¿Why Uruguay?
Located in the center of an area concentrating 80% of GDP and population of the region, Uruguay has a privileged geographical location, which makes it the natural gateway in and out of South America. The Port of Montevideo is handling more containers every year, reducing its costs and lead times as compared to other ports in the region.
Logistic Uruguay
The modern airport, with its specialized cargo terminal, connects Uruguay to the world on a daily basis. The dense network of roads allows for very short road transit times to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.
The availability of skilled labor, both at a technical and a profesional level, and the widespread command of languages like English and Portuguese, favor the installation of operations with regional and even global reach.
The country is renowned for its political, economic and social stability, and maintains an agile and modern financial system, which guarantees bank secrecy, tax secrecy and freedom of movement, and currency exchange.
Free Trade Zone Regime
The Free Zones Law (Law 15,921) is one of the legal underpinnings of Uruguay Logistics. Passed in 1987 and subsequently improved, it gives the country a framework of certainty and specific benefits for the development of a prosperous business environment.
In Uruguayan Free Trade Zones, all kind of commercial, industrial and service activities are allowed, and they have become in recent decades the natural platform for the development of Regional Distribution Centers.
Some of the benefits that this law boasts are:
a. Full exemption of taxes (created or to be created): no customs duties and no business taxes (on Income, on Equity, VAT).
b. Guarantee from the Uruguayan Government, which assumes responsibility for damages caused by any legal changes affecting the activity of the companies set up in FTZ, for the duration of their contract.
c. Flexibility to operate through foreign companies (which maintain ownership of the goods) or through Uruguayan subsidiaries set up as users of the Free Zone.
d. Ability to perform transformation / industrialization of goods in transit within the Free Zone.
e. Freedom to repatriate capital and profits at any time.
Zonamerica
Zonamerica is one of the most important FTZ authorized and established in the Uruguayan territory, located in the nation's capital at 9 km from Montevideo airport and 18 km from the port.
It has excellent land connection to the main logistics centers in the region and through the port and airport it connects on a daily basis to major cities on all continents.
Featured in 2011 as the best Free Trade Zone of the Americas, it has a modern infrastructure with state-of-the-art communications and a logistics platform in constant growth.