Broadly safe for most visitors, with only routine travel precautions needed. Public health and infrastructure are well developed.
Regional breakdown
The official advisory guidance flags four departments where crime is most common: Montevideo, Canelones, Maldonado and Rivera. Most reported incidents cluster in and around the capital, Montevideo, particularly in the Ciudad Vieja old town after dark. The Centro district, and around the port and bus terminal. Travellers also report bag snatches and phone thefts along the Rambla waterfront. Canelones wraps around Montevideo and includes the airport at Carrasco. Petty theft happens on commuter routes and at busy beach towns like Las Piñas during the summer season. Maldonado covers the resort strip from Punta del Este to José Ignacio. Crime here rises sharply in January and February when the population swells with holidaymakers from Argentina and Brazil. Hotel break-ins and car break-ins are the usual pattern. Rivera sits on the Brazilian border and shares a town with Santana do Livramento. Cross-border smuggling and street crime push the risk higher than in the interior. The rural west and north, including Salto, Tacuarembó and Colonia del Sacramento, see far fewer incidents. Colonia in particular remains a calm day-trip option from Buenos Aires by ferry.
Recent advisory changes
The official advisory guidance reissued its Uruguay advisory on 7 May 2025 and kept it at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution. The wording points to homicides, armed robberies, carjackings and thefts happening across the country. It singles out criminals working in pairs on motorbikes who target pedestrians and people leaving ATMs. There is no ordered departure and no zones placed under a higher level. The embassy in Montevideo remains fully open. The official advisory guidance last updated its Uruguay page on 10 December 2025. The change was administrative and covered new wording for dual nationals returning to the UK on the entry requirements section. The official advisory guidance does not warn against travel to any part of Uruguay. Its safety and security pages flag street crime in Montevideo, opportunistic theft at beach resorts during the summer high season. And the usual advice on demonstrations, which are generally peaceful but can disrupt traffic in central Montevideo. Both governments treat Uruguay as one of the calmer destinations in South America. While still asking travellers to stay alert in the four departments named above.
What travellers should know
Carry only what you need for the day and leave passports, spare cards and larger sums in a hotel low-risk. Use ATMs inside banks or shopping centres during daylight hours rather than street machines late at night. Keep phones out of sight on the Rambla and on public transport, and be wary of riders on scooters slowing down beside you. If you are robbed, hand over belongings without resistance — local police and the US advisory both stress that confrontation raises the risk of injury. Driving is generally orderly but rural roads can be poorly lit and livestock sometimes wander onto carriageways at night. Hire cars are a common target for smash-and-grab thefts at beach car parks in Maldonado, so do not leave bags visible. Tap water is drinkable in Montevideo and most towns. Healthcare in the capital is good and private clinics accept card payment, but comprehensive travel insurance with medical cover is still essential. The emergency number is 911. travellers can contact the embassy in Montevideo, and travellers can reach the US Embassy on +598 1770 2000. Both governments recommend signing up for travel alerts before arrival.