The detailed reference below covers the later stages.
🧭Main routeTemporary (up to 2 yrs) → permanent
💵Money testNo proof at temporary stage; solvency for permanent (Res. DNM 407/2026)
⏳Residence before citizenship3 yrs of permanent residence
📅Realistic total (estimate)≈ 6–10 yrs
🛂Keep US citizenship?Renunciation by court practice
⚠️ Naturalizing in Paraguay requires giving up US citizenship (on paper or in practice).By court practice, not by statute. Paraguayan courts ask naturalizing foreigners to renounce their nationality of origin even though no law requires it; a 2025 bill to end the practice is pending. No evidence was found that Paraguay demands proof of US loss. Naturalized Paraguayans can also lose nationality for an unjustified absence of more than 3 years. Residency here can still make sense; citizenship is why Paraguay is in our separate renunciation section.
In short: one typical path, step by step, from your first residency to a passport.
Year 1: getting your first residency. Read the story first, details below. The steps above the dashed line cover the first residency; the rest happens later on. This is one typical scenario on the main route, in plain language. Figures come from our research notes; anything marked ⚠️ or ❓ is uncertain, so check the linked details before you act.
🧳
Before you go
Gather your papers
Get your FBI check apostilled (around US$38 ❓) and translated (around US$100–300 ❓). No proof of income is needed at the temporary stage.
You apply for permanent residence (another ~US$509). For filings from July 6, 2026 you must show verifiable solvency in one of 12 categories (retirees, remote workers and more); the amounts are not confirmed ❓.
You file for naturalization at the Supreme Court. In court practice you are asked to renounce your nationality of origin, even though no law requires it. You can also lose Paraguayan nationality for an unjustified absence of more than 3 years.
In short: the complete reference: every step, office, fee, rule and source, labeled verified or uncertain.
Labels from our research notes: ✅ verified at the linked source · ⚠️ conflicting or needs checking · ❓ unverified, do not rely on it. Researched October 9, 2026.
Paraguay at a glance
Main route
Temporary (up to 2 yrs) → permanent
Money test
No proof at temporary stage; solvency for permanent (Res. DNM 407/2026)
Residence before citizenship
3 yrs of permanent residence
Realistic total (estimate)
≈ 6–10 yrs
Keep US citizenship?
Renunciation by court practice
Show the full Paraguay reference guide
Researched Oct 9, 2026. Exchange rate used throughout: US$1 ≈ ₲ 5,750 (interbank ~₲ 5,748 on Oct 8–9, 2026; retail ₲ 5,560 buy / 5,800 sell; El Nacional). USD figures are rounded. Migration fees are set in jornales mínimos (daily minimum wages); current table in force since Jul 1, 2026 (Decreto 6225/2026, Res. DNM 478/2026) ✅ (Migraciones aranceles). Labels: ✅ = verified at the linked source · ⚠️ = conflicting sources or needs checking · ❓ = UNVERIFIED (could not confirm; do not publish as fact). This is general information, not legal or tax advice. See our disclaimer.
⚠️ RENUNCIATION FLAG — listed in our separate "requires giving up US citizenship" section. Paraguayan court practice asks naturalizing foreigners to renounce their nationality of origin, although no statute requires it; a 2025 bill to end the practice is pending ✅ (Cámara de Diputados; SILpy D-2586152). It is a formal declaration: no evidence was found that Paraguay demands proof of US loss ❓. The US treats loss as requiring intent ✅ (travel.state.gov). See our renunciation screening.
0. TL;DR
Item
Answer
Featured route
Residencia Temporal (Ley 6984/2022) for any lawful activity: up to 2 years, renewable once ✅ (Migraciones). No solvency proof at the temporary stage ✅ (Circle Group on Res. 407/2026). Fee 25 jornales = ₲ 2,926,925 cash (~US$509) ✅
Path to permanent
Residencia Permanente requires prior temporary residence ✅ and, for filings from Jul 6, 2026, proof of verifiable solvency under Res. DNM 407/2026 (12 categories incl. remote workers/digital nomads, retirees, property owners, shareholders) ✅ (Migraciones). Fee 25 jornales ✅
Citizenship
3 years of permanent residence counted from the permanent-admission resolution (Const. art. 148), filed with the Corte Suprema de Justicia ✅ (Poder Judicial). Trámites reportedly take 3–5 years ✅ (El Nacional)
Cheapest passive route
Temporary → permanent as a retiree/pensioner or remote worker under Res. 407/2026; amounts per category ❓ (annex not fetched)
Digital nomad
No separate visa found; remote workers / digital nomads are one of the 12 solvency categories for permanent residency ✅
Dual citizenship
Renunciation in practice (see flag). Const. art. 149: multiple nationality only by treaty or constitutional reciprocity ✅ — there is no US–Paraguay income tax treaty ✅ (IRS treaty list, checked Oct 9, 2026) (a nationality treaty is a separate question ❓). Const. art. 150: a naturalized Paraguayan loses nationality for unjustified absence > 3 years (judicially declared) ✅ (Constitución)
Risk rating
Medium: cheap and fast residency, but naturalization is court-based, unregulated by statute, slow, and includes a renunciation formula
1. Route overview
Route
Paraguay status name
Minimum money
Can work?
Leads to permanent residency?
Verdict
Any lawful activity
Residencia Temporal (Ley 6984)
None at this stage ✅; fee ₲ 2,926,925
Yes, the declared activity ✅ (sworn statement of profession/activity, art. 50)
Sworn statements (law compliance; activity and address) ✅
DNM
—
—
—
Visa, where applicable ✅
—
—
—
Whether US citizens need one ❓
2.3 Foreign-worker limits
None found ❓.
2.4 Payroll obligations
Not researched ❓ (IPS social security).
2.5 Monthly taxes and accountant
Personal income tax (IRP) is territorial ✅: it taxes Paraguayan-source income (activities carried out, assets located or rights used economically in Paraguay) (Ley 6380/2019) (DNIT, Ley 6380, checked Oct 9, 2026). The former SET is now the DNIT.
Accountant cost ❓.
2.6 US tax side
FBAR if foreign accounts aggregate > US$10,000 at any time in the year; Form 8938 for filers living abroad if specified assets > US$200k at year-end or > US$300k at any time (single; US$400k/600k joint) ✅ (IRS 8938 vs FBAR, checked Oct 9, 2026). Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116) ❓ applicability depends on facts. No US–Paraguay income tax treaty ✅ (IRS treaty list, checked Oct 9, 2026). No US–Paraguay totalization agreement in force ✅ (SSA agreements list, checked Oct 9, 2026).
In force for permanent filings from Jul 6, 2026 ✅ (Migraciones).
12 categories: professionals, technicians, employees, independent commerce/service workers, remote workers / digital nomads, property owners, shareholders/partners, farmers/ranchers, religious workers, retirees/pensioners, dependants, students ✅.
Solvency "can never be presumed"; it must be shown with documents proving actual, verifiable income or resources, and DNM checks it against the activity you declared when you got temporary residence ✅ (Circle Group).
Minimum amounts per category ❓ (annex not fetched). Older "$5,000 bank deposit" advice is outdated ⚠️.
4. Family and marriage
Minors (0–17) are a separate NNA category, exempt from solvency; a parent must hold or apply for residence at the same time ✅ (Migraciones).
Spousal shortcuts to residence or citizenship ❓ (none in Const. art. 148).
5. Digital nomad
No dedicated nomad visa found ❓. Remote workers enter through temporary residence and qualify for permanent under the "trabajadores a distancia o nómadas digitales" solvency category ✅.
6. Naturalization
6.1 Which rule applies
Const. art. 148: age of majority; minimum 3 years of residence; exercise in Paraguay of a profession, trade, science, art or industry; good conduct ✅ (Constitución).
Count from the permanent-admission resolution, not from arrival ✅ (Poder Judicial). Realistic minimum: up to 2 yrs temporary + 3 yrs permanent.
No statute regulates naturalization; the Corte applies Acordada 464/2007 ✅ (Acordada 464/07). Bill D-2586152 (filed Jul 16, 2025) would regulate it, drop exams and the renunciation, and set short deadlines; it is in committee, with DNM's technical opinion dated Sep 7, 2026 ✅ (SILpy).
6.2 Documents (Poder Judicial list)
Document
Issuer
Apostille / legalization
Validity
Postcard-size photos (front and profile) ✅
—
—
—
Authenticated copy of Paraguayan cédula ✅
Policía Nacional
—
—
Authenticated copy of all passport pages ✅
—
—
—
Birth certificate ✅
US state
Apostille
❓
Permanent admission carnet ✅
DNM
—
—
Certificado de Radicación (3 years from permanent admission) ✅
DNM
—
—
Police record (Identificaciones) and judicial criminal record ✅
Policía / Poder Judicial
—
—
Proof of profession/activity ✅
—
—
—
File in person (sworn statement signed personally); documents original or authenticated; translations by a CSJ-registered translator ✅ (Poder Judicial).
Court procedure with a lawyer and the Fiscal General ❓ (secondary). Fees ❓.
6.3 Exam and language
In practice the Corte requires exams on language, history/geography and constitutional norms ✅ (described as a non-statutory requirement in the bill's official summary, Diputados). Spanish vs Guaraní level ❓.
6.4 Renunciation and loss (see flag)
Renunciation of nationality of origin is imposed in practice ✅; it is a formal oath, Paraguay does not appear to require proof ❓.
Loss of Paraguayan nationality for naturalized citizens: unjustified absence > 3 years (court declaration) or voluntary acquisition of another nationality ✅ (art. 150). Keeping US citizenship you already had is not "acquiring" one ⚠️ (interpretation; confirm).
Paraguayan-born persons: nationality lost only by express renunciation before the Corte (Ley 7052) ✅ (Ley 7052).
7. Physical presence and absences
Stage
Rule
Source
Temporary / permanent residence
Absence limits ❓ (Ley 6984 not fully read)
❓
Citizenship
3 years of "radicación" from permanent admission; how absences count ❓
✅/❓
After naturalization
> 3 years unjustified absence → possible loss
✅ Const. art. 150
Tax residence
Tied to holding permanent residence; RG 65/2020 requires a migration-movement record but sets no day count ⚠️ (search excerpt only)
New migration law (2022) and tighter permanent-residency solvency rules (2026) ✅.
Citizenship is court-driven and slow, with unwritten requirements ✅.
The pending bill could remove renunciation and exams ✅ (not law).
Rating: MEDIUM.
10. Common mistakes and tips
Relying on old "$5,000 deposit" advice. Permanent residency now needs verifiable income under Res. 407/2026.
Declaring an activity at the temporary stage that your later income documents don't match.
Counting citizenship time from arrival. It runs from the permanent admission.
Forgetting that translations done abroad must themselves be apostilled.
Ignoring the renunciation formula. Decide in advance how you'll handle it; keep using your US passport for US travel.
12. Open questions we are still researching
Res. 407/2026 annex: amounts per category
Investor (SUACE) amount for direct permanent residency
Visa requirement for US citizens
Absence limits under Ley 6984
Court naturalization fees and current processing time
Exam content
Status of bill D-2586152
Territorial tax rule (SET) and IPS (treaty/totalization ✅ none; FBAR/8938 ✅ — Oct 9, 2026)
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In short: a lawyer can check your case, and the free checklist keeps the steps in one place.
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A step-by-step printable checklist covering documents, apostilles, banking and taxes, plus email alerts when the countries in this guide change their residency or citizenship rules.