# eSIM for Uruguay

Viasimo's Uruguay eSIM starts at $1.79 for 100 MB over 7 days, running on Claro and Movistar with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Canonical page: https://viasimo.com/destinations/uruguay/

## Uruguay eSIM prices

| Plan | Data | Days | Price | Price per GB |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 500 MB, 1 day | 500 MB | 1 | $3.00 | $6.14 |
| 2 GB, 1 day | 2 GB | 1 | $8.00 | $4.00 |
| 10 GB, 1 day | 10 GB | 1 | $30.99 | $3.10 |
| Unlimited, 3 days | Unlimited | 3 | $21.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 5 days | Unlimited | 5 | $34.00 | - |
| 100 MB, 7 days | 100 MB | 7 | $1.79 | $18.33 |
| 1 GB, 7 days | 1 GB | 7 | $4.29 | $4.29 |
| Unlimited, 7 days | Unlimited | 7 | $47.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 10 days | Unlimited | 10 | $64.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 15 days | 3 GB | 15 | $11.99 | $4.00 |
| Unlimited, 15 days | Unlimited | 15 | $96.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 30 days | 3 GB | 30 | $12.99 | $4.33 |
| 5 GB, 30 days | 5 GB | 30 | $19.99 | $4.00 |
| 10 GB, 30 days | 10 GB | 30 | $34.00 | $3.40 |
| 20 GB, 30 days | 20 GB | 30 | $61.99 | $3.10 |
| Unlimited, 30 days | Unlimited | 30 | $184.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 60 days | Unlimited | 60 | $359.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 90 days | Unlimited | 90 | $534.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 180 days | Unlimited | 180 | $1,064.99 | - |

## Which networks does the Uruguay eSIM use?

- **Claro**: 5G
- **Movistar**: 5G

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.

## eSIM Details

- **Data**: 100 MB – 20 GB or unlimited
- **Validity**: 1–180 days
- **Speed**: 4G LTE / 5G
- **Hotspot / tethering**: Supported on most devices
- **Activation**: Automatic on arrival
- **Speed management**: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
- **Top-ups**: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
- **Text messages (SMS)**: Data only: use an app for verification codes
- **Connects via**: Austria
- **Unused validity**: 180 days before it must be installed

## Uruguay: what to know before you land

Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/uruguay/#destination-guide · Researched October 2026 by Viasimo

Uruguay has three mobile operators: the state-owned Antel, Claro and Movistar. This eSIM uses Claro and Movistar on 4G. You're unlikely to have trouble getting a signal. The bigger risks are thieves on motorbikes snatching phones in Montevideo and the summer resorts, cards that may not work outside the larger towns, and beach flags you need to know how to read.

### Uruguay: quick facts

| Fact | Uruguay |
| --- | --- |
| Emergency number | 911 (police and general), 105 (medical), 104 (fire) |
| Main airports | Carrasco International Airport, Montevideo (MVD); Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport, Punta del Este (PDP) |
| Plug types | Type C, F, I, L (230V) |
| Currency | Uruguayan peso (UYU) |
| Apps worth having | WhatsApp, Uber, Google Maps, Google Translate |

### Antel, Claro and Movistar: Uruguay's three networks

(Uruguay · https://viasimo.com/destinations/uruguay/#guide-antel-claro-and-movistar-uruguay-s-three-networks)

Uruguay has one of the most connected populations in Latin America. In 2022 its mobile penetration was second only to Panama's, and there were about 1.6 mobile lines per person. The market is split between the state-owned **Antel**, which also runs the country's fibre broadband, and two private operators, **Claro** and **Movistar**. All three offer 3G and 4G LTE.

Your eSIM connects to **Claro** or **Movistar**, depending on which has the stronger signal, and doesn't use Antel. If someone with an Antel SIM has a signal and you don't, that's the reason. This plan is 4G only in Uruguay, so you won't see 5G on it.

With two networks available, if your data stops working on a ranch road in Tacuarembó or along the empty stretch of the Rocha coast, go into your phone's network settings and manually select the other operator. Remember to switch back to automatic once you're back in a town.

### Motorbike phone snatching in Montevideo, Punta del Este and Colonia

(Uruguay · https://viasimo.com/destinations/uruguay/#guide-motorbike-phone-snatching-in-montevideo-punta-del-este-and-colonia)

The most common crime visitors in Uruguay experience is having their phone or bag snatched. Canada's travel advice describes thieves working in **pairs on motorbikes**: one rides up at a traffic light, car park, ATM or hotel entrance, and the passenger grabs your phone, wallet or bag before they speed off. It happens most in Montevideo and the border towns, and in summer it spreads to **Punta del Este, Rocha and Colonia del Sacramento**.

Avoid using your phone where thieves can easily reach it, such as on the kerb, at a crossing or while waiting for a taxi. Step into a doorway or shop to check directions. Keep a wrist strap or a firm grip on the phone, and set up find-my-device and remote wipe before you go.

The UK Foreign Office also warns about bag-snatching, pickpocketing and occasional armed robbery. Avoid walking alone in downtown Montevideo and around the port at night and at weekends. Thieves also break into cars parked on the street, so use a paid or well-lit car park and keep valuables out of sight. Ride-hailing services are regulated in Uruguay, but check the driver's name and number plate in the app before you get in.

### Emergency numbers, beach flags and card problems outside the cities

(Uruguay · https://viasimo.com/destinations/uruguay/#guide-emergency-numbers-beach-flags-and-card-problems-outside-the-cities)

The main emergency number is **911**. Canada's advice also lists **105** for medical help and **104** for the fire service. Because the eSIM is data only, you'll need your home SIM or a hotel phone to make a call.

On the Atlantic beaches from Punta del Este to La Pedrera and Cabo Polonio, lifeguards are usually on duty from **December to March** only. Check the coloured flags, and watch out for rip currents, rocks and sandbanks. A **black flag** means a thunderstorm is coming, so leave the beach. Storms can last two or three days and cause flooding, and forest fires can start in dry areas between December and March. Check the forecast on your phone before setting out on long drives along the coast.

The UK warns that credit cards may not be accepted outside the main towns, and ATMs may reject UK debit cards. Some businesses take US dollars or Argentine pesos as well as Uruguayan pesos, but carry enough pesos before you head inland, and keep your cash and cards in separate places.

### Sources for the Uruguay guide

- [Telecommunications in Uruguay (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_Uruguay)
- [Uruguay travel advice: safety and security (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/uruguay/safety-and-security)
- [Travel advice and advisories for Uruguay (Government of Canada)](https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/uruguay)
- [Mains electricity by country (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mains_electricity_by_country)

## Seven days in Uruguay: Montevideo, Colonia del Sacramento, Punta del Este and Cabo Polonio

7-day itinerary · 7 days · Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/uruguay/#itinerary

An easy bus-based week from Montevideo: the capital's old town and Rambla, the colonial streets of Colonia del Sacramento on the River Plate, then east to Punta del Este and José Ignacio and a night in the dune village of Cabo Polonio.

**When to go:** December to March is summer and beach season, with lifeguards on duty and Carnival from late January into February; October to November and March to April are quieter and mild, while winter on the coast is cold and many resort businesses close.

### Day 1 in Uruguay: Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja

- **Base:** Montevideo
- **Getting there:** Carrasco Airport is about 30 to 40 minutes from the centre by taxi, app car or the COT and CUTCSA airport buses.
- **Plan:** Start on Plaza Independencia under the tower of the Palacio Salvo and walk through the Puerta de la Ciudadela, the surviving gate of the old city walls. Take a guided tour of the Teatro Solís, then follow the pedestrian Sarandí street through the Ciudad Vieja to Plaza Matriz and the cathedral. Finish at the Mercado del Puerto, an iron-roofed market hall full of parrillas grilling beef over wood fires.
- **Mobile signal:** Claro and Movistar 4G across Montevideo; this plan has no 5G here. Step into a doorway to check your phone, as motorbike thieves target people using phones on the kerb.

### Day 2 in Uruguay: The Rambla, Parque Rodó and the Palacio Legislativo

- **Base:** Montevideo
- **Plan:** Visit the Palacio Legislativo, the marble parliament building, on a guided tour. Then head to Parque Rodó and the Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales for Uruguayan painting, including works by Pedro Figari and Joaquín Torres García. In the late afternoon, walk or cycle the Rambla, the seafront promenade, from Punta Carretas to Pocitos, and watch the sunset over the River Plate with the locals and their mate.
- **Mobile signal:** Strong 4G along the Rambla and in all central neighbourhoods.

### Day 3 in Uruguay: Colonia del Sacramento

- **Base:** Colonia del Sacramento
- **Getting there:** Montevideo to Colonia is about 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes by bus from the Tres Cruces terminal.
- **Plan:** Take the bus west to Colonia del Sacramento, a Portuguese-founded town on the River Plate whose Barrio Histórico is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk through the Portón de Campo, the old town gate, and down the cobbled Calle de los Suspiros. Climb the lighthouse beside the ruined San Francisco convent, visit a few of the small museums on the same ticket, and watch the sun set over the water towards Buenos Aires.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G along Ruta 1 and in Colonia. Near the waterfront your phone may pick up an Argentine network across the river, which a Uruguay plan does not cover.

### Day 4 in Uruguay: Real de San Carlos and back to Montevideo

- **Base:** Montevideo
- **Getting there:** Real de San Carlos is about 5 km from the old town. Colonia to Montevideo is about 2 hours 30 minutes by bus.
- **Plan:** Hire a bike or golf cart in Colonia and ride north along the coast to Real de San Carlos, an early 20th-century leisure complex with an abandoned Moorish-style bullring. Return to the old town for lunch, then take an afternoon bus back to Montevideo. In the evening, visit the Museo del Carnaval near the port to learn about candombe and murga, Uruguay's Carnival traditions.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G throughout Colonia, on the coastal road and on the bus route back to Montevideo.

### Day 5 in Uruguay: Punta del Este and Casapueblo

- **Base:** Punta del Este
- **Getting there:** Montevideo to Punta del Este is about 2 hours by bus; Punta Ballena is about 20 minutes back towards Montevideo.
- **Plan:** Take the bus east to Punta del Este. Walk out to the peninsula, past the port where sea lions wait for scraps from the fishing boats, and see La Mano, the sculpture of fingers emerging from the sand on Playa Brava. In the late afternoon, take a bus or taxi to Punta Ballena to visit Casapueblo, the whitewashed house and studio built by artist Carlos Páez Vilaró, and stay for sunset over the sea.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G is good in Punta del Este and at Casapueblo. In summer, crowded beaches can slow data.

### Day 6 in Uruguay: José Ignacio and on to Cabo Polonio

- **Base:** Cabo Polonio
- **Getting there:** Punta del Este to José Ignacio is about 40 minutes; José Ignacio to the Cabo Polonio entrance is about 2 hours by road, then 20 to 30 minutes in the park truck.
- **Plan:** Drive or take the bus east along the coast to José Ignacio, a small village with a lighthouse on a rocky point and long beaches on both sides. Continue into Rocha department to the entrance of Cabo Polonio National Park, where open-top 4x4 trucks carry visitors across the dunes to the village. Walk to the lighthouse and the rocks where sea lion colonies rest, and spend the night in a village with limited electricity.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G in José Ignacio and along Ruta 10, but signal in Cabo Polonio is weak and many houses have little or no power. Charge a power bank before you go in.

### Day 7 in Uruguay: Cabo Polonio dunes and back to Montevideo

- **Base:** Montevideo
- **Getting there:** Cabo Polonio to Montevideo is about 4 hours by road or bus.
- **Plan:** Get up early to walk on the dunes and the beaches around Cabo Polonio, watching the sea lions at the point and, from July to November, southern right whales offshore. Take the truck back to the park entrance in the late morning, then return to Montevideo by bus or car. If you have time before your flight, stop at the Carrasco promenade near the airport.
- **Mobile signal:** Weak signal in Cabo Polonio. Claro or Movistar 4G returns at the park entrance and along Ruta 9 to Montevideo.

### Staying connected on this Uruguay route

- Your eSIM uses Claro and Movistar on 4G, not Antel; if data stops on the Rocha coast, choose the other network manually.
- In Colonia, keep an eye on the network name: Argentine networks can reach across the river.
- Charge a power bank before Cabo Polonio, where electricity is limited and the signal is weak.
- Set up find-my-device and remote wipe before the trip, and check your phone in a doorway, not at the kerb.

### Sources for the Uruguay itinerary

- [Cabo Polonio (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabo_Polonio)
- [UNESCO World Heritage: Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/747)
- [GOV.UK: Uruguay safety and security](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/uruguay/safety-and-security)
- [Government of Canada: travel advice for Uruguay](https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/uruguay)
- [Telecommunications in Uruguay (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_Uruguay)

## About this eSIM

Uruguay is a small, flat, thinly populated country, and its mobile coverage follows exactly that shape: excellent along the coast where nearly everyone lives, adequate on the main routes, and increasingly sparse across an interior made mostly of cattle. A travel eSIM handles the whole trip comfortably, provided you understand that "the interior" here means genuine open country and not a suburb of the capital.

### Getting online when you land

Install the profile before you travel, over a home wifi connection, and leave it switched off. Most visitors reach Uruguay either through Carrasco airport outside Montevideo or on the ferry across the River Plate from Buenos Aires, and the ferry crossing in particular is not a place to be troubleshooting a phone.

Once you are on the ground, enable the travel profile and turn on data roaming for it. Coastal and capital coverage is good, so it should attach quickly. If it stalls, a single airplane-mode cycle usually resolves it.

Keep your usual SIM installed with data off. The number stays reachable for verification codes, which matters here because card payments are common and your bank may want to check in.

### The networks you'll be on

Two networks carry your traffic in Uruguay: Claro and Movistar, both running 4G LTE. Having a choice of two is a real advantage away from the coast, since where one has built a mast the other has often built somewhere slightly different.

Along the shoreline and in the capital, expect 4G as the default. Inland, the pattern reverses: 4G on and around the main routes, 3G in the gaps, and stretches with nothing. Leave network selection on automatic rather than pinning your phone to a faster generation, because pinning it is what turns a slow connection into no connection.

### Where coverage holds, and where it thins

The country's population hugs the water, and so does its signal. Montevideo, the length of the Rambla, Ciudad de la Costa, Piriapolis, Punta del Este and the resort towns strung along the Rocha coast are all dependable. Colonia del Sacramento and the road along the River Plate are fine. Route 1 west and Route 9 east are the two arteries where a road trip stays connected most of the time.

Away from that, expect real gaps. The rolling grassland of the interior, the estancia country around Tacuarembo and Durazno, the back roads between small inland towns and the pine forests behind the eastern beaches all drop signal without warning. Cabo Polonio deserves a specific mention: it is reached across dunes, sits off the electricity grid, and the whole point of the place is that it is disconnected. Do not plan around having a phone there.

Summer changes things on the coast. When the resort towns fill up, networks that are ample in the off season carry many times the load, and speeds during peak beach hours reflect that even where the signal bars look healthy.

### What you'll actually use data for here

Driving is how most people see Uruguay, so live navigation and offline backups are the core use. Distances are short by South American standards but junctions on rural routes are lightly signposted, and a wrong turn on a gravel road can cost an hour.

Beyond that: booking a beach house, messaging a host who communicates entirely by WhatsApp, checking which restaurants are open out of season, translating a menu written for people who already know what they are ordering, and finding a fuel station that takes your card. Uruguay is quiet in a way that means opening hours vary and calling ahead is genuinely worth it.

Photographs and video are the other appetite, especially if you are chasing sunsets over the water. If you intend to upload as you go, allow for it rather than assuming the beach town you are in will have wifi worth using.

### Before you fly

Download offline maps of the whole country, which is small enough that this costs very little storage and saves you repeatedly. Include the coastal routes and any inland roads you plan to drive.

Install the eSIM profile and check your phone is unlocked. Save accommodation contacts and any booking references so they open with no connection. Bring a plug adapter and a power bank, and if Cabo Polonio or a remote stretch of the Rocha coast is on your list, tell somebody your plans before you go rather than expecting to message from there.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does an eSIM work in Uruguay?

Yes. Your Uruguay eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are Claro, Movistar. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

### Do I get 5G in Uruguay?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on Claro, Movistar in Uruguay, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

### Which networks does a travel eSIM use in Uruguay?

This eSIM connects to Claro or Movistar on 4G/LTE, using whichever has the stronger signal. It doesn't use Antel, the state-owned operator that also runs most of Uruguay's fibre broadband. All three networks offer 4G, and Uruguay has one of the highest mobile penetration rates in Latin America.

### Is phone theft a problem in Montevideo?

Yes, especially snatch thefts. Canada's travel advice warns that thieves on motorbikes work in pairs, grabbing phones and bags at traffic lights, ATMs and hotel entrances. This happens most often in Montevideo and the border towns, and in summer it extends to Punta del Este, Rocha and Colonia. Check your phone away from the kerb, and turn on remote wipe.

### What are the emergency numbers in Uruguay?

Dial 911 for the police and for general emergencies. Canada's advice also lists 105 for medical help and 104 for the fire service. The eSIM is data only and can't make calls, so use your home SIM, a hotel phone or ask someone nearby. Lifeguards usually only patrol beaches between December and March.

### Will my bank card work in rural Uruguay?

Not always. The UK Foreign Office says credit cards may not be accepted outside the main towns and that ATMs may reject UK debit cards. Some businesses accept US dollars or Argentine pesos as well as Uruguayan pesos, but carry enough pesos before driving inland, and keep cash and cards in separate places.

### How much data do I need for 7 days in Uruguay?

For 7 days in Uruguay, Viasimo sells 100 MB for $1.79, 1 GB for $4.29, and unlimited data for $47.99. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

## Information and verification

- **Prices and plans**: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in. Verified October 30, 2026.
- **Host networks**: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.