Moving to Paraguay

A residency granted by the National Directorate of Migration (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, DNM). Under Migration Law No. 6984/2022, the general path has two steps: temporary residency first, then permanent residency. There are special routes for citizens of Mercosur Residence Agreement countries and for investors.

Up to two years, extendable for the same period. While the application is pending, the applicant holds “residente precario” status, which allows leaving and re-entering the country, studying and working.

Within the three months before your temporary residency card expires. If the card has already expired, you can still apply up to one month later, paying the overstay fine.

You must show economic means according to your situation: employee, professional, self-employed, remote worker, retiree, property owner or company shareholder, among others. Permanent residency is indefinite; the card is renewed every ten years.

• Valid passport or national ID from your country of origin.
• Consular visa, if your nationality requires one.
• Proof of entry into Paraguay: migration card or passport stamp.
• Birth certificate, apostilled or legalized.
• Marriage certificate, divorce decree or spouse’s death certificate, if applicable.
• From age 14: criminal record certificate from your country of origin (and from any country where you lived for more than a year in the last three years), an INTERPOL certificate and the Paraguayan National Police certificate for foreigners.
• Sworn statements generated by the Migration Directorate’s system when you file.

The Migration Directorate may request additional documents depending on the case.

Yes. Documents from Hague Apostille Convention countries must be apostilled; documents from other countries are legalized at the Paraguayan consulate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Documents not in Spanish must be translated by a licensed translator. Brazilian documents in Portuguese do not need translation.

Yes. Citizens of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador can apply for temporary residency under the Mercosur Residence Agreement. It lasts two years and cannot be extended.

Mercosur permanent residency must be requested within the 90 days before expiry. After that, this route is lost and residency must be requested under Law No. 6984/2022.

Under the “Paraguay Investor Pass”, launched in April 2026 by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) and the Migration Directorate, investors obtain permanent residency without first holding temporary residency. The first step is the MIC’s Foreign Investor Certificate (Constancia de Inversionista Extranjero), issued through SUACE under MIC Resolution No. 283/2026; with it, you apply for residency at the Migration Directorate. The options announced by the government are:

• Productive investment: from USD 70,000 per applicant, in a new or existing company, with at least five formal direct jobs and a business plan carried out within 24 months.
• Tourism projects: from USD 150,000.
• Real estate or the stock exchange: from USD 200,000, with no job-creation requirement.

Yes. The economic-means categories accepted by the Migration Directorate for permanent residency include retirees and pensioners, and remote workers, who prove their income with an employment certificate. The documents depend on each category.

Once residency is granted, at the National Police Identification Department: main office at Denis Roa and Avenida Boggiani, Asunción, plus regional offices. The fee is Gs. 8,500 and the stated delivery time is 90 business days.

The cédula is issued from temporary residency onwards, including under the Mercosur route, and is valid for the same period as the residency; with permanent residency, for ten years.

Official Migration Directorate fees as of October 2026, paid in cash:

• Temporary residency: Gs. 2,926,925.
• Permanent residency (change of category or investor): Gs. 2,926,925.
• Mercosur temporary residency: Gs. 2,341,540.
• Residency certificate (certificado de radicación): Gs. 234,154.
• Overstay fine, if applicable: Gs. 702,462.

These do not include apostilles, translations, certificates or legal fees.

Applications are filed in person at the Migration Directorate headquarters (Caballero 201 and Eligio Ayala, Asunción). Follow-up can be handled by a legal representative. Under the Investor Pass, most of the process is electronic and physical presence is required to issue the cédula.

By reviewing your documents before you travel, so you don’t have to repeat apostilles or translations; choosing the right residency route; filing and following up your application with the Migration Directorate; setting up the company and obtaining the investor certificate; and then with whatever you need to settle in, such as lease agreements, buying property or running your company.