Countries › Paraguay › Guide › 5. FX and capital controls › Cash at the Paraguayan border: no limit, mandatory declaration above US$10,000

Cash at the Paraguayan border: no limit, mandatory declaration above US$10,000

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Last verified: 2026-10-28 · Status: Stable

Paraguay sets no maximum on cash or bearer instruments entering or leaving the country. Anyone carrying more than US$10,000, or its equivalent in other currencies or bearer instruments such as traveller's cheques, bonds or shares, must declare it in DNIT's electronic traveller declaration system. Inside the country, banks, finance companies and exchange houses apply risk based anti money laundering checks to cash operations of any size.

USD figures use PYG 5,868.31 per US dollar, the Banco Central del Paraguay reference quotation for 28 October 2026 (daily planilla). Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Cash and bearer instruments declaration threshold at the border	10000 USDResolución DNA 475/2021; Ley 1015/97, as of 2025-07-22 · in force
Maximum cash that may enter or leave	No limit (declaration above US$10,000) Resolución DNA 475/2021, as of 2025-07-22 · in force
Traveller duty free allowance by air or river	1000 USDDNIT notice 22 Jul 2025, as of 2025-07-22 · in force
Traveller duty free allowance by land	300 USDDNIT notice 22 Jul 2025, as of 2025-07-22 · in force

The rule

1. No cap, declaration above US$10,000. There is no maximum for cash or negotiable bearer instruments entering or leaving Paraguay, but any person transporting more than US$10,000 or the equivalent in other currencies or instruments (traveller's cheques, bonds, shares and similar) must file the mandatory Declaración Electrónica Aduanera de Viajeros. DNIT states the procedure is set by Resolución DNA Nº 475/2021 and the obligation rests on Ley 1015/97; the declaration can be completed online before travelling.
Cost to do it: Filing is free online. Undeclared amounts risk retention and sanctions per DNIT.
Example: A traveller leaving with PYG 88,024,650 in cash (US$15,000) files the declaration before departure. / US$9,000 in cash: no declaration; US$10,001: declaration required.Resolución DNA Nº 475/2021 (electronic customs declaration for travellers), as restated by DNIT on 22 July 2025; Ley Nº 1015/97, DNIT notice and FAQ, 2025-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-28

2. Traveller goods allowance, for context. Personal effects are duty free; other goods without commercial purpose enter duty free up to US$1,000 by air or river and US$300 by land border, plus US$500 for duty free shop purchases on arrival.
Cost to do it: Duties apply above the allowance.
Example: Gifts worth PYG 5,868,310 arriving by air are within the allowance. / US$1,000 by air, US$300 by land.DNIT notice on rules for travellers, DNIT notice, 2025-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-28

3. Anti money laundering scope after 2019. Ley 6497/2019 rewrote Ley 1015/97 art. 12: the original text applied identification, registration and reporting duties to operations above US$10,000 or structured to avoid that amount, while the current text sets a risk based approach under the authority's rules. Obligated subjects, including banks, finance companies and exchange houses, must apply customer due diligence, record all operations and report suspicious ones of any amount.
Cost to do it: No fee; documentation and source of funds evidence for cash deposits.
Example: A cash deposit of PYG 29,341,550 may still trigger questions if it does not match the customer profile. / No fixed US$ reporting floor in the amended art. 12.Ley Nº 1015/97 as amended by Ley Nº 6497/2019 and Ley Nº 6960/2022, Art. 12, 13, 14, 17 and 19, 2019-12-26 official text · verified 2026-10-28 · changed: Ley 6497/2019, promulgated 26 December 2019, replaced the US$10,000 scope of art. 12 with a risk based scope; Ley 6960/2022 rewrote the obligated subjects list in art. 13.

4. Street exchange limit. Licensed exchange brokers may trade only in cash, for their own account, in authorized areas and up to the equivalent of US$10,000 a day; dealers caught outside authorized zones lose all currency and goods they carry.
Cost to do it: Broker spread only.
Example: A tourist exchanging PYG 586,831 with a licensed broker in an authorized area deals lawfully. / Brokers cannot exceed US$10,000 a day.Ley Nº 2794/2005 De entidades cambiarias y/o de casas de cambios, Art. 79, 83 and 87, 2005-12-05 official text · verified 2026-10-28

Situation	Rule	Norm
Cash up to US$10,000	No declaration	Res. DNA 475/2021
Cash or bearer instruments above US$10,000	Mandatory electronic declaration, no cap	Res. DNA 475/2021; Ley 1015/97
Licensed street broker	Cash only, up to US$10,000 a day	Ley 2794 art. 79 and 83
Cash deposit at a bank	Risk based due diligence, any amount	Ley 1015 art. 12 and 14 (Ley 6497)

Cash and border rules

Worked example

An executive flying from Asunción with US$25,000 (PYG 146,707,750) for a deposit abroad files the online declaration before travelling; no limit or permit applies, but the bank at destination and the Paraguayan bank that dispensed the cash may ask for the source of funds.

Step by step

1. Count all cash and bearer instruments in every currency carried by you.
2. If above US$10,000 equivalent, complete the DNIT electronic traveller declaration before travel.
3. Carry evidence of origin (bank withdrawal slips, sale contracts).
4. Prefer bank transfers for business payments; they leave a trail and avoid border risk.

Common traps

The threshold counts equivalents in all currencies and bearer instruments together, not just dollars.
Some secondary sources still describe the US$10,000 anti money laundering reporting floor of the original Ley 1015 art. 12; that text was replaced by Ley 6497/2019.
Unlicensed money changers at border crossings expose the customer to forfeiture and anti money laundering issues.
Argentina has its own cash rules for crossings; check the Argentine side separately.

Sources

Related: Paraguay country profile · live dashboard · central bank and release calendar · our posts on X · where Argentina is involved, see The Argentine Thread guide

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