Blog · 2025-11-19

How to obtain a Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales in Paraguay in 2025

What is a Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales?

A police clearance certificate (Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales) confirms whether or not an applicant has a criminal record within Paraguay. The document states whether the official database holds any records of convictions, arrests or other offences involving the person. Even if someone does have a record, the certificate is still issued - it will simply reflect the relevant entries. If the person has never been convicted in Paraguay, the certificate states that no criminal record exists.

The certificate is issued by Paraguay's National Police through its Identification Department. To obtain it, you can either visit an Identification Department office in person or use the government's online services portal. The certificate contains the applicant's personal details (name and identity document number) and a note on the presence or absence of a criminal record as of the issue date. It is printed on official police letterhead and signed by an authorised official.

Paraguay also has a related document - the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales - issued by the Supreme Court (Corte Suprema de Justicia). The Certificado de Antecedentes Penales is more of a judicial record of convictions, obtained through the court system. The police certificate (Antecedentes Policiales), however, is generally treated as the standard local clearance, since it can be issued quickly for everyday needs.

What is a Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales used for?

Paraguay's police clearance certificate is used for a wide range of purposes. It may be requested by government agencies and private organisations alike whenever they need to confirm a person's good standing and lack of a criminal record. The main situations in which you may need this document are set out below:

• Employment. When hiring - especially for public service or security roles - employers may ask candidates for a clearance certificate to confirm the employee has no outstanding convictions. Many private companies also include it in their standard onboarding documents.
• Immigration and visa processes. If you plan to apply for temporary or permanent residency in Paraguay, or conversely to emigrate from Paraguay to another country, you will need to provide a clearance certificate. When granting residence, immigration authorities typically require a police clearance from the applicant's most recent country of residence covering the past several years. In Paraguay, the immigration service (Migraciones) requires applicants over the age of 14 to submit a clearance certificate - police and/or judicial - from both Paraguay and their country of origin, covering the last five years.
• Adoption and guardianship. Adopting a child or being granted guardianship requires proof that the prospective parents or guardians have no criminal history. Paraguay's Ministry for Children and Adolescents (MINNA) lists among the documents for adoption applicants the original clearance certificate issued by the National Police of Paraguay, along with an equivalent certificate from the courts. These documents confirm that the adopters have never faced criminal prosecution.
• Registering organisations and obtaining licences. Registering certain types of organisation (charitable foundations or security firms, for example) may require a clearance certificate from the founders. Likewise, obtaining licences for certain professions - practising as a lawyer, notary or private investigator, and so on - makes presenting such a certificate a mandatory condition confirming the applicant has no criminal record.
• Financial and banking transactions. In some cases banks may ask a client for a clearance certificate when opening accounts or extending large loans, particularly for non-residents. For example, opening certain types of account at Paraguayan banks may require a clearance certificate - police or judicial - for all individuals over the age of 14. This is a precautionary due-diligence measure.

Who can obtain a Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales?

Anyone holding an official Paraguayan identity document - a cédula de identidad - can obtain a Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales. This includes both Paraguayan citizens and foreign residents. If a foreign national lives in Paraguay legally and has obtained a local identity document, the procedure is the same as it is for citizens.

For minors under the age of 18, the certificate is issued in the presence of a parent or guardian. Under the Identification Department's rules, minor applicants must appear to collect the certificate together with a parent or legal representative. Clearance certificates are usually required from the age of 14 onward - this is the age at which the relevant authorities begin taking a criminal record into account when documents are submitted for various procedures.

If the applicant cannot submit the request in person - for instance because of serious illness or because they are currently abroad - this does not prevent them from obtaining the certificate. In such cases the law allows the request to be made through an authorised representative. Close relatives (parents, adult children, siblings, a spouse) or an official representative may request the certificate provided they hold duly certified written authorisation from the applicant. For example, someone abroad can grant power of attorney to a relative in Paraguay who will submit the application on their behalf. A copy of the applicant's identity document and evidence of the special circumstances (a medical certificate or similar) are also required.

Once the request has been filed, the finished certificate can be collected by the applicant or by the authorised representative (if power of attorney has been granted). Collection requires presenting the receipt for the submitted application. If the receipt is lost, the certificate can only be released to the applicant in person, on presentation of a police report documenting the loss of the receipt.

How to obtain a Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales

1. Filing the application

There are two main ways to request a local clearance certificate in Paraguay: in person (offline) or over the internet (online).

• In person. Visit the police Identification Department office (Departamento de Identificaciones) in your region. The head office is in Asunción, and there are regional branches as well (major offices in San Lorenzo, Ciudad del Este and elsewhere). Applicants must bring a valid cédula de identidad. On site you fill out a short application or give your details to a police officer to search the database. You then pay the set fee - usually at the cashier's desk in the office itself or at a bank (a receipt is issued). Some offices use an electronic queue system, but processing is generally on a first-come, first-served basis. Turnaround is minimal: the certificate is typically ready within a few minutes and handed to the applicant during the same visit. In other words, the process is very fast - you simply wait your turn, pay the fee, and the certificate is printed almost instantly.
• Online through the government services portal. The Paraguayan government has rolled out an online portal, Portal Paraguay (paraguay.gov.py), where citizens can obtain many documents remotely. To order a clearance certificate online you need an electronic account (identidad electrónica) on the portal. Registration is generally available to holders of a Paraguayan cédula (identity verification may be done at a service centre or using electronic ID cards). Once logged in, select the "Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales" service and complete the online request form. The state fee can be paid online in several ways - bank card, online banking, a mobile wallet and so on - as the portal offers several integrated payment methods. After successful payment the system automatically generates your certificate electronically. You can download and print it yourself. The electronic certificate carries a verification code or QR code, so it often does not even need a stamp - printing or forwarding the electronic version is enough. Many institutions in Paraguay accept the electronic certificate without a paper original. Even so, it is worth checking the requirements of the organisation you are submitting to, as some may specifically request a stamped paper version.

2. Collecting the finished document

If you applied in person, the original certificate is handed to you on the spot at the police station. It takes the form of an A4 sheet bearing the coat of arms, your details and the signature of the responsible official. An online order results in a digitally signed PDF file. You can print it; if you wish, the printed copy can be stamped at a police station, though this is usually unnecessary.

Documents required for a Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales

To request a clearance certificate in a standard case, only a minimal set of documents is needed:

• Identity document (Cédula de Identidad). Present the original national ID, valid at the time of the request. If you apply online, the document details must already be linked to your electronic account.
• Application or form. When applying in person, an officer completes the electronic form based on your details - you only need to confirm your information and the purpose of the certificate. Online, you fill out the request form yourself.
• Payment receipt. The state fee must be paid before the certificate is issued. In the online process the system records the payment automatically. When applying in person, the fee is usually paid at the cashier first, and the receipt is added to the file.

Additional documents may be required in special cases, for example:

• A written power of attorney from the applicant - if someone else is obtaining the certificate on their behalf (the representative presents this letter to the police).
• A medical certificate or other proof if the applicant cannot appear in person for health reasons.
• Documents proving kinship or a representative's authority (where a representative is acting) - a birth certificate for a parent, a lawyer's credentials, a court guardianship ruling, and so on.

How long is a Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales valid?

A clearance certificate is generally valid for 90 days (three months) from the date of issue. Although the form itself may not formally state a validity period, most institutions accept only recent certificates issued no more than three months before submission. This rule is applied especially strictly to foreign nationals, for whom the certificate is recognised as valid for three months. After three months you can request a fresh certificate if needed.

Using the certificate outside Paraguay

If you plan to use the clearance certificate outside Paraguay - for instance, to submit it to another country's embassy, a foreign employer or immigration authorities - it must be legalised (apostilled). Paraguay is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so the procedure is as follows:

• Legalisation by the competent Paraguayan authority. First, the original document must be certified by an authorised body within the country. For the Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales this is usually the Ministry of the Interior or the Identification Department itself, which can confirm the police official's signature and stamp. (For the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales, issued through the judicial system, you must go to the Palacio de Justicia - the Supreme Court building - where the legalisation office applies its stamp.) This internal legalisation step is required before the foreign ministry can certify the document.
• Apostille from Paraguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After internal certification, the document is submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores), which affixes the Apostille stamp. The apostille attests that the document is official and can be recognised in another state that is party to the Hague Convention. Foreign institutions can then verify the certificate's authenticity.

Note that an electronic certificate obtained through the portal must be printed and legalised for use abroad. The digital signature is recognised domestically, but foreign authorities usually require a paper document with an apostille. In some cases a notarised translation of the certificate into the required language may be needed, if the requesting party does not accept documents in Spanish.

Paraguay's local police clearance certificate is a necessary document for many procedures. Thanks to the electronic system, obtaining it is quick and straightforward - all you need is a Paraguayan identity document.

Always rely on verified information and official guidance when preparing your documents.

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