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ReadParaguay has a new migration law. Law 6984 of 2022 was signed by President Mario Abdo Benítez on October 17 and published in the Gaceta Oficial, the country's official gazette, on October 18, 2022, the day it took effect. It repeals Law 978 of 1996, which had governed immigration for a quarter of a century and still contained provisions widely seen as discriminatory, such as a certificate showing the applicant had no infectious or mental illness.
The law also upgrades the immigration office. The former General Directorate of Migration becomes the National Directorate of Migration (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, or DNM), with the power to issue its own rules and manage its own budget. The government has 180 days from publication to issue the detailed regulations, so some procedures and requirements will still be filled in over the coming months.
The ways a foreigner can be admitted
The law separates short visits from residence. A transitory stay covers tourists, people in transit and medical visitors: up to 90 days, extendable once, with no right to paid work. Residence comes in three forms:
- Spontaneous or occasional residence. A new category for people coming to do occasional lawful work, such as performers or invited guests. It lasts up to 90 days, extendable once within the year.
- Temporary residence. For people who intend to settle and carry on a lawful activity, paid or unpaid.
- Permanent residence. For people who intend to stay indefinitely, normally after completing temporary residence.
While a temporary residency application is being processed, the applicant holds precarious resident status, a provisional permit that lets them stay, leave and come back, and work while they wait.
Temporary residency
Temporary residency is now granted for up to two years, extendable for the same period, compared with one year under the old law. It is the standard first step toward permanent residency. One practical change matters a great deal: temporary residents can now obtain a cédula, the Paraguayan identity card, valid for as long as their residence. Under the old law the cédula was only available to permanent residents.
The law lists the core documents: a valid passport, proof of entry, a birth certificate, a civil status certificate, a criminal record certificate from the country of origin or of residence over the last three years, an Interpol certificate and a certificate from the Paraguayan National Police, plus sworn statements on the activity the applicant will carry out and their address in Paraguay. Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised and translated into Spanish by a registered public translator. The DNM can refuse residency to anyone prosecuted or convicted of an intentional offence carrying more than two years of imprisonment.
Moving to permanent residency
As a rule, permanent residency is applied for once the temporary period has been completed, with an updated set of police, judicial and Interpol certificates. Two groups can apply for permanent residency directly:
- Foreigners who can prove an investment in Paraguay under Law 4986 of 2013, which created SUACE, the government's single window for opening and closing companies.
- The foreign spouse, children and grandchildren under 18 of a repatriated Paraguayan, and the spouse of that person's child.
Permanent residents who obtain their status under the new law must renew their residence card, and with it their cédula, every ten years. People who became permanent residents under the old law do not need to renew, because the law does not apply retroactively.
Absence rules
The law spells out how long a resident can be away. The DNM can cancel the residency of a temporary resident who is absent for more than one year without authorisation. A permanent resident loses that status after more than three consecutive years abroad without justifying the absence to the DNM, which can extend the period in cases set out in the regulations. Someone who loses permanent residency this way can recover it by meeting the legal requirements again.
The road to citizenship
Citizenship sits outside the migration law. Article 148 of the Constitution allows a foreigner of legal age to naturalise after at least three years of residence, provided they regularly practise a profession, trade or other activity in Paraguay and show good conduct. Applications go to the Supreme Court of Justice, whose rules (Acordada 464 of 2007) count the three years from the grant of permanent residency and expect the applicant not to have been away for more than three months in each of those years.
In practice, someone starting from scratch would spend up to two years as a temporary resident and then three as a permanent resident before applying, so around five years at the earliest, plus processing time.
What it means if you are considering Paraguay
The new law keeps Paraguay's residency open and simple at the entry level: no minimum investment for temporary residency, a longer first permit, and an identity card from the start. In exchange, the structure is clearer and more formal, with a defined path from temporary to permanent and firm absence limits. Anyone who wants to skip the temporary stage needs a qualifying investment recognised through SUACE. We help clients prepare their documents, work with our local team and quote a fixed fee in writing.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice.
