What is the cheapest way to get Paraguay residency in 2026?

The traditional temporary residency in Paraguay is the cheapest route, with government fees of approximately $350–$400 and realistic all-in costs of $1,500–$3,500 including documents, translation, travel, and optional legal help.

Do I need to invest money to get Paraguay residency?

No. Under Law 6984/2022, the traditional temporary residency route requires no investment, no bank deposit, and no fixed-income threshold. Investment is only required for SUACE ($70,000 over 10 years with a business plan and 5 formal jobs) or the new Investor Pass ($70K productive / $150K tourism / $200K real estate or securities).

How long does Paraguay residency take to process in 2026?

Temporary residency typically processes in approximately 90 days after in-person filing in Asunción. SUACE permanent residency also takes about 90 days. The new Investor Pass timeline is still being finalized.

Can I get Paraguay citizenship from residency, and how long does it take?

Yes. After 3 years of permanent residency (not temporary), you can apply for Paraguayan citizenship by naturalization. SUACE and Investor Pass applicants reach this faster because they receive permanent residency directly.

What is the new Paraguay Investor Pass launched in 2026?

Launched April 17, 2026, in São Paulo by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) and Migraciones, the Investor Pass grants direct permanent residency through one of three tiers: USD 70,000 productive investment (with 5 formal jobs, SUACE-aligned), USD 150,000 tourism-sector investment, or USD 200,000 in Paraguayan real estate or BVPASA-listed securities. Implementing regulations are still being finalized — verify with DGM and MIC before committing capital.

Do I have to live in Paraguay to keep my residency?

Paraguay does not impose strict minimum-stay rules during temporary residency, but you must avoid prolonged absences (generally over 3 consecutive years) once on permanent residency, or you risk losing it. Citizenship applications also expect demonstrable ties to the country, so plan on at least one substantive annual visit.

Are government fees included in attorney quotes?

Not always. Some firms quote only their professional fees and bill apostille, translation, and DGM fees on top. Always ask for an all-inclusive written breakdown so you can compare like-for-like — our packages bundle official fees and sworn translations into one number.

Is the famous USD 5,000 deposit at Banco Nacional de Fomento still required?

No. The $5,000 deposit was tied to the pre-2022 instant permanent residency track. Law 6984/2022 abolished that route. Today’s temporary residency requires no deposit; investment routes (SUACE, Investor Pass) have their own capital thresholds.

How Much Does Paraguay Residency Cost in 2026? Real Breakdown of All 3 Pathways

Paraguay residency in 2026 costs between $350 and $14,000+ in fees depending on which of the three pathways you choose. The traditional temporary residency route carries government fees of roughly $350–$400 with no investment required. The SUACE investor route requires USD 70,000 deployed over 10 years plus approximately $14,000 in processing costs. The brand-new Paraguay Investor Pass, launched April 17, 2026, has three qualifying tiers starting at USD 70,000 (productive investment with 5 jobs), USD 150,000 (tourism), and USD 200,000 (real estate or local stock-market investment). Below is the complete, honest breakdown — including the hidden costs most guides skip.

Why Paraguay residency is attracting record numbers in 2026

Paraguay has quietly become one of the most strategically valuable residency destinations in the Western Hemisphere — and the application data proves it. Paraguay's residency applications have surged from roughly 28,000 in 2024 to a projected 80,000 in 2026, a near-tripling in just two years.

The drivers are well-documented:

→ A territorial tax system that exempts most foreign-sourced income
→ One of the most accessible application processes in Latin America
→ A clear 3-year path to citizenship after permanent residency
→ MERCOSUR membership providing regional mobility benefits
→ No language test, no minimum stay requirement during temporary residency

But the single most common question from prospective applicants remains: "What does Paraguay residency 2026 actually cost?" The answer depends entirely on which of the three pathways you choose — and most guides only cover one. This article covers all three, including soft costs competitors ignore, and the brand-new Investor Pass.

The 3 Paraguay residency pathways in 2026 (compared)

Before diving into line items, it helps to understand that Paraguay now offers three structurally different routes to legal residency. Each has a distinct cost profile, timeline, and strategic purpose.

Pathway	Type	Min. investment	Govt. fees	Realistic all-in
Traditional Temporary Residency	Temporary (2 yrs)	$0	~$350–$400	$1,500–$3,500
SUACE Investor Residency	Permanent (direct)	$70,000 (over 10 yrs)	~$14,000	$84,000+
Investor Pass (NEW – April 2026)	Permanent (direct)	$70,000 / $150,000 / $200,000	TBD	$75,000+

📊 Original analysis

Most competing articles present Paraguay as a "cheap residency" destination without clarifying that the $350 figure only applies to the temporary route. The SUACE and Investor Pass routes are investment-grade programs with capital requirements comparable to mid-tier European golden visas — but with a far faster citizenship timeline (3 years vs. 5–10 in the EU).

Route 1: Traditional temporary residency — the low-cost entry path

What changed under Law 6984/2022

This is the pathway that earns Paraguay its global reputation for accessibility. Under Law 6984/2022, temporary residency in Paraguay no longer requires proof of income, an investment, or a bank deposit.

Before this law, applicants needed to show a $5,000 bank deposit or comparable proof of solvency for the old "instant permanent residency" track. That requirement is gone. The result: Paraguay's entry-level residency now has essentially no financial threshold — just government processing fees and a personal visit to Asunción.

Government fees for temporary residency in Paraguay (2026)

Once documents are prepared, the application must be filed in person at the Dirección General de Migraciones (DGM) in Asunción. Government filing fees come to approximately USD $350–$400.

Breaking this down using official PYG (Paraguayan guaraní) figures:

→ Application fee: 223,004 PYG (≈ $33) per applicant
→ Temporary residency permit & card issuance: 2,787,550 PYG (≈ $400)

Temporary residency is valid for two years and converts to permanent residency upon expiry, provided you've maintained ties.

The hidden costs nobody mentions

The $350–$400 government fee is real — but it is not the total cost. Here are the soft costs most guides omit:

+ Document apostille / legalization: $50–$200 per document (passport, birth certificate, police clearance from your home country)
+ Certified Spanish translation: $30–$80 per document
+ Local notary fees in Paraguay: $100–$300
+ Optional immigration attorney: $500–$1,500 (highly recommended for non-Spanish speakers)
+ Travel to Asunción: you must apply in person — budget for at least one round trip
+ Accommodation: 3–5 days minimum in Asunción during filing

Realistic all-in cost for traditional temporary residency: $1,500–$3,500 for a single applicant, depending on your home country's document burden and whether you use an attorney.

💡 The all-inclusive alternative

If piecing together apostilles, sworn translations, DGM filings, notary copies, and follow-up across two countries sounds exhausting — that's precisely what flat-fee packages exist to absorb. Our Essential package bundles all government fees, sworn translations, document validation, attorney representation under power of attorney, and a 20-day status update into a single number, structured around two short visits to Paraguay.

Our Premium package compresses the whole thing into one 5–7 business day trip, with private airport transfer, executive transport between offices, RUC tax ID + first invoice book, and notarized copies — useful when your time is more valuable than a second trip. See our packages and pricing →

Route 2: SUACE Investor Residency — direct permanent residency

What is SUACE?

SUACE (Sistema Unificado de Apertura y Cierre de Empresas) is Paraguay's investor residency program that grants direct permanent residency, skipping the two-year temporary stage entirely.

To obtain Paraguay permanent residence by investment via SUACE, you must place $70,000 in the local economy, and crucially, this sum can be distributed over 10 years. This is a structural advantage often missed in competitor coverage: rather than parking $70,000 upfront in escrow or government bonds, investors can deploy capital gradually through a qualifying business or operational activity.

SUACE cost breakdown

The application is submitted personally at the SUACE office in Asunción, and the total processing fees come to approximately $14,000. This $14,000 covers government processing, mandatory legal representation, and administrative costs — it does not include the $70,000 investment capital itself.

Cost component	Amount (USD)
Government processing & filing fees	~$3,000–$5,000
Legal/attorney representation	~$3,000–$6,000
Administrative & notary costs	~$1,000–$2,000
Total fees (excl. investment)	~$14,000
Investment capital required	$70,000 (over 10 yrs)
Total all-in (Year 1 minimum)	~$21,000+

The residency card is issued within approximately 90 days after submission.

The SUACE citizenship pathway

The strategic value of SUACE lies in what comes after. After 3 years of permanent residence, the investor can apply for Paraguayan citizenship by naturalization. When measured on a cost-per-year-to-citizenship basis, SUACE is one of the most efficient citizenship pathways globally — vastly cheaper than Caribbean CBI programs and faster than nearly every European RBI option.

Route 3: The Paraguay Investor Pass — brand new in April 2026

What just launched

This is the most significant development in Paraguay's residency landscape in years, and most existing guides have not yet caught up.

On April 17, 2026, Paraguay's Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) and the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones jointly launched the Paraguay Investor Pass during an official government mission in São Paulo, Brazil. The program was announced by MIC Minister Marco Riquelme and Migraciones Director Jorge Kronawetter.

The Investor Pass creates a direct pathway from foreign investor to permanent resident, with three qualifying tracks designed to channel capital into specific sectors (productive activity, tourism, and real estate or domestic securities).

Investor Pass tiers (April 2026 launch)

The published Investor Pass tiers are:

1. Productive investment — USD 70,000: SUACE-aligned track requiring a viable business plan and the creation of 5 formal jobs. Capital deployable over up to 10 years.
2. Tourism investment — USD 150,000: qualifying tourism-sector projects (lodging, eco-tourism, hospitality).
3. Real estate or stock-market investment — USD 200,000: direct purchase of Paraguayan real estate or qualifying securities listed on the Bolsa de Valores y Productos de Asunción (BVPASA).

The two higher tiers are fundamentally passive — invest capital, receive residency, maintain it without operational obligations. This is the same structure that made European golden visas attractive, but at a fraction of the cost and with a faster citizenship timeline.

⚠️ Verification advisory

The Investor Pass launched only weeks ago. Full fee schedules, supporting-document checklists, and DGM processing timelines are still being finalized in implementing regulations. Always verify current requirements directly with the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (migraciones.gov.py), the Ministerio de Industria y Comercio (mic.gov.py), or a licensed Paraguayan immigration attorney before committing capital.

Converting from temporary to permanent residency: what it costs

If you take the traditional temporary residency route and convert to permanent residency after two years, the government fees are modest:

→ Permanent residency processing: 1,848,820 PYG (≈ $260)
→ Estimated card delivery: ~90 days

A notable assurance: unlike many countries where renewal is discretionary, Paraguay's conversion from temporary to permanent residency is essentially guaranteed if you've complied with the terms — namely, maintaining a clean record and not abandoning the residency.

The permanent residency card is then valid for 10 years, and after 3 years of permanent status you become eligible to apply for citizenship.

How much does Paraguay residency cost in 2026? — cost comparison by profile

Different applicants will face very different total costs. Here are realistic breakdowns by applicant type:

🎒 Digital nomad / solo applicant (traditional route)

Government fees: ~$400
Attorney + document prep: ~$1,000–$1,500
Travel + accommodation: ~$500–$800
Total: ~$1,900–$2,700

👨‍👩‍👧 Family of 3 (traditional route)

Government fees (per person): ~$1,200
Attorney package: ~$2,000–$3,500
Apostille/translation (multiplied): ~$600–$1,200
Travel + accommodation: ~$1,200–$2,000
Total: ~$5,000–$7,900

💼 Investor (SUACE route)

All-in processing fees: ~$14,000
Investment capital: $70,000 (over 10 years)
Optional structural/tax advisory: $2,000–$5,000
Year 1 minimum: ~$21,000–$26,000

🏠 Passive investor (new Investor Pass)

Investment: $70,000 (productive + 5 jobs) / $150,000 (tourism) / $200,000 (real estate or stock)
Estimated processing fees (TBD): $5,000–$10,000
Total: $75,000–$210,000+

Reading those numbers against our flat-fee packages: a solo applicant's DIY band ($1,900–$2,700) lands close to where our Essential package sits — but with no apostille calendar to manage, no chasing a sworn translator, and no risk of an expired police clearance forcing a re-issuance. The family-of-3 band ($5,000–$7,900) is roughly two Essential files plus shared travel and remains meaningfully cheaper than Panama or Portugal at retail. Investor-class clients typically pair the SUACE or Investor Pass capital deployment with our standard package for the residency mechanics — the legal fees in our table already cover that scope. See current pricing on the packages page →

Comparing Paraguay residency costs to competitor countries

To put Paraguay's costs in proper context:

Country	Min. investment	All-in Year 1	Path to citizenship
Paraguay (Traditional)	$0	~$2,500	5+ years
Paraguay (SUACE)	$70,000	~$84,000	3 years after PR
Uruguay	None (income proof)	~$3,000–$5,000	3–5 years
Panama Friendly Nations	$200,000+	~$210,000	5 years
Portugal Golden Visa	€500,000	~€520,000	5 years
Mexico Temporary Res.	~$2,600/mo income	~$1,500	5 years

Paraguay's traditional route is genuinely the cheapest in Latin America with no income requirement. Bolivia comes close but mandates ~$300/month in solvency proof.

The costs most guides get wrong

Three frequent errors in competing articles:

1. Quoting only government fees as "the cost" — ignoring apostille, translation, travel, and legal fees that often double or triple the headline price.
2. Confusing the old $5,000 deposit rule with current law — Law 6984/2022 abolished it, but outdated content still circulates.
3. Missing the 2026 Investor Pass entirely — most articles last updated in 2024 or early 2025 don't reflect this new pathway.

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Cost ranges in this article are based on official DGM fee schedules in PYG (current 2025–2026 tariffs of 223,004 PYG application + 2,787,550 PYG permit/card ≈ 25 daily minimum wages) converted at prevailing exchange rates, plus market-typical professional fees and document costs in 2026. The Paraguay Investor Pass tiers reflect the April 17, 2026 launch announcement by MIC and Migraciones; implementing regulations and fee schedules are still being finalized. Always verify current requirements directly with the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (migraciones.gov.py) and a licensed Paraguayan immigration attorney before relying on these figures.