legal differences.
Global Affairs Canada
Natural disasters and climate section – added information on El Niño
UK content contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Canadian advice provided by Global Affairs Canada under open government terms. US advice provided by the US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Entry Requirements & Local Laws
Official travel advice summary from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
🛂 Entry Requirements
This information is for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK. It is based on the UK government’s understanding of Uruguay’s current rules for the most common types of travel. The authorities in Uruguay set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the Uruguayan Embassy in the UK. Passport validity requirements To enter Uruguay, your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay and have at least one blank page for an entry stamp. Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to. You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen. Dual nationals W
Summary of UK FCDO advice, updated Dec 10, 2025 · Full requirements →
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Travel Advisory Level History
Historical official advisory level changes over time.
What Changed This Month in Uruguay
Chronological record of verified security, advisory, health, and hazard updates over the past 30 days.
- Oct 2, 2026 CDC Notice Level 1 - Global Dengue (Watch).
- Sep 23, 2026 CDC Notice Level 2 - Global Polio (Alert).
- Oct 13, 2026 Score Change Montevideo risk score moved from 35 to 27 (Daily recalculation (scoring v2)).
- Sep 27, 2026 Score Change Aiguá risk score moved from 36 to 37 (Method change: scoring v2).
- Sep 27, 2026 Score Change Artigas risk score moved from 36 to 34 (Method change: scoring v2).
City Risk Files in Uruguay
Showing 32 destination files with city-specific safety data in Uruguay, ranked by demand and population.
Montevideo
Tier AMontevideo
Aiguá
Tier BMaldonado
Punta del Este
Tier BMaldonado
Rivera
Tier BRivera
Salto
Tier BSalto
Colonia del Sacramento
Tier BColonia
Carmelo
Tier BColonia
Rosario
Tier BColonia
Maldonado
Tier BMaldonado
Florida
Tier BFlorida
San Carlos
Tier BMaldonado
Young
Tier BRío Negro
Santa Lucía
Tier BCanelones
Chuy
Tier BRocha
La Paloma
Tier BRocha
Ciudad de la Costa
Tier BCanelones
Paysandú
Tier BPaysandú
Tacuarembó
Tier BTacuarembó
Artigas
Tier BArtigas
San José
Tier BSan José
Nueva Helvecia
Tier BColonia
Nueva Palmira
Tier BColonia
Colonia Nicolich
Tier BCanelones
Piriápolis
Tier BMaldonado
Tranqueras
Tier BRivera
Ciudad del Plata
Tier BSan José
Pando
Tier BCanelones
Fray Bentos
Tier BRío Negro
La Paz
Tier BCanelones
Dolores
Tier BSoriano
Paso de Carrasco
Tier BCanelones
Juan L. Lacaze
Tier BColonia
All towns in Uruguay (23 additional local facts pages)
These localities carry verified regional geography, nearest hospitals, airports, and natural hazard records with the country baseline risk score.
Live conditions in Uruguay
Country-scoped real-time data — official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For city-specific weather and air quality, open any city page below.
Official travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Uruguay - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Track Uruguay’s advisory
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Traveller notes from government advice
LGBT+ travellers
Same-sex marriage is legal and there are anti-discrimination laws. Uruguay also recognises same-sex civil unions. It is common to see same-sex couples together in public, and hostility or discrimination towards LGBT+ visitors is rare.
Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Open Government Licence v3.0), updated 10 Dec 2025. Full advice
Local laws and customs
Money
You cannot always use credit cards outside of major towns. ATMs may not always accept UK debit cards.
Smoking and e-cigarette bans
It is illegal to smoke, including e-cigarettes, in enclosed public places such as restaurants, shopping centres and cinemas.
Marijuana
If they have registered with the Uruguayan government, it is legal for Uruguayan nationals or foreign nationals who have been resident for more than 2 years, to grow marijuana or buy it from registered pharmacies. However, it is illegal for tourists to do this.
LGBT+ travellers
Same-sex marriage is legal and there are anti-discrimination laws. Uruguay also recognises same-sex civil unions. It is common to see same-sex couples together in public, and hostility or discrimination towards LGBT+ visitors is rare.
Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Open Government Licence v3.0), updated 10 Dec 2025. Full advice
Entry requirements
This information is for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK. It is based on the UK government’s understanding of Uruguay’s current rules for the most common types of travel.
The authorities in Uruguay set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the Uruguayan Embassy in the UK.
Passport validity requirements
To enter Uruguay, your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay and have at least one blank page for an entry stamp.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Open Government Licence v3.0), updated 10 Dec 2025. Official entry requirements
Disaster alerts
No active GDACS disaster alerts matched Uruguay as of the last successful refresh.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-10-02
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Vietnam, Maldives, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mar
-
Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-09-23
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
-
Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-10-15 19:24:31 UTC
Recent headlines
No recent national headlines were returned for Uruguay. This is not evidence that conditions are quiet; check local and official sources.
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Uruguay
The most weather-stable two-month window for Uruguay is November–December, when typical daily temperatures run from about 16°C to 24°C and monthly rain averages 89 mm.
No threshold-level heat, cold, wind, or cyclone flag appears in the stored normals; February is the wettest typical month at about 107 mm.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Sep 5, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Diplomatic assistance
Embassies in Montevideo
Asociación Latinoamericana de Integracion and Embassy of Argentina and 3 other embassies are mapped in Montevideo.
OpenStreetMap coverage is a location aid, not an official diplomatic directory. Before travel, save the address and emergency contact details published by your own foreign ministry.
Emergency Numbers
| Police | 911 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 911 |
| Fire | 911 |
| General emergency | 911 |
Backfilled from the public international emergency-number registry. The GSM standard 112 (and 911 in the Americas) is redirected to local emergency services on mobile networks in most countries. Verify locally on arrival.
Frequently asked questions
Is Uruguay safe to visit right now?
Mostly safe with normal precautions. Uruguay has a few categories that warrant planning — read the breakdown below and check the live US State Department advisory. Composite baseline: 35/100 (Moderate risk). Always cross-check with your home country's foreign-ministry advisory within 7 days of departure; the live US State Department advisory is shown above. Last refreshed October 2026.
What is the current travel advisory for Uruguay?
The current US State Department advisory level for Uruguay is shown in the Live conditions section above and is re-fetched every 6 hours from the official RSS feed. UK FCDO, Canada GAC, and Australia DFAT also publish advisories — for high-stakes trips, cross-check at least one foreign-ministry advisory in addition to your home country's. See our travel advisory guide for how to read each tier system.
Is it safe to visit Uruguay in October 2026?
For October 2026, the baseline composite for Uruguay is 35/100 (Moderate risk). Live data — advisories every 6 hours, disaster alerts every 30 minutes, health notices every 12 hours, news every hour — is shown in the Live conditions section above. For a personalized risk briefing for your specific trip and traveler profile, use the Travel Risk Calculator linked above.
How are these country-level travel risk scores calculated?
Each category is scored 0-100 from government advisories (US State Dept), crime indices, Global Peace Index data, WHO/CDC health context, and curated regional editorial knowledge. The composite is a weighted sum across nine categories — see /methodology for the full weight breakdown. Live data (advisories, news, disaster alerts, health notices) is layered on top of the baseline at request time.
Where can I find city-specific safety information for Uruguay?
City-specific files for Uruguay are listed in the City Risk Files section above. Each city page covers the same nine categories at city scope, plus city-specific scam patterns, transport-hub safety notes, medical-access detail, and (where available) neighborhood-level guidance. Use the header search to find a specific city directly.
When was this page last reviewed?
The baseline scores for Uruguay were last reviewed on May 18, 2026. Live intelligence (advisory, disaster alerts, health notices, news) refreshes automatically on the cadences described above.
Is this a substitute for an official travel advisory?
No. Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated risk information for planning purposes only. Always check your home country's official travel advisory and any health notices from your national health authority before traveling.
When is the best time to visit Uruguay?
November–December is the most weather-stable two-month window in the stored 1991-2020 normals. The most weather-stable two-month window for Uruguay is November–December, when typical daily temperatures run from about 16°C to 24°C and monthly rain averages 89 mm.
What is the rainy, hurricane, or severe-weather season in Uruguay?
The stored 1991-2020 normals do not cross this site's seasonal hazard thresholds; check a short-range forecast before departure.
Community Safety Sentiment
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Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.