Uruguay customs rules & duty-free allowances
Uruguay's customs regime is built around a single hard number: the value of what you bring in. Above the duty-free allowance, a flat 60% duty applies to the excess, with no exemptions for used or opened items. The other defining feature is biosecurity: fresh food, plants, and animal products are confiscated on arrival, and sniffer dogs at Carrasco and the land borders are highly effective. The rules below apply to non-resident adult travellers arriving from abroad in 2026.
Duty-free allowances
Prohibited — banned from import
- Narcotics and psychotropic drugs (including cannabis, even if legal where you're coming from)
- Fresh meat, dairy, and unprocessed animal products
- Fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, and live plants
- Counterfeit goods and pirated media
- Weapons and ammunition without prior permit
- E-waste and used electronics for resale
Restricted — allowed with a permit or declaration
- Prescription medications (especially opioids and psychotropics) — need prescription and declaration
- Drones — require registration and permit from the Uruguayan civil aviation authority
- Satellite phones — need a licence from the communications regulator
- Pets and live animals — require health certificates and quarantine arrangements
- Cultural artefacts and antiques — need export/import permits
Arriving: red vs green channel
At Montevideo's Carrasco airport and at land borders you'll see a red/green channel. Green if you have nothing to declare and you're under the allowances; red if you're over, carrying cash above the threshold, or have food, plants, or animal products. There's no arrival card to fill out in advance — you declare verbally at the channel or on the spot if an officer asks.
Tax-free shopping & VAT refunds
Uruguay has a tourist VAT refund scheme, but it's mostly for purchases shipped or taken out in your luggage. Minimum purchase is UYU 5,000 (about USD 125) at a single store, and you claim at the airport before check-in at the DGI desk — bring the invoice, your passport, and the goods. Not available for services or meals.
Bringing medication
Bring personal medication in original packaging with a prescription or doctor's letter if it's a controlled substance. Uruguay is strict on psychotropics and opioids — some common Western painkillers and ADHD meds are controlled here. Declare anything injectable or narcotic; bringing in more than a 90-day personal supply without a permit is a problem.
Food, plants & animal products
Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, seeds, and plants are banned or must be declared. Processed and sealed snacks are usually fine, but anything fresh gets confiscated and you can be fined. Sniffer dogs at Carrasco and the border crossings are active — declare it rather than risk it.
Rules worth knowing
The 60% flat duty is no joke
Anything above the USD 800 allowance is taxed at 60% of its value, plus a 10% surcharge on the duty. That means a USD 1,000 laptop could cost you around USD 132 in duty at the airport. Officers use online price checks, so under-declaring rarely works.
Land borders are stricter than the airport
If you're arriving by car or bus from Argentina or Brazil, expect a physical inspection more often than at Carrasco. The allowances are the same, but the scrutiny is higher — especially for electronics and food.
You can't pool allowances with family
Each adult gets their own USD 800 allowance. A family of four can't combine into one USD 3,200 pot — each person declares separately, and children get a reduced allowance.
Cannabis is illegal, full stop
Even if you're arriving from a country where cannabis is legal, bringing any amount into Uruguay is a criminal offence. Medical cannabis requires a prior permit from the Ministry of Public Health.