Are you planning to apply for the residency card in Paraguay?

First, you should know that you can apply for residency in Paraguay even with a tourist visa.

Paraguay has signed VISA exemption agreements with countries from several regions of the world, therefore, if you are a citizen of one of these countries you will not need to present a VISA. If you want to know if your country is exempt from the VISA requirement you can access the following link. The VISA exemption categories are classified as: D = Diplomatic; O = Official Government Agents; E = Special Political and Humanitarian; S = State Services; C = Common citizens; T = All citizens.

When should I apply for residency in Paraguay?

You must initiate the process within 3 months of your stay in Paraguay.

Paraguayan law also allows you to extend your stay as a tourist for another 3 months, but you will have to pay a fee for the extension.

What documents from your country will you need to bring to Paraguay to do the procedure?

The documents you will need are those proving your civil status: birth certificate; marriage certificate; divorce certificate; etc., as applicable.

To apply, you must not have a criminal record in your country and to prove it, you must present your criminal record certificate.

Remember that all documents must be certified for international use (Hague Apostille).

Must the documents be legalized by the Paraguayan diplomatic representation or must they be apostilled?

In the case of countries adhered to the Hague Apostille Convention, only documents must be apostilled by the authority of your country. You can check the list of countries adhered to the Hague Convention and the competent authority of your country in this link

In countries not subscribed to the Hague Agreement, you should contact the Paraguayan Diplomatic representation in your country and request the legalization of these documents.

Note: Due to the pandemic, many Paraguayan diplomatic representations in different countries are attending with telephone schedules or via web. Documents legalized by the Paraguayan Diplomatic Representation must undergo a second legalization at the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, located in Asuncion.

You can obtain information on if your country has Paraguayan diplomatic representation here.

What happens if your country does not have diplomatic ties with Paraguay?

If you are a citizen of one of these countries: Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Brunei Darussalam and Laos, you should contact the Embassy of Paraguay in Japan. You will find the specific procedure for each of these countries HERE

What happens if you live more than 5 years in another country, outside your country of origin?

If you have been residing in another country for more than 5 years, you can present the criminal record certificate of the country where you have resided for the last 5 years.

You may also use birth, marriage or widow's certificates from the country where you reside, if you have registered them in that country.

You must also present a certificate issued by a public authority recording the number of years you have been residing in that country.

What happens if I have already entered Paraguay and I have not brought the required documents or they were not certified?

Some of the Embassies in Paraguay offers document issuance and legalization services. You can consult the list of foreign Embassies at the following link

In addition, once you enter Paraguay you must present other documents, including:

1) Criminal record in Paraguay;

2) International criminal record from INTERPOL;

3) Living in Paraguay certificate, issued by the Police (Certificado de Vida y Residencia);

4) Notarial affidavit.

Verify the specifications for these documents in this link

Finally, you must demonstrate your economic solvency to be able to live in Paraguay.

You can prove your solvency in many ways; some of them are money deposits in special bank accounts authorized by the immigration authority, acquisition of real estate, purchase or creation of companies, labor contracts, registration to practice your profession, pensions and retirements or other economic resources justified to the immigration authority.

Consult the most convenient option for you.

Residence for minors.

Minor children will also apply for residency, as long as the residency of the parents has been accepted.

If you need help or more information, you can contact me. I will be glad to help you