The new law came into force on October 18, 2022. The full document was published in the presidential newspaper No. 202. In this article, we will outline the main conclusions for those who wish to obtain a residence permit/permanent residence in Paraguay.
Temporary residence permit:
Issued for up to 2 (two) years with the possibility of extension. It is a condition for the subsequent obtainment of permanent residence.
Those who wish to obtain a residence permit can begin to provide the necessary documents at the Consulate of Paraguay in the host country. There you can also apply for a visa required to apply for a residence permit. The decision to issue a visa is made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Granting/non-granting a residence permit is the prerogative of Migration.
Those who prove their intention to attract investments to the country on the basis of Law No. 4986/2013 by opening a company through the “SUACE” system are exempt from compliance with the requirement to obtain a temporary residence permit as a condition for obtaining permanent residence.
Requirements for TR:
Documents from the country of origin:
- Valid passport
- Birth certificate with an apostille or consular legalization
- Certificate of marriage/divorce/ widowhood with an apostille or with consular legalization
- Certificate of no criminal record from the country of origin or from the country where you have lived for the last 3 years, with an apostille or consular legalization. This must be submitted for those who are over 14 years old
Documents issued in Paraguay:
- Visa and its verification at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (if required)
- Stamp or document that confirms your entry into the country
- Certificate of no criminal record from Interpol (from 14 years old)
- Certificate of no criminal record for foreigners from Department of the National Police (from 14 years old)
- Oath to uphold the laws and regulations of Paraguay
- Oath that you promise to work in a certain field, indicating the address of residence in Paraguay
- Tax payment
Reasons for refusal of your TR application:
Committing a criminal offense in the country or abroad with a prison term of 2 (two) years. Also, a relapse can lead to a denial of a residence permit.
Requirements for obtaining permanent residence (PR):
Documents from the country of origin:
- Valid passport
Documents issued in Paraguay:
- Temporary residence card
- ID of Paraguay/cedula
- Certificate of no criminal record from Interpol (from 14 years old)
- Certificate of no criminal record for foreigners from Department of the National Police (from 14 years old)
- Certificate of no criminal record from the Supreme Court
- Certificate of no criminal record from the local police
- Economic solvency: a deposit in a bank, or an investment project, or documents of the created company.
- Tax payment
If a foreigner has created a company or proved that he is attracting investments, he immediately goes directly to applying for permanent residence. The permanent residence card will now be issued for 10 years. Every 10 years it will need to be updated with the ID/cedula.
Requirements for renewal of the permanent residence card:
- Fill out the form and pay the tax
- Permanent residence card or a statement from the police about the loss of the card
- Cedula of Paraguay or a statement from the police about the loss of the card
- Passport or ID from the country of origin
All foreign documents must be translated into Spanish by an accredited translator from Supreme Court or a foreign translator by an accredited foreign government agency responsible for issuing licenses to translators. In the latter case, the translations will need to be legalized or apostilled.
Reasons for losing a temporal/permanent residence:
- Providing false documents
- Committing fraud in order to obtain residence or migration privileges
- A letter from a resident with a request to take away his permanent residence
- Absence in the country for more than 3 (three) years in the case of permanent residence, or more than 1 (one) year in the case of a residence permit, without providing explanations.
Officially to maintain your residency you just need to visit one day the country.
If a foreigner does not write a letter to the migration board explaining why he cannot come once every three years, he risks losing his residence permit. Migration is now vested with full power in deciding the withdrawal of temporal/permanent residence for the reasons listed above. It is not known only how the control will take place.
In general, Migration / legislators left a loophole for direct application for permanent residence through investment / creation of a legal entity. What kind of documents will be needed for this still requires separate regulations. If not this week then next week Migration should provide an explanation. Then it will be clear how difficult / easy it will be to directly submit for PR. Prices for documents and residency will also change in accordance with new tasks and criteria.
