Find visa optionsFind visas
Menu

Paraguay · Relocation guide

Moving to Paraguay: permission and practical setup

Paraguay’s temporary residence under Law 6984/2022 is a documented process, not a border formality. Residence enables the separate identity-card step; employment, tax, IPS health access, banking and licence actions still need their own evidence.

Content updated 12 September 2026. Individual source-check dates are listed below.

Choose temporary, investor or later permanent residence

General movers ordinarily start with the temporary-residence process unless a specific investor or other rule applies. The SUACE route is tied to the qualifying investment process, while permanent residence after temporary status is a later change of category rather than an automatic first-arrival card.

Residence permission is not the same as an employment contract, tax registration or professional licence. State the intended activity accurately and confirm each family member’s application and custody evidence.

Choose temporary, investor or later permanent residence
PlanCatalogue routeSequence
Ordinary initial residenceTemporary Residence (Residencia Temporal, Law 6984/2022)DNM residence, then identity and practical files
Qualifying SUACE investmentPermanent Residence for Investors (SUACE)Investment process plus residence decision
Later permanent statusPermanent Residence (Residencia Permanente, 10-year card)Change from qualifying temporary residence
Pension-supported stayTemporary Residence - Pensioner (Pensionado / Jubilado)Temporary residence evidence plus pension basis

Build the residence file to the current checklist

The temporary-residence procedure requires current identity, civil-status and police records in the applicable cases, with legalisation or apostille. It also uses Paraguayan INTERPOL and Police certificates and sworn declarations of the intended occupation and local domicile.

Rules for minors distinguish travel with both parents, one parent or a third party and can require judicial or notarised permission. Bring originals and authenticated copies; do not assume a consular document replaces a Paraguayan step.

Complete residence before the cédula

The residence card from Migraciones supports access to the Paraguayan cédula through the Police identification department. It is a separate application, so keep the DNM resolution, card, civil records and appointment evidence together.

Use matching names and addresses across the cédula, employer, DNIT, IPS, bank and municipal records. Temporary-residence extensions and changes to permanent status have their own filing windows; diary them from the document, not a forum date.

Create genuine domicile evidence

The residence process requires a declared domicile, so choose housing that can be documented. Verify the owner or authorised agent, title or authority to let, inventory, utilities, deposit, notice and currency terms before payment.

Keep the contract, payment receipts and service records. Test flood and heat exposure, transport and school or healthcare access. Buying land or incorporating a company is not itself residence permission.

Separate tax identity, IPS and banking

Employment and self-employment create different DNIT and social-security questions. Ask the employer to verify IPS registration and the first contribution record; healthcare access through IPS follows the insured relationship rather than the residence card alone.

Obtain an RUC only when the tax rules require it and keep evidence of travel, income and activity. Banks apply identity, residence, address and source-of-funds checks; keep a fallback account and do not rely on a cédula as the entire compliance file.

Plan health and school per family member

Confirm whether each person has IPS coverage, another eligible public basis or private insurance, and preserve interim cover until active access is evidenced. Bring prescriptions, vaccination and clinical summaries and identify local routine and emergency care.

Schools may ask for cédula or residence evidence, address, birth, vaccination and recognised academic records. Contact the intended institution before fixing housing, and preserve parental consent or custody evidence used in the residence file.

Handle municipal driving and animal entry

Driving licensing and vehicle administration involve municipal and national systems. Ask the municipality of residence what recognition, testing and evidence applies to the foreign licence before driving; vehicle import and registration are separate.

SENACSA controls animal sanitary entry. Obtain the current certificate and vaccination instructions before transport. Track residence, cédula, tax, IPS and licence renewals and report material address or family changes to the relevant authority.

Your moving checklist

Tick off the tasks that apply to you. The timing is a planning order, not a substitute for the deadlines on your permission or an official instruction.

0 of 13 tasks completed

Before you move
On arrival
Your first month
Later and before renewal

Sources and checks

The linked authorities set the rules. VisaAtlas explains how the steps fit together; planning suggestions are not a decision on your immigration status, tax residence or entitlement to services.

Plan your next step