Article 81 states that, "Nationality is not lost by being naturalized in another country, to recover the exercise of the rights of citizenship, it is enough to come to the Republic (avecinarse) and register in the Civic Registry."

Prior to that date, the Constitution of Uruguay used the term "citizenship" in place of the word "nationality" for the concept of the status that was lost by an Uruguayan when he or she naturalized in another state.

In particular, the Constitution of 1918, in Article 13, provided, "Citizenship is lost ... by being naturalized in another country, and in order to recover it, it is sufficient to be domiciled in the Republic and to register in the Civic Registry.

This differentiation makes up the traditional concept that comes from the illustrious exponent of our Constitutional Law, Master Justino Jiménez de Aréchaga.

Jiménez de Aréchaga writes, "First, nationality appears to us as a natural bond, derived from birth, from blood."

Speaking for the drafters of the 1830 constitution, Jiménez de Aréchaga concludes, "The quality of nationality depends, therefore, on one fact: birth within the territory of the State."

This issue of the practical impact of having two categories of Uruguayan citizens, one national and one not, has led to the introduction of two proposed laws.

The second or alternative law is called "Derecho a la Ciudadanía en Igualdad", or, in English, "Right to Equal Citizenship.

The association Somos Todos Uruguayos requested a thematic hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on 3 December 2023.

That request was granted, a rare occurrence, demonstrating the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights' dedication to ending statelessness and addressing arbitrary revocation and denial of nationality.

The hearing is scheduled to take place on 1 March 2024 in Washington, D.C. A full set of the submitted documents, annexes, and an overview of the legal issues is available.