The Civic Credential () is a compulsory Uruguayan official document that identifies citizens authorized to vote. Issued by the
Electoral Court, it is the only document that certifies the identity of the voter in
electoral instances.
Procedure
The civic credential is obtained after the mandatory registration that every
Uruguayan citizen over 18 must complete before the
Electoral Court, the body which oversees the electioneering process. Once the document is issued, the citizen is registered in the "National Civic Registry", an electoral registry of citizens with the right to vote.
The credential must be obtained by all Uruguayans of legal age, and in accordance with the
nationality law
Nationality law is the law of a sovereign state, and of each of its jurisdictions, that defines the legal manner in which a national identity is acquired and how it may be lost. In international law, the legal means to acquire nationality and for ...
, it can be obtained by those born abroad with at least one Uruguayan parent, by legal citizens and non-legal citizens foreigners with habitual residence in the Republic for fifteen years.
Each credential contains the holder's registration information: the full name, a series of three letters and order number –based on their place of residence–, a right thumb-digit impression and a side-view photo.
Use
Since voting in Uruguay is mandatory in accordance with Article 77 of the
Constitution of the Republic, the civic credential serves to identify the voter before the commissions receiving votes in general, municipal and primary elections, referendums and any type of electoral process, including the elections of the
Banco de Previsión Social
is the state-owned Uruguayan social security institute. Institutionalized in the Constitution of 1967, it is in charge of coordinating, organizing and executing state social welfare and social security services.
History
Uruguay was one of the ...
, and the university elections of the
University of the Republic
The University of the Republic (, sometimes ''UdelaR'') is a public research university in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is the country's oldest and largest university, as well as one of the largest public universities in South America in terms of en ...
. In addition, with the identification information of the document, the citizen can subscribe to popular initiatives calling for referendums and constitutional reforms.
[{{Cite web , date=2024-04-01 , title=¿Cómo es el proceso de verificación de firmas para habilitar los plebiscitos? , url=https://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/politica/como-es-el-proceso-de-verificacion-de-firmas-para-habilitar-los-plebiscitos , access-date=2024-04-27 , website=EL PAIS , language=es-UY]
See also
*
Uruguayan passport
Uruguayan passport () is an identity document issued to Uruguayan citizens to travel outside Uruguay. For traveling in Mercosur countries, as well as Chile and Bolivia, Uruguayan citizens may use their Identity document, ID card]
The Uruguayan M ...
References
External links
Civic Credential on the Electoral Court website
Elections in Uruguay
Identity documents of Uruguay