Karanday palms above flooded grassland in the Paraguayan savannah, great egrets taking off

Paraguay Residence Visa: Apply for Temporary Residence

The entry to Paraguay's two-stage model: around two years of temporary residence with a cédula, then the route to permanent residence with minimal presence requirements.

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Fixed prices and ordering

All prices in US dollars for the main applicant; family members coming with you are added to the same case.

Not included: government fees, translations and apostilles (government fees approx. USD 680). You add family members at checkout.

Who this procedure suits

Temporary residence is the classic, most affordable way into Paraguay without a large investment and suits people relocating and Plan B strategists alike: freelancers and remote entrepreneurs with foreign income aiming for Paraguay's territorial taxation, retirees with income from abroad looking for low costs, and anyone who wants to keep the route to permanent residence and naturalisation open. If you would rather invest and go straight to permanent residence, the capital route is described in our article on the Investor Pass. For the full picture of the country, see the Paraguay country page.

And who it does not suit:

  • ✕You expect the immediate permanent residence from old videos: it no longer exists since the reform. The route runs through around two years of temporary residence, and the conversion follows as a separate application.
  • ✕You want to invest and get permanent residence directly: then the Investor Pass (Resolution 0283/2026, from USD 70,000 depending on the route) is the better procedure, not this product.
  • ✕You believe the cédula makes you tax-free automatically: residence is not the same as tax residence, and your tax status is a separate step you have to establish actively.

Requirements

For temporary residence, Paraguay requires the formal classics: an apostilled birth certificate, a police clearance certificate from your home country, a marriage certificate where applicable, plus evidence of sound finances and a local health certificate. All foreign documents must have certified translations into Spanish; most do-it-yourself attempts fail on this chain of formalities. In Paraguay, a local bank account and proof of the required funds are also part of the process. The exact amount of the financial evidence has shifted several times in recent years and is therefore checked for your case before filing, not copied from old guides.

Thinking about a retiree visa, but no pension that moves with you?

Retiree routes require a documented monthly income. For the self-employed and business owners we build a structure for exactly that: the pension plan LLC, your own US company that you fund with a loan and that repays it to you in regular monthly instalments under a documented pension plan. It works for many retiree visas, with no minimum age; we confirm acceptance for your destination before you order.

About the pension plan LLC →

What we take care of

  • ✓Review of your requirements and the right residence route before anything is ordered
  • ✓Complete document checklist for your specific case, including an apostille and translation plan
  • ✓Preparation and pre-check of every document before it goes on the plane
  • ✓Coordination of your trip and your appointments in Paraguay
  • ✓Filing with the Dirección General de Migraciones by licensed attorneys on the ground, together with our local partners
  • ✓Ongoing follow-up with the authority until the resolution
  • ✓Receipt of the decision and guidance on the next steps for the Cédula de Identidad and the tax number (RUC)
  • ✓Deadline tracking for presence rules, renewal and the later conversion to permanent residence
  • ✓One personal contact, coordinating in English, throughout the process

Step by step

  1. 1

    Clarify route and requirements

    We check whether the classic standard route or the Investor Pass fits your situation, before any costs arise.

  2. 2

    Obtain and prepare the documents

    Birth certificate, marriage certificate where applicable, and evidence are apostilled and given certified translations; you obtain the police certificate last so that it does not expire.

  3. 3

    Travel and file

    You travel to Paraguay, open the local account and show the required funds; our local partners, licensed attorneys, file the application with the Dirección General de Migraciones, and the health certificate is obtained on the spot.

  4. 4

    Processing, resolution, cédula

    The authority reviews the file, we follow up and keep you updated in English; after approval comes your Cédula de Identidad, the key to banking, contracts and everyday life.

  5. 5

    Hold for two years, then convert

    You follow the presence rules of the temporary phase and we track the deadlines; then comes the conversion to permanent residence as a separate procedure.

How long it takes

Expect several months from filing to approval, depending on the authority's workload and the quality of your documents. Temporary residence then runs for around two years before the conversion to permanent residence is due. The most common cause of delay is faulty apostilles and translations, which is exactly why we check everything before you fly. There is no guaranteed date, and anyone who promises you one is promising something they cannot deliver.

Do you need to be there in person?

You need to travel to Paraguay in person to file: bank account, proof of funds and health certificate are all handled locally. After that, temporary residence requires at least one entry per year; there is no 183-day rule. But honestly: for the later conversion, the authority wants to see a genuine tie to the country, so you should be more present during the temporary phase than the minimum. And if you are aiming for tax residence with a Constancia de Residencia Fiscal: the procedure does not require a minimum number of days, but it does require the official record of your entries and exits, and your former tax authority at home may read that record too.

Family members coming with you

Dependants can be included as dependants in their own procedure, each with their own document pack: their own birth certificate, a marriage certificate where applicable, their own police certificate, their own translations. The effort per person is therefore similar, and we handle the coordination. Filing in the same window makes sense so that the family's status periods stay in sync. For minor children, we clarify the setup before you order.

What comes next

After around two years of temporary residence comes the conversion to permanent residence, the status that only requires one entry about every three years. If your temporary status expires before then, we keep it alive through a renewal. And then starts the clock that is the real reason for Paraguay for many: after three years of permanent residence, naturalisation is possible, so on this standard route five years after your first residence, with no more than three months' absence in each of those three years. How it all fits together is covered in our complete Paraguay guide.

What is not included

  • •Government fees in Paraguay
  • •Apostilles and legalisations in your home country
  • •Certified translations
  • •Notary fees
  • •Travel and accommodation costs
  • •Income, asset and health evidence itself
  • •Tax advice in the destination country

Tax note

Residence is not the same as tax residence. Paraguay only taxes Paraguayan-source income (locally around 10%), and foreign income stays tax-free, but you only benefit with a RUC, a clean tax status and a genuine departure from your home country. Moving to Paraguay does not, on its own, end your tax residence at home; what your home country keeps taxing, and whether a tax treaty helps, depends on where you come from. The basics are in Living tax-free in Paraguay; for your individual case, bring a tax adviser to the table.

One point of contact, from start to finish

Your application is filed together with our local partners, licensed attorneys in each country, with whom we have worked for years. We coordinate your case, check your documents and remain your point of contact: in English, throughout.

That applies whether you are still at home or already on the road: one point of contact, no language barrier, no loose ends across four time zones.

Frequently asked questions

Is immediate permanent residence really gone?+

Yes. The old immediate permanent residence against a bank deposit is history. Today the route runs through around two years of temporary residence, which is then converted into permanent residence. Anyone selling you something else is working with information that is years out of date.

How much money do I need to show?+

The required amount has changed several times in recent years and depends on the route you choose. We check the current position for your case before filing, rather than copying figures from old videos.

How often do I need to go to Paraguay?+

During the temporary phase at least once a year; there is no 183-day rule. For the later conversion, however, the authority wants to see a genuine tie to the country, and tax residence has its own presence requirements.

Will I get a cédula?+

Yes, after approval you receive your Cédula de Identidad, the Paraguayan ID card and key to banking, contracts and everyday life. The RUC tax number is a separate step you can apply for as well.

Am I automatically tax-free with residence?+

No. The territorial zero on foreign income only applies once your tax status is properly in place, including a RUC and a clean departure from your home country. The cédula alone does not settle the tax question.

What about the Investor Pass?+

Since 2026 there has been direct permanent residence through the investor certificate (Resolution 0283/2026), from USD 70,000 depending on the route. It is a separate procedure for those ready to invest capital; for people simply seeking residence, the classic route is usually the leaner choice.

Who files my application?+

Licensed attorneys in Paraguay, our local partners. We coordinate the case, check the documents and remain your personal contact, in English.

Can my dependants come too?+

Yes, dependants are included with their own document pack; ideally the family files in the same window so that the status periods stay in sync. For children, we clarify the setup in advance.

Paraguay Temporary Residence: let's look at your case

A fixed price, three ways to pay, and once your payment arrives our team first checks your requirements before your case goes to our local partners.

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Harley Bieder

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