Etiquette in Uruguay

Uruguay, home to more than 3.3 million people, is the second-smallest nation in South America by area. Nearly 2 million of it’s inhabitants live in and around the capital city of Montevideo.

The official language is Spanish.

It is a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who is both head of state and head of government.

One of the most secular states in South America, church and state are strictly separated. In the most recent survey taken in 2008, Catholicism listed as the main religion, with 45.7% of the population. 30.1% reported believing in a god, but not belonging to any religion, and 14% were Atheist or Agnostic.

The peso uruguayo is the currency and is subdivided into 100 centésimos.

Dining Etiquette

Business is often conducted over lunch, but dinner is considered a social occasion. Do not bring up business during a dinner unless your counterpart starts the conversation.

It is likely that your Uruguayan counterpart will offer to take you out for lunch or dinner and also offer to pay. To reciprocate, an invitation to an upscale French, Chinese, or Uruguayan restaurant is appropriate. A restaurant inside an international hotel is also a good choice.

As Uruguay is a major cattle producer, you will find some of the best beef in the world served in restaurants here.

If you are invited to coffee in someone’s home and the next day is a business day, don’t stay too late. Watch for cues that your host is tired and politely end the evening.

Our large, non-profit educational group for marketing executives looked for someone knowledgeable on the topic of business etiquette and one name kept rising to the top, Cynthia Lett. Her talk was amazing. Since we were limited by time, she focused on the critical aspects of business interactions. Cynthia is a tremendous resource for any company or organization looking for a protocol course.

Andrew Rose

Director of Marketing and Business Development Naden/Lean, LLC

I hired Cynthia to become an etiquette consultant. She was knowledgeable on every subject and I learned quite a but about the business from her. Many years later she continues to be a resource to me.

Lisa M. Grotts

The AML Group, San Francisco, CA

I can truly say without a doubt, Cynthia Lett consistently delivers quality and professionalism as an international expert in etiquette and protocol. I highly recommend The Lett Group to anyone wanting to get the right information from the very best!

Irene Zucker

President VerbaCom® Executive Development

Cynthia Lett was the top-rated speaker at several international Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) events. She possesses vast knowledge and practical experience in international protocol and etiquette. As a speaker, Cynthia is wonderful at engaging an audience with real examples and practical tools for helping them deal with intercultural protocol and etiquette situations. I would highly recommend her for educational events for any group.

Edward Potter

Association Director Association Management Group, McLean, VA

Cynthia is one of the top business etiquette professionals in the DC area. I recommend Cynthia Lett for your business etiquette needs.

Marva Goldsmith

President & Chief Image Officer

Cynthia is the consummate etiquette and protocol professional. She founded ISPEP to develop and enhance the standards of our profession because she cares so deeply about what we do and the quality of service clients receive.

Hilka Klinkenberg

Founder/President