Food supplements for Uruguay: MSP registration and import

Short answer

Can a supplement made in the EU be sold in Uruguay?

Yes, as a suplemento dietario registered with the Ministry of Public Health (MSP). A Uruguayan manufacturer or importer with an MSP habilitación files the registration, which lasts 5 years and costs 20 UR, and an imported product needs an apostilled certificate of free sale. Pharma Manufacture manufactures in Latvia from 150 units and supplies the documents.

The assessment sits with the MSP’s Department of Food, Cosmetics, Household Products and Others, within the División Evaluación Sanitaria, and covers sports supplements as well. Its sector page lists Decreto 315/994 (the national food regulation), Ordenanza 700/018 and Decreto 149/2018. The registration procedure page was last updated on 23 December 2025.

Registration and import

MSP registration of a supplement in Uruguay at a glance

A Uruguayan file needs the certificate of free sale apostilled in Latvia and legalised in Uruguay.

Plan that certificate together with the formula work. Separately, the MSP published requirements for companies that import supplements on 1 July 2017, mandatory from 1 November 2017; the importer confirms the current text with the MSP and checks it against its own habilitación.

Steps

Steps to your first shipment to Uruguay

1. Start the certificate of free sale first, because it passes through two countries: it is issued in Latvia, apostilled and then legalised by Uruguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (issued in Latvia, legalised in Uruguay; no term is published for either step).
2. You choose a ready-made formula or send your own; Pharma Manufacture returns formula options, a price, the formula and nutrition data for form FO-13223-004 and help with the colour label your Director Técnico signs (you and Pharma Manufacture; first reply within 24 hours).
3. The Uruguayan company with the MSP habilitación files forms FO-13223-002, -004 and -013, the signed label, the technical protocol, the statement of intended use and the certificate through VUCE, and pays 20 UR (Uruguayan company; the MSP page gives no review time).
4. Pharma Manufacture makes the batch while the file is reviewed (from 4 weeks, about 8 weeks for a typical run).
5. Once registered, for 5 years, the Uruguayan company imports the goods and clears them in Montevideo (Uruguayan company and its forwarder).

Requirements and fee as published on gub.uy (page updated 23 December 2025), checked 30 October 2026.

In Latvia, certificates of free sale are issued to exporters by the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LTRK), in Latvian and English, on a written application; LTRK lists the fee as EUR 50 + VAT for members and EUR 100 + VAT for non-members. An apostille on a Latvian public document is issued by any sworn notary for EUR 30, or EUR 50 within two hours, and only as an e-apostille.

What you pay. The Uruguayan company pays the MSP 20 UR (Unidades Reajustables) for the registration and again for each 5-year renewal, through VUCE. In Latvia the certificate of free sale costs EUR 50 + VAT or EUR 100 + VAT at LTRK and an apostille EUR 30 at a sworn notary; the legalisation fee in Uruguay was not checked. Import duty depends on the tariff code. The Pharma Manufacture quote covers the product under your brand, made to the agreed formula and volume; help with the label artwork is part of the service, and every batch leaves with a Certificate of Analysis. Prices are sent on request.

Demand

What is known about supplement demand in Uruguay

Official statistics on supplement sales in Uruguay were not found on 30 October 2026.

Shipping

How to import supplements into Uruguay: shipping to Montevideo

The factory is 2 minutes from Riga Airport and close to the Free Port of Riga, so sea freight to Montevideo and air freight both start next to the plant; the buyer’s forwarder chooses the mode. Import is done by the Uruguayan company with the habilitación, which rules out delivered duty paid terms. FCA hands the goods to the buyer’s forwarder in Latvia; DAP delivers them to the agreed place, with duties and clearance on the buyer.

Lead time is from 4 weeks, about 8 weeks for a typical run from confirmed order and specification.

From the factory

What a Uruguayan importer receives from Pharma Manufacture

• The product under your brand in tablets, hard capsules, softgels, effervescent tablets, powder sachets, liquids or sports powders, from 350 ready-made formulas or a custom one.
• The qualitative and quantitative formula and nutrition data for form FO-13223-004.
• A Certificate of Analysis for each batch; a sample of every batch is retained for at least three years.
• Copies of GMP-FS-01, HACCP-01 and ISO 22000:2018 MSC-22-1384, scope tablets, capsules and powders.
• Label design help within the service, for the colour label your Director Técnico signs.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about exporting supplements to Uruguay

Which authority registers food supplements in Uruguay?

The Ministry of Public Health (MSP). Its Department of Food, Cosmetics, Household Products and Others, in the División Evaluación Sanitaria, assesses registrations of suplementos dietarios, including supplements for athletes.

Can supplements be imported into Uruguay?

Yes, once registered as dietary supplements with the MSP. The import is handled by a Uruguayan company with MSP authorisation, which files the registration through VUCE (5 years, 20 UR) with an apostilled certificate of free sale. Pharma Manufacture manufactures in Latvia from 150 units and supplies the documents.

How long is a supplement registration valid in Uruguay?

Five years. The fee is 20 UR (Unidades Reajustables), paid through VUCE for a new product and again for each renewal, according to the MSP procedure page updated on 23 December 2025.

Who files the registration in Uruguay, and what does Pharma Manufacture supply?

A manufacturer or importer holding a current MSP habilitación for that product type files it, and its Director Técnico and Representante Legal sign the forms. Pharma Manufacture supplies the formula, the technical data and the batch documents.

Which certificate does Uruguay need from the EU country of origin?

A certificate of free sale for the product, apostilled or consularised at a Uruguayan consulate, and then legalised by Uruguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Latvia has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 30 January 1996, so the apostille route applies to a product made by Pharma Manufacture. In Latvia certificates of free sale are issued by the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LTRK), and an apostille by any sworn notary.

What goes into a Uruguayan supplement dossier?

Six items: application FO-13223-002, the formula and nutrition table FO-13223-004, the advertising declaration FO-13223-013, a colour label signed by the Director Técnico, a technical protocol and a statement of intended use signed by the Representante Legal and the Director Técnico.

What is the minimum order for a supplement for Uruguay?

Pharma Manufacture starts at 150 units for a ready-made formula in tablets or capsules, which suits a first registration in a small market. Powder sachets start at 80,000, and a formula developed from scratch has a higher minimum.

How long does an order for Uruguay take?

From 4 weeks from order to despatch, about 8 weeks for a typical run. The MSP registration and the legalisation of the certificate run in parallel on the Uruguayan side.

Does the EU-Mercosur agreement apply to Uruguay?

Uruguay notified the EU that it had completed ratification, and on 23 March 2026 the Commission announced that the interim trade agreement would apply provisionally from 1 May 2026. Whether a given supplement enters at a reduced rate depends on its tariff code, which the importer checks in Access2Markets.