Blog · 2025-12-01

How to obtain a Carnet de Admisión Permanente in Paraguay

The Carnet de Admisión Permanente is the document that confirms a foreign national's right to reside permanently in Paraguay. It is important to understand what the Carnet is not: it is not an ID card, not a proof of identity, not an equivalent of the cédula, and not a "plastic residence permit." It is, specifically, a migratory authorisation for permanent residency.

In other words, the Carnet confirms your legal migratory status as a permanent resident of the country, but it is not used as an identity document within Paraguay. Once it has been issued, the foreign national must separately obtain a Paraguayan identity document - the Cédula de Identidad - from the police.

The Carnet is issued by the Directorate of Migration (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones) once all the established requirements have been met. Permanent-resident status itself is indefinite, but the physical document must be renewed every 10 years.

Benefits of the Carnet de Admisión Permanente in Paraguay

Obtaining permanent-resident status in Paraguay gives a foreign national a number of significant advantages:

• Indefinite residence. Permanent residency lets you live in Paraguay with no time limits, unlike temporary or visitor statuses. You can enter and leave the country freely without worrying about how long you may stay.
• The right to work and run a business. Permanent residents may legally hold employment, engage in entrepreneurial activity, and pursue any other lawful work in Paraguay. In practice this means you can take a job, start your own company, and enter into commercial deals on the same footing as citizens.
• Access to an identity document. Foreign nationals with permanent residency can obtain a Paraguayan identity document (Cédula de Identidad), valid for 10 years. Holding a Paraguayan ID simplifies countless day-to-day tasks inside the country, from opening a bank account to obtaining various official certificates.
• Access to other entitlements. With a Carnet de Admisión Permanente you gain the services and rights afforded to residents: for example, obtaining a driving licence, access to the public healthcare and education systems (on equal terms with citizens), and the ability to purchase real estate and vehicles, among others. Moreover, after a certain period of permanent residence (generally 3 years) a resident becomes eligible to apply for Paraguayan citizenship through the procedure set out in law.

Routes to obtaining the Carnet de Admisión Permanente in Paraguay

Paraguay offers several paths to permanent-resident status and, with it, the Carnet de Admisión Permanente. The procedure and requirements can differ slightly depending on the grounds on which a foreign national applies. The main categories of applicant and the corresponding routes are set out below.

For citizens of MERCOSUR countries

If you are a citizen of one of the countries that has signed the MERCOSUR free-residence agreement, Paraguay offers a streamlined route to permanent residency. Those countries are Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador.

The condition is that the applicant already holds a valid MERCOSUR temporary residency (Carnet de Admisión Temporaria Mercosur). A national of one of these countries first obtains a temporary residence permit valid for up to 2 years under the MERCOSUR agreement, and may then apply for permanent status. Note that the application for the Carnet de Admisión Permanente MERCOSUR must be filed no later than 90 days before the temporary residency expires. If you miss that window and let the temporary card lapse, you lose the right to the preferential MERCOSUR route to permanent residency - you would then have to apply on the general grounds set out in Law No. 6984/22.

For other foreign nationals (the standard procedure)

For foreign nationals without treaty-based benefits, Paraguay applies a standard two-stage procedure for obtaining permanent residency. Under the new Migration Law No. 6984/2022, before applying for permanent residency a foreign national must first obtain a temporary residence permit (Residencia Temporal) and spend a set period living in the country under that status.

Temporary residency is usually granted for up to 2 years, with the right to extend it for a further 2 years. In effect it is a fixed-term residence permit. While it is in force, the foreign national enjoys most of the rights of a resident, including the ability to obtain a Paraguayan identity document in their name for that period. Holding temporary residency is a mandatory precondition for the subsequent permanent-residency application. Once the required period has elapsed (typically after 2 years of residence), the foreign national becomes eligible to file for a change of category from temporary to permanent residency.

For most foreign applicants, the standard procedure for obtaining the Carnet de Admisión Permanente involves gathering the necessary certificates both at home and in Paraguay, submitting the application in person to the migration service, and paying the applicable state fee. The administrative fee for permanent residency on general grounds is 2,787,550 PYG - exactly the same as for temporary residency under Law 6984/22. If your period of lawful stay (on a visa or visa-free entry) has already expired at the time you file, an additional overstay penalty of around 669,000 PYG may apply.

It is worth noting that a temporary residence permit can be granted on various grounds: employment, entrepreneurship, study, self-sufficiency, family reunification, and others. The exact list of documents and conditions for temporary residency depends on the purpose of stay, but in every case, once the required period of residence has passed, you can move on to obtaining permanent status. When applying for permanent residency you will need to submit current documents again (police clearance certificates, medical certificates, and so on) and go through the process at Migraciones. Once approved, you receive the Carnet de Admisión Permanente and become a permanent resident of Paraguay. The status is permanent, but do not forget to replace the card itself every 10 years, even under the standard procedure.

The investor programme (Residencia Permanente vía SUACE)

The Paraguayan government is keen to attract investment, so a special streamlined route to permanent residency exists for foreign investors. This procedure is governed by Law No. 6984/22 and is administered through SUACE (Sistema Unificado de Apertura y Cierre de Empresas) - a one-stop shop at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce that brings together several government agencies. If a foreign national comes to Paraguay as an investor and either registers a new business or makes a substantial investment through SUACE, they can obtain permanent residency directly, without years of prior residence. In effect, the Residencia Permanente para Inversionistas Extranjeros (SUACE) is granted as permanent from the outset, bypassing the temporary-residency stage.

The core condition is confirmed investment and registration through SUACE. The applicant must obtain an investor certificate (Constancia de Inversionista) from Paraguay's Ministry of Industry and Commerce, confirming that they will use the SUACE regime. This document is attached to the residency application as the key basis for it. In addition, the investor submits the standard package of personal documents (passport, visa and migration stamps, birth and marital-status certificates, police clearance certificates, and so on).

The permanent-resident card an investor receives is valid indefinitely, with mandatory replacement every 10 years, just as in other categories. The investor is also entitled to a Paraguayan cédula (identity document). The state fee for the investor's permanent residency is the same as for everyone else - 2.79 million PYG, paid once to the migration service. The advantage of this route is speed: investor status avoids the long wait tied to temporary residence and allows you to become a permanent resident of Paraguay almost immediately, which is convenient for developing a business in the country. Investment also opens up a fast track to Paraguayan citizenship.

For spouses and children of Paraguayan citizens

A separate category covers foreign nationals who are close relatives of Paraguayan citizens. Under Law No. 2193/2003, the spouses and children of Paraguayan citizens are entitled to a simplified route to permanent residency on the basis of family ties. This provision is designed to reunite families and to support the repatriation of Paraguayan citizens together with their families.

Who can use it:

• The foreign spouse of a Paraguayan citizen.
• Foreign children (minors) who have a Paraguayan citizen as a father or mother.

The main advantage is that no prior temporary residence permit is required. The foreign family member of a Paraguayan can apply for permanent residency straight away. What is more, there is a way to obtain a Paraguayan identity document (cédula) even before the Carnet de Admisión Permanente itself is issued. This is made possible by the repatriation procedure: before filing at Migraciones, a close relative of a Paraguayan citizen may apply to a dedicated body, SEDERREC (the Secretariat for Returning Nationals and Refugees), for a repatriation certificate (Certificado de Repatriación). This certificate officially confirms repatriate status and carries several benefits. First, on its basis you can obtain a Paraguayan cédula from the police (Departamento de Identificaciones) at once, without waiting for the residency to be issued. Second, holding the certificate exempts the applicant from the state fee for permanent residency (and from certain other administrative charges). In this way, the spouse or child of a Paraguayan can obtain an identity document and then complete the Carnet de Admisión Permanente process practically free of charge.

After obtaining the Paraguayan identity document, the foreign national has 90 days to file the application with the Directorate of Migration for the Carnet de Admisión Permanente. Miss that deadline and the migration service may impose penalties for late filing. The residency process for spouses and children of Paraguayan citizens involves the same standard steps (gathering documents, a visit to Migraciones, background checks), but with specific documents in play: you must provide a marriage certificate with a Paraguayan citizen or a birth certificate showing that one parent is Paraguayan, and complete the repatriation procedure through SEDERREC. The Carnet de Admisión Permanente issued will be valid indefinitely (with scheduled replacement every 10 years), as in all other cases.

Documents required for the Carnet de Admisión Permanente

The document package for permanent residency in Paraguay is fairly extensive. It includes both documents brought from your country of origin and certificates obtained directly in Paraguay. All official documents from abroad must be authenticated (legalised or apostilled) and translated into Spanish. The main requirements are set out below:

• Proof of identity: a passport (or, for citizens of neighbouring countries, a national identity document) valid at the time of filing, plus a notarised copy.
• Visa (if required): for citizens of countries subject to Paraguay's visa regime, a valid entry visa in the passport is required, together with a note confirming its verification by Paraguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Citizens of countries permitted visa-free entry need only provide the basis for their lawful arrival.
• Proof of entry into the country: the entry form (Formulario de ingreso) or the entry stamp in your passport, issued by the border service when you crossed the border. These marks confirm that you entered Paraguay lawfully.
• Birth certificate: the original birth certificate issued by the competent authority of your country of birth, with consular legalisation or an apostille. A notarised Spanish translation is also required if the document is not originally in Spanish.
• Marital-status certificate: a document confirming your current civil status - for example, a marriage certificate (if you are married), a court divorce decree (if you are divorced), or a spouse's death certificate (if you are widowed). This document must be issued by the competent authority of your country, legalised (or apostilled), and translated into Spanish. If marital status does not apply (for example, you have never been married), this item can be omitted.
• Police clearance certificate from your country of origin: an official certificate of no criminal record from your country of citizenship, issued by a central (national or federal) authority and valid throughout the country. This document confirms that you have no criminal history at home. It must be current (typically valid for 3-6 months), legalised or apostilled, and translated into Spanish.
• Police clearance certificate from your country of residence (if applicable): if over the past 3 years you have lived in a country other than that of your citizenship, you will also need a certificate of no criminal record from that country, plus documentary proof that you did in fact live there for that period. For instance, if you are a Russian citizen but have spent recent years in Spain, you must provide a Spanish police clearance certificate and evidence of residence there (a residence permit, registration, and the like). All such documents must likewise be legalised/apostilled and translated.
• Criminal-record clearance within Paraguay: on arrival in Paraguay the applicant must undergo a domestic criminal-record check. This requires two certificates: an Interpol certificate (on international wanted status) and a foreigner's police clearance certificate from the Paraguayan National Police. The first is issued by the INTERPOL office in Paraguay, the second by the National Police's IT Department (specifically for foreign applicants). Both documents are required for everyone over 14. The applicant obtains them in person in Paraguay: they file a request, pay a small fee, and after a certain time receive the certificates confirming the absence of a criminal record in Paraguay and in international databases.
• Proof of address in Paraguay: the Certificado de Vida y Residencia - a certificate of residence issued by the local police station in Paraguay. It attests that the applicant lives at the stated address (usually requiring witness statements from neighbours or the landlord). The document is valid for a limited time (around 30 days) and is required to confirm your actual presence and address in the country at the time of filing.
• Declaration to abide by the law: when filing, you complete a declaration (Declaración Jurada) in which you undertake to respect Paraguay's Constitution and laws. This document is drawn up on the spot at the migration service at the moment of filing - you do not need to bring it with you; it is enough to sign that you are aware of a resident's obligations.
• Notarised copies of documents: note that all original documents must be presented together with copies certified by a notary (escribanía). Original passports and certificates are returned to you after they have been checked, while the copies remain in your file. If the copies are not properly certified, your documents may be rejected or you may be asked to replace the copies.
• Translation and legalisation: as noted, foreign-language documents must be accompanied by a Spanish translation done by a certified translator. Translations made outside Paraguay must also be legalised or apostilled. All foreign documents must carry consular legalisation or an apostille (for countries party to the Hague Convention). Legalisation is normally done at a Paraguayan embassy or consulate in the country that issued the document, while the apostille is affixed by the competent authority of the document's country of origin. Without proper legalisation or an apostille, documents will not be recognised by the migration service.

Depending on the specific case, Migraciones may request additional documents. For example, proof of financial means (in some cases you are asked to show a bank statement or other evidence of your ability to support yourself in the country), proof of a place to live (a rental agreement or letters from a host), and so on. It is therefore advisable to check the full list of requirements for your case with the Departamento de Migraciones in advance.

Obtaining the Carnet de Admisión Permanente in Paraguay is a fairly regulated process that demands careful document preparation and adherence to every procedure. The reward is permanent residency in a country with a warm climate, a favourable economy, and a friendly population. By following the official requirements and the advice above, you can successfully complete every stage - from temporary residency (where required) to the coveted permanent-resident status.

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