Can you keep your Uruguay citizenship when you become a U.S. citizen?
Allowed with conditions
Only in some cases
Natural citizens keep their Uruguayan nationality when naturalized in another country, but legal citizens lose their legal citizenship upon any subsequent naturalization.
What the law says
- Article 81 states nationality is not lost by being naturalized in another country.
- To recover exercise of citizenship rights, one must come to the Republic (avecinarse) and register in the Civic Registry.
- A second clause of Article 81 provides that legal citizenship is lost by any other form of subsequent naturalization.
- The Constitution distinguishes natural citizens (nationals) from legal citizens (citizen non-nationals).
- Consequences differ: nationality is not lost by naturalization abroad, but legal citizenship is.
“Nationality is not lost by being naturalized in another country”
What about the U.S. side?
The United States allows dual citizenship. At the oath ceremony you promise to renounce allegiance to other countries, but U.S. law does not make you formally give up your other passport. The question is only whether Uruguay lets you keep yours.
Source: Uruguayan nationality law (Wikipedia, summarized on 2026-11-11). Laws change — confirm with the Uruguay embassy or consulate before your oath ceremony. This is not legal advice.
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