Foreign Investments

Challenge

Investment law number 16,906 (passed in January 1998) lays out the juridical and legal framework for investment initiatives in Uruguay. Under this law, promotion and protection of local and foreign investment has been declared as of national interest. Foreign investors may carry out any activity under the same conditions as local investors and are treated the same in terms of taxes. In addition, mechanisms to guarantee the investment have been established.

Uruguay is especially well-positioned to support foreign investment.
Its strategic location in the region, political and economic stability, first-rate infrastructure, high degree of telecommunications development, education level, competitive salary costs (especially for technical staff), personnel availability, appropriate legal framework and a level of security that is noteworthy in the region are some of the factors that differentiate the country from other locations.

Additionally, Free Zones are available. These consist of specially closed-off areas within the national territory. In these Zones, various manufacturing, commercial activities and services are carried out under a special system of customs and tax exemptions. The Free Zones are not under the jurisdiction of state-owned monopoly services.

Solutions from PricewaterhouseCoopers

All of this must be continually complemented with an appropriate communications and promotional strategy, acting in coordination with authorities by attracting potential investors. Having precise, reliable, current and standardized information is the key to putting them within the reach of companies and specialized consultants, thus assuring the country’s participation within location feasibility studies for foreign investors.

Our Professional Consulting center in Zonamerica (formerly the Montevideo Free Zone) is focused on the assisting investor throughout all stages of the undertaking in the region. The objective of the office is to attract investors and offer support during project evaluation and implementation, assisting in project design, location, tax planning, outsourcing for administration and accounting, staff placement and control solutions.

Coupled with the strategic location of our office, PricewaterhouseCoopers Uruguay has a multidisciplinary team of specialized professionals with vast experience in cross-border operations who are fully dedicated to obtaining business opportunities for our clients.