How is crypto taxed in Uruguay?

Uruguay taxes crypto under its existing income tax rules rather than a special crypto tax. For individuals, a sale of crypto treated as located in Uruguay is typically taxed at an effective 2.4% of the sale price. Since 2026 the rules for foreign gains have widened, and how they apply to crypto still awaits regulation as of October 2026.

How is bitcoin taxed in Uruguay?

According to RSM Uruguay, a 2021 DGI ruling concluded that crypto is neither money nor electronic money but an incorporeal movable asset, similar to an intangible. For individuals under the personal income tax (IRPF), selling or bartering crypto located in Uruguay is taxed at 2.4% of the sale price, or of the market value of what is received. Holding gains are not taxed until a sale.

Companies pay the business income tax (IRAE). They carry locally located crypto at cost, and when they sell it the gain is taxed at 25%. Firms whose main business is trading crypto may record it as inventory. Uruguay also has a net wealth tax, and crypto held at December 31 can count toward it if Uruguayan assets exceed the tax-free minimum.

What is the Uruguay crypto capital gains rule from 2026?

The national budget law for 2025 to 2029, Law 20.446, took effect on January 1, 2026. PwC says it widened foreign-source capital gains and income for resident individuals to include real estate and capital gains on movable property. IMI Daily reports that most foreign capital income and gains are now taxed at 12% for residents without a tax holiday.

RSM says a broad reading of the new source rule could cover crypto located abroad, which would mean 12% on the gain, with an option to pay 2.4% of the sale price. It describes this as uncertain, because the DGI has not set a test for where crypto is located and the rule still needs regulation.

How does the Uruguay tax holiday affect foreign crypto income?

Uruguay has long offered new tax residents a holiday on foreign income. Under Law 20.446, as described by IMI Daily, qualifying residents get a full exemption for 11 years, the year they qualify plus ten calendar years, followed by a five-year transition at 6%. The real estate investment route now requires about US$2 million, and the old 60-day presence route was replaced by a requirement of more than 183 days a year.

Whether a given crypto gain is foreign income covered by the holiday depends on the location question RSM raises. People who move for tax reasons should also check their old country's rules, as why crypto investors move to Puerto Rico shows for the US.

Is crypto regulated in Uruguay?

Yes. Law 20.345, approved in September 2024, gives the Central Bank of Uruguay power to regulate and supervise virtual asset service providers, with the stated goals of consumer protection and anti-money laundering. Other systems are compared in crypto tax around the world.

Whether owning and trading crypto is allowed, and how providers are licensed, is covered in is crypto legal in Uruguay.

Rules differ by country and change often. Check the tax authority or a qualified professional for your own situation.