Getting into Uruguay on a tourist visa is easy, and if you plan on retiring in this beautiful South American country, I recommend getting into the country first, and then applying for your permanent residence. You can actually even purchase real estate as a tourist before becoming a resident of Uruguay.
A comprehensive description of how to go about getting your residency can be found at the United States Uruguayan embassy website. There is a section near the bottom of the page 
that discusses permanent residency and explains what the government requires of applicants.
Basically you need to prove that you meet the monthly income requirements, equivalent to about US $500/month, show a clean police record and provide suitable documents, such as your birth certificate. You also need to have a health exam done locally. Any documents that come from outside of Uruguay need to be authenticated and translated, if necessary.
Most often it is best to hire a lawyer who can walk you through the whole process, such as the expert team at LVM Attorneys at Law. They are considered to be the authority on obtaining residency in Uruguay for foreigners.
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We provide all the information required for obtaining permanent residence in Uruguay, whether by study, retirement or business. So we help in the liberalization of paperwork before the official migration organism.
Contact us: residenceuruguay@gmail.com
Uruguayan Relocation Services offers full assesment for your move to Uruguay and residency.
Contact us: uruguayan.relocation.com.uy
or: info@uruguay-relocation.com