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Paraguay · Residency · · 5 minute read

Paraguay’s Investor Pass: direct permanent residency for investors from US$70,000

Resolution 0283 of April 2026 sets four investment routes to permanent residency, from a US$70,000 productive business to US$200,000 in property or securities, with the investor certificate issued in five business days.

Paraguay has widened the door to permanent residency for investors. On April 17, 2026, during an official mission to Brazil, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Marco Riquelme, and the director of the National Directorate of Migration (DNM), Jorge Kronawetter, presented what the government calls the Paraguay Investor Pass. On April 21, Minister Riquelme signed Resolution 0283, which sets out the rules. The full text and its annex have now been published and analysed, so the details are clear.

The idea is simple. Most foreigners start with up to two years of temporary residency before they can apply for permanent residency. Investors who qualify under the new resolution skip that stage and apply for permanent residency straight away.

SUACE and the investor certificate

The route runs through SUACE, the Unified System for Opening and Closing Companies. SUACE is a single window run by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC), created by Law 4986 of 2013 to simplify setting up and formalising businesses. Paraguay's 2022 migration law, Law 6984, already exempts foreigners who prove an investment through SUACE from the temporary residency stage.

The key document is the Constancia de Inversionista Extranjero, or foreign investor certificate. The MIC issues it once the investment is shown to meet the rules, and the investor then takes it to the DNM to apply for permanent residency. Resolution 0283 replaces Resolution 1052 of 2025, which governed the certificate until now. Files still pending under the old rules can move to the new regime if it is more favourable, without refiling.

The four routes

  • Productive investment: US$70,000. The long standing route. It requires a business plan for an industrial, commercial or service activity and at least five formal jobs. Qualifying spending includes property, machinery, equipment and vehicles used in the business, but not rent, salaries or routine running costs.
  • Tourism: US$150,000. Investment in tourism assets, infrastructure or services, with a business plan and progress reports every six months.
  • Real estate: US$200,000. Property bought, developed or operated to generate income. Homes for personal or family use do not count. Investors can qualify with a registered title deed or with a notarised private purchase contract on which at least 30% of the price has been paid, which allows property still under construction to be used.
  • Financial instruments: US$200,000. Securities held for at least two years, shown by a certificate from an entity authorised by the securities regulator within the Central Bank of Paraguay, with annual reporting. No business plan or job creation is required.

The real estate and financial routes are the genuinely new part. Until now, an investor had to commit to a productive business and five jobs, which suited entrepreneurs but not people who simply wanted to place capital in Paraguay.

Documents and checks

Applicants need identification and proof of entry, police certificates including an Interpol record, evidence of the investment and a sworn statement on the lawful origin and traceability of their funds. Supporting documents for the property and securities routes must be dated within about six months of the application. Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised, and documents in Portuguese issued in Brazil are exempt from translation.

Mr Kronawetter said the DNM would check criminal records, consult Interpol and verify that requirements are met, and that the law allows residency to be cancelled if documents turn out to be altered or the requirements are breached.

How fast it moves

The resolution requires SUACE to issue the investor certificate within five business days of a complete file, a deadline first introduced by Resolution 1052 in 2025. The clock pauses if officials ask for clarification. The residency itself is then processed by the DNM. Investor files are typically approved in about three months, compared with the two years of temporary residency the standard route requires before permanent status.

Demand is rising quickly. According to the DNM, residency applications grew from about 28,000 in 2024 to more than 47,000 in 2025, with projections of around 80,000 for 2026, led by Brazilian citizens. Applications in the first quarter of 2026 were 85% higher than a year earlier.

What it means if you are considering Paraguay

For people with capital to invest, the Investor Pass removes the waiting period and the uncertainty of upgrading from temporary to permanent residency later. Permanent residents keep their status as long as they do not spend more than three consecutive years abroad, and can apply for citizenship after three years of permanent residency. Officials also noted that residents pay Paraguay's dividend tax at 8%, rather than the 15% charged to non residents. The resolution says nothing specific about spouses and children, so family applications should be confirmed case by case.

The choice of route matters. A productive business brings jobs and reporting obligations, property ties up capital in one asset, and securities must stay invested for two years. We help clients compare the routes, prepare the investor certificate and residency files with our local team, and quote a fixed fee in writing.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice.

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