Uruguay — Legal Help

Dial 911. Uruguayan police are professional by regional standards and bribe solicitation is rare — do not offer one. If detained you must be brought before a judge promptly and are entitled to a public defender; embassies (all in Montevideo) supply English-speaking lawyer lists. Sex work is legal for registered adults 18+ under Law 17.515 (2002) and clients are not criminalised, but anything involving under-18s is prosecuted severely under Law 17.815 (2004) on sexual exploitation of minors. The general age of consent is 15; the commercial floor is 18. Note cannabis is legal for registered residents only — tourists cannot legally buy it, and unlicensed sale remains an offence.