Paraguay temporary residency in 2026: requirements and cost

Is Paraguayan residency still available in 2026

Yes. Paraguay keeps granting residence to foreigners, and the basic structure has not changed: first temporary residency (residencia temporal) for up to 2 years, then permanent residency (residencia permanente), and 3 years after PR you can apply for citizenship. All of this is governed by Migration Law No. 6984/2022 (Ley de Migraciones), signed on 17 October 2022. It replaced the old Law No. 978/1996 and made the temporary stage mandatory for almost everyone. The exceptions are investors and close relatives of Paraguayan citizens.

Residence is granted by the National Migration Directorate - Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, or DNM. It receives applications, issues the residence card (carnet de residencia) and can cancel a status. The national ID card, the cédula de identidad, is issued by a different body, the Identification Department of the National Police. With a cédula you open bank accounts, sign contracts and register a business.

Demand is high: according to DNM figures, foreigners filed 47,687 residence applications in 2025. The rules have changed several times since: entry remains easy, the switch to PR has become stricter, and investors have a fast track. For the country overview, see our Paraguay page.

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What changed in 2025-2026

What did not change: temporary residency still requires no proof of income, the card is issued for up to 2 years, and citizenship still needs 3 years of PR. The changes hit hardest those who spent two years on a temporary card without setting anything up in Paraguay.

Who Paraguayan residency suits

It suits: people who want legal status in South America with a low entry threshold; remote workers and freelancers ready to document their income two years later; entrepreneurs who actually open a business in Paraguay (investors with $70,000 or more can get PR straight away); retirees with a pension they can document; people who see Paraguayan citizenship as a long-term goal and are ready to live in the country.

It does not suit:

• Those who want a document without visiting: temporary status is cancelled after a year of absence, PR after three years, and the naturalisation court looks at your real ties to the country.
• Those without verifiable income: since 6 July 2026 this is the main barrier to PR.
• Those who have been prosecuted or convicted for an intentional offence carrying more than 2 years of imprisonment under Paraguayan law: DNM may refuse.
• Those looking for visa-free travel to the United States: neither residency nor a Paraguayan passport provides it.

Routes to residency: general, investor and family

MERCOSUR (Mercado Común del Sur - Southern Common Market) is an economic bloc of South American countries. Russian citizens can use this route only with a second citizenship of one of the listed countries, so the real choice is usually between the general regime and investment.

Requirements and documents for temporary residency

The list follows the official DNM page. Each document is filed as an original plus a copy certified by a notary (escribanía pública).

Documents in a foreign language are translated by a traductor público matriculado - a sworn translator registered in Paraguay - or by a sworn translator abroad, in which case the translation must also be apostilled. Brazilian documents in Portuguese need no translation. For help, see our document translation service.

Filing is in person only; the case can then be followed through a representative. After filing you receive a residencia precaria card - a provisional status while your application is processed: under Article 57 of the law it is issued once, for 90 calendar days, and lets you live in the country, leave and return, work and study.

No income proof is needed at this stage, but two years later you will have to document the activity you declared. Declare what you will be able to prove.

How to switch from temporary residency to PR

The PR application is filed in the last 3 months of the temporary card and, since 6 July 2026, with income documents under one of 12 categories of Migration Service Resolution No. 407/2026. A degree alone does not count as income, so build up work, a business or a tax registration from the first month. Categories, documents and filing deadlines are covered on our Paraguay permanent residency page.

Can you get PR straight away without temporary residency

Yes, as an investor. Under Ministry of Industry and Commerce Resolution No. 0283/2026, investing $70,000 in a business with 5 jobs, $150,000 in tourism or $200,000 in securities or income property earns an investor certificate, and with it PR without a temporary stage. Options, documents, family and source-of-funds checks are covered on our Paraguay permanent residency page.

Government fees and real costs

Migration service fees are pegged to the minimum daily wage and are recalculated every year on 1 July. Amounts are in US dollars at the Central Bank of Paraguay rate, rounded up.

All amounts come from the official DNM fee table approved by DNM Resolution No. 478/2026. Each family member pays their own fee.

Beyond the fees, the budget includes apostilles and certificates at home, sworn translations, notarised copies, police and Interpol certificates, the identity card fee, accommodation while you file and support from Murblz specialists. The budget for PR by investment is covered on our Paraguay permanent residency page.

Step-by-step process and timelines

DNM does not publish official processing times. In practice a temporary residency decision usually comes within a few months, longer if documents are requested. There is also no public rule on how long you may be abroad while an application is pending, so avoid long trips in that period. The investor route is shorter: PR straight away, with no temporary card - see Paraguay permanent residency.

Family: spouse, children, parents

There is no family package: each family member files their own application and pays their own fee. The rules do, however, take family into account.

• Children under 18. Both parents sign the application. If one parent is not present, a notarised and apostilled power of attorney is needed, and for a child's PR a court order or notarised consent. Criminal record certificates are required from age 14.
• Children switching to PR. They fall into the NNA category (Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes - children and adolescents) and do not prove income. At least one parent must already hold PR or apply at the same time.
• A spouse without income, parents and grandparents switch to PR as dependants of a resident, with proof of relationship.
• An investor's family. The investor certificate is issued only to the investor; a spouse and children without their own investment go through the temporary stage. Details on our Paraguay permanent residency page.
• Relatives of Paraguayan citizens get PR directly.

A child born in Paraguay becomes a Paraguayan citizen. More on our Paraguayan citizenship by birth page.

Taxes for residence permit holders

A residence permit and tax residence are different things. Under Paraguayan tax rules, you become a tax resident if you spend more than 120 days a year in the country.

The framework is Law No. 6380/2019. Personal income tax, IRP (Impuesto a la Renta Personal), applies to Paraguayan-source income: from work and activity in the country and from property and rights used in Paraguay. Interest and dividends from foreign companies are not on the list of taxable income. The exception: services provided from abroad to Paraguayan taxpayers count as Paraguayan-source income. Unexplained increases in wealth are taxed separately.

The link to migration is direct: a self-employed person needs Paraguayan tax returns to prove income for PR, so registering with the tax authority DNIT (Dirección Nacional de Ingresos Tributarios) and getting a RUC tax number has to happen early. Details on our Paraguay taxes page and a comparison in taxes by country.

Path to Paraguayan citizenship

A foreigner can obtain citizenship only through naturalisation under Article 148 of the Constitution: age 18, at least 3 years of permanent residence, work, business, science or art in Paraguay, and good conduct. The Supreme Court decides. The 3 years are counted not from your first entry but from the date of the permanent admission resolution (admisión permanente), as the Paraguayan judiciary states explicitly. The application includes a residence certificate from DNM; the court fee is 43,051 guaraníes.

Then comes the court case. There is no specific law on the naturalisation procedure: the process, including the exam, is set by an internal Supreme Court rule, Acordada No. 464/2007. In August 2025 a bill was filed in the Chamber of Deputies to set short deadlines for each stage and expressly recognise dual citizenship. According to its author, the process currently stretches to 3-5 years in practice, although the Constitution requires only 3 years of residence. Check the status of the bill before filing.

The court assesses your real ties to the country: housing, work, taxes, family, entry and exit stamps. Under Article 150 of the Constitution a naturalised citizen can lose Paraguayan citizenship after an unjustified absence of more than 3 years or by voluntarily acquiring a new citizenship. The exam, documents and this risk are covered on our Paraguayan citizenship page.

Risks, refusals and the uncomfortable truth

• The bottleneck is now PR, not entry. A temporary card is easy to get, but without verifiable income the switch to PR is hard. Plan your income evidence from day one.
• Absence from the country. More than 1 year in a row without authorisation is grounds to cancel temporary residency, more than 3 years to cancel PR. Permission for a long absence is requested from DNM in advance.
• A missed switching deadline. After the card expires you have 1 month to apply for PR with a fine; after that only an extension of temporary residency, meaning 2 more years before PR.
• Small document errors. A translation by the wrong translator, an expired certificate or a different spelling of your surname sends the file back. Acceptance of documents does not mean approval.
• The investment is monitored. For PR by investment, monitoring is built into the resolution itself: a shell company or a home for yourself presented as an investment is asking for trouble.
• The rules change often. Since July 2025 fees were recalculated twice, the investor conditions changed twice and the income requirements were tightened. Ask an expert about the requirements on your filing date.
• Online promises. PR without a trip or citizenship within a year contradict the law: filing is in person and the 3 years run from the PR resolution.

Everyday questions about life in the country are answered in our article popular questions about Paraguay.

Alternatives in Paraguay and neighbouring countries

Within Paraguay the choice is simple: the general regime if you can wait 2 years for PR and can prove income; PR by investment if you need PR at once and have the capital; the family route if your spouse or parent is a Paraguayan citizen. If Paraguay does not fit, look at the neighbours.

Remote-work options are collected in digital nomad visas, and the full catalogue in residence permits by country.

What Paraguayan residency gives you

How to get Paraguayan residency: step by step

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