53 Spanish terms out of the documents and out of the conversation at the intendencia counter, plus 17 ready-made phrases for that conversation. Every entry has the Spanish spelling, a respelling of the Uruguayan pronunciation and a translation: you need to recognize the word on paper and to be able to say it out loud.
Found 53 terms and 17 phrases.
cédula de identidad
[SEH-doo-lah deh ee-den-tee-DAHD]
— national identity card
Uruguay's internal passport in the form of a card. For a reválida (converting a foreign license) they accept ONLY a Uruguayan cédula or a Uruguayan/Mercosur passport; for primera vez your own country's passport will do. In conversation people call it simply “la cédula”.
libreta (de conducir)
[lee-BREH-tah (deh kohn-doo-SEER)]
— driver's license (colloquially, “the little book”)
The everyday name for the license itself, though it turns up in official texts too. The clerk at the counter will almost certainly say “la libreta”, not “el permiso” or “la licencia”.
carné de salud
[kahr-NEH deh sah-LOOD]
— workplace health card
NOT the document you need for a license: the carné de salud is the compulsory medical checkup for employment, issued by ASSE. For a license you need a constancia de aptitud psicofísica. The word carné on its own means “card, booklet”.
constancia de aptitud psicofísica
[kohns-TAHN-syah deh ahp-tee-TOOD see-koh-FEE-see-kah]
— certificate of psychophysical fitness
The medical document actually required for a license. It is good for 60 calendar days and is issued by any place on the official list (17 clinics and laboratories in the department). The “ps” at the start of the word is silent: say see-koh-FEE-see-kah.
Permiso Único Nacional de Conducir (PUNC)
[per-MEE-soh OO-nee-koh nah-syoh-NAHL deh kohn-doo-SEER (poonk)]
— the single national driver's license
The official name of the license itself — the plastic card you carry. One person, one PUNC, with every category on the same document. The abbreviation is said as a word: poonk. The same word names the rules the license is issued under; in this guide those are a separate entry, the PUNC regulations.
Certificado de Antecedentes Judiciales
[ser-tee-fee-KAH-doh deh ahn-teh-seh-DEN-tes hoo-dee-SYAH-les]
— certificate of no criminal record
NOT required for category A: it is asked for only on the professional categories B and H. If it is asked for on a non-professional license, that is a reason to ask again.
Seguro Obligatorio de Automotores (SOA)
[seh-GOO-roh oh-blee-gah-TOH-ryoh deh ow-toh-moh-TOH-res (SOH-ah)]
— compulsory motor insurance
Needed on the day of the practical exam, and it has to be in force — they check the insurance of the car you take the exam in.
fotocopia
[foh-toh-KOH-pyah]
— photocopy
The identity document is asked for “y fotocopia” — the original AND a photocopy. Nobody makes the copy for you on the spot, you have to bring it with you.
vigente
[vee-HEN-teh]
— in force, not expired
The key word in the lists of requirements: the document has to be vigente on the day you hand it in. They ask “¿está vigente?” — “is it still valid?”.
vencido / vencida
[ven-SEE-doh / ven-SEE-dah]
— expired
The opposite of vigente. How long it has been expired decides how much of the procedure you repeat: a license more than 2 years expired is renewed with exams.
hurto o extravío
[OOR-toh oh eks-trah-VEE-oh]
— theft or loss
The wording for a lost license: you need a denuncia policial (a police report), and you can file it at any Jefatura in the country.
tirilla de asistencia
[tee-REE-zhah deh ah-sees-TEN-syah]
— attendance slip
A narrow printed slip handed to you at the licensing office: on one side the timetable of the compulsory talk and where to find the study guide, on the other what to bring to the practical exam. It doubles as proof that you attended the talk, and the office asks in print for it to be shown — keep the slip. In conversation it is just “la tirilla”.
libreta de propiedad
[lee-BREH-tah deh proh-pyeh-DAHD]
— the car’s title
Not to be confused with a libreta, the driver's license: this is a document for the CAR. For the practical exam in Montevideo it is required along with the insurance, and the car cannot carry STX, STU or SES plates.
trámite
[TRAH-mee-teh]
— administrative procedure, the paperwork
The umbrella word for the whole route: you start a trámite, you finish a trámite. It is the trámite that has the overall life of 180 calendar days.
días corridos
[DEE-ahs koh-RREE-dohs]
— calendar days
As opposed to días hábiles, working days. Every deadline in the procedure — 180 days for the trámite, 60 days for the medical certificate — is counted in calendar days, weekends included.
agenda previa
[ah-HEN-dah PREH-vyah]
— appointment booked in advance
Booking an appointment. You need one to file, but for the charla de manejo defensivo it is the other way round: you come “sin agenda previa”, with no booking at all.
agendarse
[ah-hen-DAHR-seh]
— to book an appointment
The very verb to say at the counter: “quiero agendarme”. The answer “se le agendará” means “you will be booked in”.
aspirante
[ahs-pee-RAHN-teh]
— applicant, candidate driver
This is what the rules call you all the way until the license is handed over. On paper you are an aspirante a conductor — never a customer, never a petitioner.
comparecer
[kohm-pah-reh-SER]
— to appear in person on the appointed day
The bureaucratic word for showing up. “Nueva fecha para comparecer” is the new date you are being called in for.
expediente
[eks-peh-DYEN-teh]
— case file, the folder holding your application
Your set of papers inside the intendencia's system. It is what they look up to see which step you are stuck on.
unofficial source — check it on the spot
caducado
[kah-doo-KAH-doh]
— lapsed, struck out
What happens to your case file if you do not make the 180 days: it is struck out, and everything starts over.
unofficial source — check it on the spot
reválida
[rreh-VAH-lee-dah]
— recognition (conversion) of a foreign license
A separate procedure for people who already hold a license from another country. In Maldonado it is available only for the non-professional categories A, G1 and G2.
canje
[KAHN-heh]
— exchange of a license under a bilateral agreement
Not the same thing as a reválida: a canje is possible where a bilateral agreement exists (only Spain is officially confirmed).
renovación
[rreh-noh-vah-SYOHN]
— renewal of a license
You renew within the 30 days BEFORE the license expires. The word is worth knowing so you do not take the renewal window for a first-time application.
antigüedad
[ahn-tee-gweh-DAHD]
— how long you have held the category
In the table of categories this is a line of its own. Category A asks for none — “Antigüedad con otra Licencia: no”.
llevar
[zheh-VAHR]
— to bring, to take with you
The verb from the “what to bring” lists. The River Plate accent shows here: ll sounds like the s in measure, so llevar is zheh-VAHR, not yeh-VAHR.
ventanilla
[ven-tah-NEE-zhah]
— service window, counter
The very window you walk up to. The word never appears in the official texts about licenses, but it is constant in live speech: “pase por la ventanilla dos”.
unofficial source — check it on the spot
turno
[TOOR-noh]
— queue, ticket, appointed time
The colloquial synonym for a booking: “¿tengo turno?” — “do I have a slot?”. The official pages use agenda and agendarse instead.
unofficial source — check it on the spot
vencimiento del trámite
[ven-see-MYEN-toh del TRAH-mee-teh]
— the date your case file is good until
The date after which a started case file burns up and everything begins again. A line of its own, “Vencimiento Trámite”, stands first on the slip handed out at the office — so you carry your own deadline home on paper. Not to be confused with the expiry date of the license itself.
examen teórico (prueba teórica)
[ek-SAH-men teh-OH-ree-koh (PRWEH-bah teh-OH-ree-kah)]
— theory exam
One attempt per category; failing any part means failing the whole theory exam.
examen práctico
[ek-SAH-men PRAHK-tee-koh]
— practical exam
The test of your driving. The same article splits it into three parts: knowing the car, the test track, and driving in traffic. You can retake it as many times as the 180-day life of the trámite allows.
eliminatorio
[eh-lee-mee-nah-TOH-ryoh]
— disqualifying
The standing of the theory exam: fail the theory and you are not let near the practical at all.
reprobar / reprobación
[rreh-proh-BAHR / rreh-proh-bah-SYOHN]
— to fail / a failed exam
The key word for any conversation about a retake: “reprobé el teórico” — “I failed the theory”.
aprobar / aprobación
[ah-proh-BAHR / ah-proh-bah-SYOHN]
— to pass / a pass
The opposite of reprobar. “La no aprobación” in the rules means the steps that follow are blocked.
rendir (un examen)
[rren-DEER (oon ek-SAH-men)]
— to sit an exam
It is rendir, not pasar and not dar. “¿Cuándo puedo rendirlo de nuevo?” — “when can I retake it?”.
ausente
[ow-SEN-teh]
— no-show
The result recorded when you miss an exam. It can be lifted if you explain why — then a new date is set.
plazo
[PLAH-soh]
— deadline, waiting period
After every failure a plazo of its own runs before the next attempt: 4, 8, 16, 30, 45 and 60 calendar days.
acompañante
[ah-kohm-pah-NYAHN-teh]
— the driver who comes with you to the practical exam
Required: someone holding a valid Uruguayan license of the right category, with no fines and no sanctions. A private accompanying driver is allowed no more than 3 entries to the test track per month.
academia de conducir
[ah-kah-DEH-myah deh kohn-doo-SEER]
— driving school
The rules do give it a standing, but taking lessons is not compulsory. A driving school car is checked by different rules than a private one.
charla de manejo defensivo
[CHAHR-lah deh mah-NEH-hoh deh-fen-SEE-voh]
— defensive driving talk
The only compulsory “class” on the whole route — one in-person talk, no booking, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Guía Nacional de Conducción
[GEE-ah nah-syoh-NAHL deh kohn-dook-SYOHN]
— the national driving handbook
The official handbook people study for the theory exam: a PDF of 128 pages, first edition of June 2013, published on sucive.gub.uy. The non-professional categories (A, G1, G2, G3) have their own book, the professional ones a separate one. It holds no ready questions with answer options; it is continuous text — the car, the motorcycle, alcohol, maneuvers, the pedestrian.
tasa
[TAH-sah]
— fee for an administrative act
Payment for one specific service of the intendencia (as opposed to an impuesto, a tax). At the counter it is called a tasa, or simply “el costo del trámite”.
abonar
[ah-boh-NAHR]
— to pay, to make a payment
The official verb in place of the everyday pagar. “Se abona el mismo día” means you pay on the day you file, before you are booked for the exams.
multa / libre de multas
[MOOL-tah / LEE-breh deh MOOL-tahs]
— fine / clear of unpaid fines
“Libre de multas” is a requirement of its own: unpaid fines and open sanctions block the license from being issued.
patente
[pah-TEN-teh]
— annual vehicle tax
A patente debt on the exam car is reason enough to keep it off the test track, even when the car is not yours.
Abitab
[ah-bee-TAHB]
— payment collection network
A private network of cash desks across the country where people pay bills and government fees in cash. From experience in 2026 the license fee is not paid at the licensing office itself: the window gives you the payment details, and the money goes in at an Abitab desk. The authority publishes no official description of how payment works.
pista
[PEES-tah]
— test track for the practical exam
Both a part of the practical exam and a place: “ingresos a pista” are entries to the track. The track in Pan de Azúcar moved to a new site in May 2026.
calle
[KAH-zheh]
— street
Needed to catch an address by ear. Its other sense is “prueba de calle”, the part of the exam in real traffic. River Plate pronunciation: kah-ZHEH, not kah-YEH.
Intendencia
[een-ten-DEN-syah]
— intendencia, the departmental administration
The body that issues licenses. Maldonado's is shortened to IDM; IMM is Montevideo already, and the two are easy to mix up.
reglamentación del Permiso Único Nacional de Conducir
[rreh-glah-men-tah-SYOHN del per-MEE-soh OO-nee-koh nah-syoh-NAHL deh kohn-doo-SEER]
— the national rules for issuing licenses
Not to be confused with the document itself: the PUNC is the plastic card in your pocket, the PUNC regulations are the rules it is issued under. A consolidated text of the decisions of the Congreso de Intendentes (2/2023 revision): categories, age, deadlines, exams, conversion of foreign licenses. It holds across the country; the departmental intendencia adds its own fees and its own way of receiving people.
Congreso de Intendentes
[kohn-GREH-soh deh een-ten-DEN-tes]
— the council of departmental heads
The body where the intendencias of all nineteen departments agree on common rules. It is the one that adopted the PUNC regulations: the department issues the license, but under a single standard agreed here.
Digesto Departamental
[dee-HES-toh deh-pahr-tah-men-TAHL]
— the department's own body of rules
The department's own rules gathered into one code: for Maldonado it is digesto.maldonado.gub.uy, Montevideo has its own. The traffic part sits in Volume IV. The text is old and in places contradicts the national one: articles from 1982 stand next to ones still in force.
Unidad Nacional de Seguridad Vial (UNASEV)
[oo-nee-DAHD nah-syoh-NAHL deh seh-goo-ree-DAHD vyahl (oo-nah-SEV)]
— the national road safety agency
An agency under the executive branch: traffic rules, crash statistics, study materials for the exam. It issues no licenses — the intendencia does that — but it is its handbooks that driving schools hand out to read before the theory.
Buenos días. Vengo a hacer el trámite de licencia de conducir por primera vez, categoría A.
[BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs. VEN-goh ah ah-SER el TRAH-mee-teh deh lee-SEN-syah deh kohn-doo-SEER pohr pree-MEH-rah ves, kah-teh-goh-REE-ah ah.]
— Good morning. I have come to do the driver's license procedure for the first time, category A.
unofficial source — check it on the spot
Me llamo (su nombre) y ya inicié el trámite. ¿Puede ver mi expediente?
[meh ZHAH-moh (your name) ee zhah ee-nee-SYEH el TRAH-mee-teh. ¿PWEH-deh ver mee eks-peh-DYEN-teh?]
— My name is (your name), and I have already started the procedure. Can you look up my case file?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
Quiero agendarme para iniciar el trámite de licencia de conducir.
[KYEH-roh ah-hen-DAHR-meh PAH-rah ee-nee-SYAHR el TRAH-mee-teh deh lee-SEN-syah deh kohn-doo-SEER.]
— I would like to book an appointment to start the driver's license procedure.
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Tengo que agendarme antes o puedo venir sin agenda previa?
[¿TEN-goh keh ah-hen-DAHR-meh AHN-tes oh PWEH-doh veh-NEER seen ah-HEN-dah PREH-vyah?]
— Do I have to book in advance, or can I come without an appointment?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Para qué día y a qué hora me agendan el examen teórico?
[¿PAH-rah keh DEE-ah ee ah keh OH-rah meh ah-HEN-dahn el ek-SAH-men teh-OH-ree-koh?]
— What day and what time are you booking me in for the theory exam?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Qué documentos me faltan para completar el trámite?
[¿keh doh-koo-MEN-tohs meh FAHL-tahn PAH-rah kohm-pleh-TAHR el TRAH-mee-teh?]
— Which documents am I missing to complete the procedure?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿La constancia de aptitud psicofísica sigue vigente o ya está vencida?
[¿lah kohns-TAHN-syah deh ahp-tee-TOOD see-koh-FEE-see-kah SEE-geh vee-HEN-teh oh zhah es-TAH ven-SEE-dah?]
— Is the constancia de aptitud psicofísica still valid, or has it expired already?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Cuánto tengo que abonar en total por el trámite?
[¿KWAHN-toh TEN-goh keh ah-boh-NAHR en toh-TAHL pohr el TRAH-mee-teh?]
— How much do I have to pay in total for the procedure?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Dónde y a qué hora es la charla de manejo defensivo?
[¿DOHN-deh ee ah keh OH-rah es lah CHAHR-lah deh mah-NEH-hoh deh-fen-SEE-voh?]
— Where and at what time is the defensive driving talk?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Cómo llego a la pista donde se rinde el examen práctico?
[¿KOH-moh ZHEH-goh ah lah PEES-tah DOHN-deh seh RREEN-deh el ek-SAH-men PRAHK-tee-koh?]
— How do I get to the track where the practical exam is taken?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Hasta qué día tengo plazo para terminar el trámite?
[¿AHS-tah keh DEE-ah TEN-goh PLAH-soh PAH-rah ter-mee-NAHR el TRAH-mee-teh?]
— Until what date do I have to finish the procedure?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
Disculpe, no hablo bien español. ¿Puede repetirlo más despacio, por favor?
[dees-KOOL-peh, noh AH-bloh byen es-pah-NYOHL. ¿PWEH-deh rreh-peh-TEER-loh mahs des-PAH-syoh, pohr fah-VOHR?]
— Sorry, I do not speak Spanish well. Could you repeat that more slowly, please?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Me lo puede escribir en un papel, por favor?
[¿meh loh PWEH-deh es-kree-BEER en oon pah-PEL, pohr fah-VOHR?]
— Could you write it down on a piece of paper for me, please?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
No entendí. ¿Me lo puede explicar de nuevo, por favor?
[noh en-ten-DEE. ¿meh loh PWEH-deh eks-plee-KAHR deh NWEH-voh, pohr fah-VOHR?]
— I did not understand. Could you explain it again, please?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
Reprobé el examen teórico. ¿Cuándo puedo rendirlo de nuevo?
[rreh-proh-BEH el ek-SAH-men teh-OH-ree-koh. ¿KWAHN-doh PWEH-doh rren-DEER-loh deh NWEH-voh?]
— I failed the theory exam. When can I retake it?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Tengo que abonar algo más para rendir el examen otra vez?
[¿TEN-goh keh ah-boh-NAHR AHL-goh mahs PAH-rah rren-DEER el ek-SAH-men OH-trah ves?]
— Do I have to pay anything more to retake the exam?
unofficial source — check it on the spot
¿Cuántas oportunidades tengo para rendir el examen práctico con este pago?
[¿KWAHN-tahs oh-pohr-too-nee-DAH-des TEN-goh PAH-rah rren-DEER el ek-SAH-men PRAHK-tee-koh kohn ES-teh PAH-goh?]
— How many attempts at the practical exam does this payment cover?
unofficial source — check it on the spot