I know I can over stay. I already got an extention once but I plan on applying for residency as soon as I get my last document needed but figured it best to stay at least legit.
Well, if you are determined to stay "legit" (even though an overstay wouldn't make
any difference to migraciones when considering your qualifications for residency) there's something else you need to know.
If you already have a 90 day extension (prorroga de permanencia) of your tourist visa and you go to Colonia before it expires, you should not be given a new 90 day visa. In other words, if you go to Uruguay with three days remaining and return the same day, the immigration official does not (officially) have the power to "override" the extension that was issued at the office of migraciones.
Here's a post I made on March 5, 2012:
Also, you can't go to Uruguay a few days before the prorroga from migraciones expires and get a new 90 day visa when you reenter the same day. You would have to go the day your visa expires and return after that date in order to get a new 90 day visa at the border. The agents at the border cannot override the prorroga (extension).
And here is the reply by John.St:
Precisely. If you return before (or worse, on) the date of expiry, you get only the number of days left from the prórroga. A couple of BAexpats members have experiences of 2 or 3 days visas after visiting Colónia or Montevideo.
http://baexpats.org/...ourism-and-eze/
So, if you go to Colonia, go before your prorroga expires but don't come back until after it has expired.
The only reason you might want to have a new 90 day visa before you apply for your residency is if you have any doubts as to whether or not you will be approved.
If you apply for residency with an expired tourist visa and are rejected, you should (officially) be given 10 days to leave the country. If you have a "valid" tourist visa when you apply you will be able to "legally" stay until it expires.