Uruguay
Uruguay pairs statutory freedom of panorama with a strict portrait-consent rule, and DINACIA requires authorization before tourists fly drones.
Guidance, not legal advice
Drone Authority
Check the flight side
Photography access and drone permission are separate questions. Drone Authority covers the flight-law side for this country.
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: No permit for casual public photography; municipal film offices (Montevideo's locations office) for production-scale commercial shoots
Personal and editorial photography in public needs no permit. Commercial productions that occupy public space typically coordinate with the relevant municipality.
Drone / airspace
Regulated by DINACIA; tourists can fly but need registration or authorization first, with standard 120 m altitude and line-of-sight limits
No foreign pilot license is required, but visitors are expected to hold DINACIA authorization before flying, and flights over populated areas and crowds are prohibited. Commercial operations need a permit. For depth, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes to photograph, but marketing a portrait requires the subject's express consent
Law 9.739 Art. 21: a portrait may not be commercialized without the person's express consent (and heirs' consent after death), with exceptions for scientific, educational, cultural purposes and facts of public interest occurring in public.
Freedom of panorama
Full
Law No. 9.739 Art. 45(8) permits photographic reproduction of paintings, monuments, and allegorical figures exhibited in museums, parks, or promenades, provided the works are held in the public domain of display. Wikimedia Commons classifies Uruguay as FoP OK.
Practical notes
- Montevideo's Rambla and Ciudad Vieja are unrestricted for handheld work; production gear on public space is what triggers municipal coordination.
- The portrait-consent rule is stricter than neighbors: for any commercial image built around an identifiable person, get a signed release.
- Casapueblo and Punta del Este landmarks are safe commercial subjects under the panorama provision.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: