Hi Brian. I have lived in several Latin American countries, and traveled overland via motorhome 11 times from the USA (and Alaska) via the Pan Am Highway.
I agree with you on Uruguay, but I do have a bit of different opinion, because I am not looking for the Punta del Easte type of place or lifestyle, I have chosen the unique border area of Chuy, which borders with Brazil. I found a great deal of info on that area at the trekamericas net website. If you need specific info I will be happy to converse with you. Wish you a happy move and future, Normando my email is xfiles2000atyahoo...

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Hi Brian,

sorry for the inconveniences. I answer all my mails. Unfortunatelly I didn't get yours as I had a problem in the web (which now was corrected by the webmaster). This made that I did not receive your mails. I noticed it as several clients complained about not receiving an answer to emails I did not get (they phoned me).

I sent you the answers to your questions by email.

Kind regards,

Peter Stross
Uruguayan Relocation Services
http://www.uruguay-relocation.com
uruguayan.relocation@montevideo.com.uy
(00598 2) 709 0691
(00598) 99 600 455

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Sure... any info would be great. We'll be staying in Montevideo to start. I don't think we are looking for the Punta del Easte lifestyle as well. My regular email address is itsbettertobe@yahoo.com

Thanks a bunch,

Brian

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Hi Brian,
I was born in Uruguay, lived all my life in Pocitos. Now I am living in Sydney, Australia.
Pocitos is a great place to live and bring up your familiy, it is very well located, not far from the CBD (what we call Centro y Ciudad Vieja), it has very good transport everywhere, good access to schools because of the good transport, and now (I havent lived in Montevideo for 8 years) good schools. But stick to the old ones, the ones that have been there for ever like British School, Ivy Thomas, Colegio Seminario (where I went), etc.
Regarding accomodation, I cannot help with this, since I am not there, but there is plenty of rentals in Pocitos. When you get there ask at the American Embassy about the american communities in Uruguay, they will be able to help you and give you contacts of expats like you, who will be able to give you tips abt probably everything you need to know regarding living there.
My family is still living in Montevideo, so i try to visit every year, I have been there last July, and I found the place extremely unsafe, unfortunately these days there is a lot of crime. Please watch out. It is betta that somebody lets you know about this. It is not as bad as Sao Paulo, but it is not as it was 8 years ago. If you get in contact with someone living there now, please ask. They will be able to give you a betta insight than me. Perhaps I am very spoilt living here, where we don't lock the doors, I dont know.
Regarding the residency and inmigration papers, it is no very difficult, it is a bit of a pain in the neck, like we say here, but it is pretty lean compare to what it would be in any other country.
Well, please let me know if you need some other information, and I will try to get it for you. Regards,

Florencia

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Hi: My friend and I were in Uruguay in November and stayed at the PuntaTrouville Apartment Hotel in Pocitos. We absolutely loved our stay there. They have short-term and long-term apartments, rather small but very comfortable. They have a couple of suites and a fabulous breakfast buffet included in the price. The staff were very sweet and helpful as well. One block away is a cafe' called Old Maz at 21 de Septiembre 3090. Every Sunday at 1pm ex-pats from all over gather to eat and socialize. It is a great way to meet others and get assistance. Hope this is helpful info.

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Hello Brian:

I think I can point you in the right direction on a variety of issues but I may need some more information.

First, let me introduce myself. I am an American as is my husband (Chicago and Los Angeles) and we first came to Uruguay in 2005. We actually wanted to see Buenos Aires and the United
flight, in those days, hopped over to Montevideo for no extra cost so we went with it. We were delighted with what we saw. WE ended up building a house in Punta del Este and live here about 8 months of the year.

Our impression is that Montevideo is a nice city and if one is working, I think it would be a great place to work and enjoy the views from the office windows of the Rio Plata and the beach. But otherwise, Montevideo suffers from the Philadelphia problem. Buenos Aires is 16M people. Montevideo is 1.6M and so it is overshadowed by its much larger neighbor. That is not all bad but unless you need to live in the city to work you may want to look around a little bit before you decide on Montevideo.

Most write ups about Uruguay include many paragraphs about Punta del Este. Punta may not be your cup of tea but the reason everyone writes about it is because it is special. So you may want to visit Punta and see what you think. Many of us here are delighted to have found it.

I can put you in touch with a number of different people who have real estate firms and/or relocation firms. Most people we have met here are straight shooters but as is true everywhere, check out what you are told with more than one source. The name of a real estate lady that keeps coming up from friends in Punta del Este is Ms. Magela Landaco. You can call her in Montevideo and/or look up on her website. Magela's phone number is 598 02 915-5861. The name of the company is Ciudad Vieja and the website is www.inmobiliariaciudadvieja.com I do not know her, friends have said that she is sharp.

I assume you are moving here when your daughter gets out of school. All of the kids here will be in school and not break until December since they just went back to school in March.

May is November here in the southern hemisphere. Montevideo is at the same latitude as Charleston, S.C. and so it will be a little damp at times during the winter and around 40 - 60 degrees depending and in the 30's - 40's probably at night. So when asked what to bring, you need some good sweaters, jackets, good quality blankets that kind of thing. Gym shoes are expensive but leather goods are not. All electronics are expensive and not current as to the latest and greatest. Bring laptops (towers will not work) the latest router(s), digital cameras, Blackberry or the like, and cell phones with the chip for Uruguay which is the 4th zone or something like that. Carry these items on the plane. If you put them in your luggage they will not get here. And you probably will want Skype on your computer so you can call the U.S. and not blow your month's budget.

Anything that is manufactured is expensive especially metal works - - so a metal garbage can is crazy money. Bring books in English. Plus do you know how to send magazine subscriptions here? Mail Box Miami can do that. You can look them up on line. If you were definitely moving here I would give you a list of things for setting up a household but that should wait until you have decided if Uruguay is right for you.

I don't know if you need certain medications and most everything is available here but there are a few things that we just could not get here and so we get a year's worth in the U.S. and bring those prescriptions with us. And that just reminded me, Visine is not sold here or so I am told, so if you wear contacts you might want to put some bottles in your luggage. Plus, I am sure that they have pepto bismol, Aleve, etc etc but I never know what I am looking at when at the grocery store or pharmacy because my spanish is not that good nor is my knowledge of drugs, so I bring sugar free Hall's mentholyptus cough drops and Advil and the like.

Also, since I play tennis and maybe you do too, bring your tennis racket and balls because they are expensive here. Golf clubs may be expensive here as well but I don't know about that.

As far as social groups you can get a lot of information from them. I can tell you that there is an English Speaking Club in Punta del Este but I do not know about Montevideo. There is an American Women's Club in Montevideo and they may be of some help in getting settled.

Because of the change in our government, the new Ambassabor has not yet been appointed but at some point that will happen. The Embassy will probably be helpful if you contact them.

Once you have filed for residency, which takes a year to get - - at least it did for us and pretty much everyone I have talked to says the same thing, you can sent your container with your goods duty free. And by the way, we used a lawfirm to help us in filing for residency and again, everyone I know did the same.

Some advice on the filing for residency. Have your wife file seperately from you. This helps in that there will be 2 files, not one for a husband and wife. What that allows you to do is send your container here (which by the way our 40' container only cost about $2,500 to ship here from Washington D.C. and have it delivered to our house). And then after about a year of living here, you realize what you miss/need/forgot and you can send another container under the other name.

I realize I have rambled on and on. I hope this is of some help. If you have more questions just leave a message. I had forgotten about this website, not having looked at it in many months, but today for some reason I did and saw your message posted and thought I could help. I will check back in a week and see if you have responded.

Best of luck and welcome to Uruguay.

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Hello Brian, Chrystal and Zoë,

I've read your message and I'm sure to be of assistance for you.

After working for several multinational companies for more than 12 years, I've joined URUVAN TRANSPORT a mover leading company in Uruguay.
Uruvan was established in 1982 and our commitment to excellence is supported by international organizations and customers. Every year, individuals, embassies, national and international organizations trust on our company, recurrently hiring our services.
Our work is based on strict strategic planning, continually striving to achieve best quality standards of services.

Uruvan holds ISO 9001-2000 and FAIM accreditation, awarded by the Federation Internationale de Demenageurs Internationaux (FIDI), the premier trade association in the international moving industry.
Apart from that we received the 2006 IDB (Interamerican Developing Bank) Award as the best removal company over the world.

Our dedicated team has achieved the highest quatily accreditation in order to assit you assuring service quality and answering any questions you may have since you start with your removal coordination.

Uruvan is one of the largest moving organization in Uruguay and a referent in the national and international market offrering :

Door to door services : We coordinate for you: home survey at origin, quotation, packing at origin, customs clearances at origin, shipping, customs clearances at destination, delivery and unpacking at final destination.
Uruvan will be permanently in contact with your through our International Removal Department.
A staff member will assist you on every aspect of your removal and will assure service process as promised.

Destination services : If you arrange by your side the door to port services, we can offer you the services from port to final residence. It consist on customs clearances at destination, delivery and unpacking at final destination.

Storage at destination: Uruvan offers a safe, clean and secure option for your effects in transit or long-term storage. Our storage area is of 4000m2 in 4 floors, lodaing elevator, purpose-built boxes for artwork, furniture, goods and files.
A 24 hs. security system protects our building as well as complying with the National Firemen Administration with a fire prevention system

Relocation services : This service helps to simplify your and your family integration to our country, receiving you at your arrival and facilitatin your insertion. The service provides all the neccesary information in order to make the adjustment process more pleasant and also takes care of every detail regarding moving logistic.
We can assist on tasks such as looking for an appropriate residence, school for children, hiring local services and finding new recreationsl activities like vacation sites, shopping places and point of cultural interest and also provide education on the local language.


It will be a pleasure for us if this information is useful for you and appreciate your comments about it.

You can find us at: www.uruvan.com.uy or contact directly to my email address: arlettesanchez@uruvan.com.uy

We remain in contact.

Best regards,
Arlette Sánchez
URUVAN TRANSPORT LTDA.
(5982) 208 26 27 Ext. 106

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Elsewhere on this site, someone mentioned bringing bathroom fixtures (mirrors, towel racks). I plan to build a home and was wondering if the tubs/showers, toilets, and sinks there are of high-end quality? Thanks.

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What?! You suggested these poor people Magela Landaco, number one bad real agent in Uruguay? You must be crazy. You don't know the "ways" she uses to sell houses. Her manners are out of discussion. Really a gangster. And I hope these poor people won't have serious problems with her!!!

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Fernando thank you for sharing that information, I think it is really important that people share their opinions and experiences GOOD AND BAD. If we only hear the nice stuff then people think everything is perfect and are not wary.

There lots of helpful info on www.totaluruguay.com. The free ebook there has info written by expats all about finding apartments to rent, the rental process, applying for residency and more.

Good luck with your move!

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