Countries › Paraguay › Guide › 8. Immigration › Permanent residence in Paraguay: the change of category window, the 12 proof of income categories and keeping the status

Permanent residence in Paraguay: the change of category window, the 12 proof of income categories and keeping the status

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

After temporary residence a foreigner moves to permanent residence by filing a change of category in the 3 months before the temporary card expires, with fresh police, judicial and Interpol certificates and, since 6 July 2026, documented income under one of the 12 categories of Resolución DNM 407/2026. The DNM fee is PYG 2,926,925 plus PYG 234,154 for the residence certificate, about US$539, and the card and cédula then run for 10 years. Permanent residence is lost after more than 3 years of unjustified absence, and permanent residents vote in municipal elections.

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

Key facts

Window before temporary card expiry to file for permanent residence	3 monthsDNM change of category rules under Ley 6984/2022, as of 2026-09-29 · in force
Permanent residence card renewal period	10 yearsLey 6984/2022 art. 59, as of 2022-10-18 · in force
DNM fee to renew the permanent residence card, cash (4 jornales)	468308 PYGLey 6984/2022 art. 100 num. 8; Res. DNM 478/2026, as of 2026-07-01 · in force
Proof of income categories for permanent residence	12 categoriesRes. DNM 407/2026, as of 2026-07-06 · in force
Minimum time a property title must have been registered to prove solvency as owner	2 yearsRes. DNM 407/2026 annex category 6, as of 2026-07-06 · in force
Permanent residence after which expulsion may be waived	10 yearsLey 6984/2022 art. 69 num. 3, as of 2022-10-18 · in force
Permanent residences granted in 2025	10624 residencesDNM report of 26 January 2026, as of 2025-12-31 · in force

The rule

1. What permanent residence is and when to file. Permanent residence authorizes a foreigner who wishes to settle for good to live in Paraguay indefinitely, once the temporary residence period has been completed. The DNM requires the change of category from temporary to permanent to be filed within the 3 months before the temporary card expires. If the card has expired, the change can still be filed up to 1 month after expiry with the overstay fine; after that month only an extension of temporary residence can be requested, for the same period, up to 6 months after expiry and with the fine.
Cost to do it: Permanent residence (including change of category): 25 jornales, PYG 2,926,925 (about US$499); certificate of residence PYG 234,154; change of information PYG 234,154 if data changed; overstay fine PYG 702,462 if late.
Example: A resident whose card expires on 30 November 2026 can file from 30 August 2026; filing on 20 December 2026 adds the PYG 702,462 fine. / About US$539 on time; about US$698 late with changed data.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones; DNM change of category page, Ley 6984 art. 44 and 47, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

2. Documents for the change of category. The law and the DNM checklist require the passport or identity document of origin; the Paraguayan cédula; the temporary residence card (or a police report if lost); proof of any change in civil status, occupation, name or other personal data; the National Police certificate for foreigners; the good conduct certificate from the Police identification department; the judicial record certificate; and the Interpol certificate, all from age 14. Investors may add proof of the company's incorporation, documents proving the investment, a bank deposit or an investment project approved by the competent bodies. The DNM may refuse applicants prosecuted or convicted for intentional offences punishable in Paraguay by more than 2 years' imprisonment.
Cost to do it: Police, judicial and Interpol certificates in Paraguay carry their own small charges outside the DNM schedule.
Example: A Dutch retiree on temporary residence collects the four Paraguayan certificates in the month before filing so that all are current. / DNM fees remain about US$539 with the certificate of residence.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones, Art. 52, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

3. Proof of income: Resolución DNM 407/2026. For files entered from 6 July 2026, the DNM requires proof of economic solvency through suitable, sufficient and verifiable documents showing actual income or real resources, under 12 categories that apply equally to permanent residence under Ley 6984 and under the Mercosur Residence Agreement. Professionals and technicians: degree registered with the Education Ministry plus IPS insured status, a labor contract registered with the Labor Ministry, or the last 3 months of IVA returns or the last IRP return with a tax compliance certificate showing activity; a degree alone is not enough. Employees: IPS insured status or a registered labor contract. Independent workers in commerce or services: taxpayer registration plus IVA or IRP returns and tax compliance certificate. Remote workers or digital nomads: an employment certificate stating income and how it is paid. Property owners: a title registered at least 2 years earlier in the national registry (RUN), with possible proof of income from the property. Shareholders or partners: the registered company deed naming the applicant or the registered share book (for an EAS, the certificate from the legal entities and beneficial owners directorate). Farmers and ranchers: a registered title for productive land with tax compliance and taxpayer certificates, or proof of sales or a registered brand. Religious workers: the congregation's Education Ministry registration and a note assuming costs. Retirees and pensioners: a pension certificate stating the amount and the account where it is paid. Dependents: spouses, parents or grandparents, and relatives with disabilities supported by a resident or Paraguayan. Students over 18: proof of regular studies and continuity over the 2 years plus own income or proof of support. Minors form their own category exempt from proof of income.
Cost to do it: No separate fee; the cost is the supporting documents, such as notarized copies and apostilled foreign certificates.
Example: A remote worker for a Chilean company files an apostilled employer certificate stating a monthly salary and the bank account where it is paid. / No minimum income amount is set; what counts is verifiable evidence of the income declared.Resolución DNM Nº 407/2026, Annex, solvency categories 1 to 12, 2026-06-25 official text · verified 2026-10-28 · changed: From 6 July 2026 (files entered from that date) Resolución DNM Nº 407/2026 unified the proof of income for permanent residence under Ley 6984 and the Mercosur agreement into 12 categories with specific evidence, and removed the profession from the printed residence card.

4. Card, cédula and renewals. On approval the DNM issues a permanent residence card, which must be renewed every 10 years so that the Paraguayan cédula can be renewed; the cédula issued to permanent residents is valid for 10 years. Permanent residents identify themselves with the cédula alone and need not show the residence card. A card can be replaced while still valid if damaged, lost, stolen or when personal data change. Under Resolución DNM 407/2026 the printed card no longer shows the profession, which stays in the DNM system.
Cost to do it: Renewal of the permanent card: 4 jornales, PYG 468,308 (about US$80); replacement of a card: 5 jornales, PYG 585,385 (about US$100); change of information PYG 234,154 where data changed.
Example: A permanent resident whose card was issued in 2016 renews it in 2026 for PYG 468,308 before renewing the cédula. / About US$80 every 10 years.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones, Art. 59, 60, 61 and 62, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

5. Keeping or losing the status. Permanent residence is lost after more than 3 years' absence from Paraguay not justified before the DNM; the DNM may extend that period in cases set by regulation, and the status can be recovered by meeting the legal requirements again. The DNM can also cancel any residence for false documents or fraud, at the holder's request or for breach of the migration law. The DNM may decline to expel a foreigner married to a Paraguayan, the parent of Paraguayan children born in Paraguay or a permanent resident of more than 10 years. Foreigners with permanent residence (radicación definitiva) vote in municipal elections under the Electoral Code. Permanent residence is also the start of the 3 year clock for naturalization.
Cost to do it: No fee to keep the status; recovering it after loss means a new file at PYG 2,926,925 (about US$499).
Example: A permanent resident who spends 4 years abroad running a business without informing the DNM risks cancellation and a new application from scratch. / About US$499 plus document costs to start again.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones, Art. 15, 54, 55 and 69, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

6. Direct permanent residence without the temporary step. Four routes skip temporary residence: investors with the MIC Foreign Investor Certificate (Investor Pass, Ley 6984 art. 46); Uruguayan citizens under Ley Nº 6774/2021, free of charge; foreign spouses, children and grandchildren under 18 of repatriated Paraguayans, and the spouse of a repatriated Paraguayan's child (art. 48); and foreign children and spouses of Paraguayans under Ley Nº 2193/2003, who obtain the cédula first. Each has its own page in this section.
Cost to do it: Investor route PYG 2,926,925 (about US$499); Uruguayan route free; repatriation family routes free with the repatriation certificate.
Example: A Uruguayan entrepreneur applies straight for permanent residence at no DNM cost instead of spending 2 years as a temporary resident. / Saves the temporary step, about US$499 in fees and 2 years of waiting.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones; Ley Nº 6774/2021; Ley Nº 2193/2003, Ley 6984 art. 46 last paragraph and art. 48, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

Category	Main evidence accepted
1 Professionals	Degree registered with MEC plus IPS insured status, registered labor contract, or IVA (3 months) or IRP returns with tax compliance certificate
2 Technicians	Technical degree registered with MEC plus the same income evidence as professionals
3 Employees	IPS insured status or labor contract registered with the Labor Ministry
4 Independent workers (commerce and services)	Taxpayer registration plus IVA (3 months) or IRP returns and tax compliance certificate
5 Remote workers or digital nomads	Employment certificate stating income and how it is paid, apostilled and translated
6 Property owners	Title registered in the RUN at least 2 years earlier; proof of income from it may be requested
7 Shareholders or partners	Registered deed or share book naming the applicant; EAS certificate from the legal entities directorate
8 Farmers and ranchers	Registered productive land title with tax compliance, or proof of sales or registered brand
9 Religious workers	MEC registration of the congregation and note assuming costs
10 Retirees or pensioners	Pension certificate with amount and paying institution
11 Dependents	Marriage or kinship proof and the supporter's cédula or residence card
12 Students over 18	Regular student certificate, continuity over 2 years and own income or proof of support

Resolución DNM 407/2026 proof of income categories for permanent residence (files from 6 July 2026; DNM change of category page read on 28 October 2026)

Worked example

A German employee of a Paraguayan S.A. received temporary residence on 15 January 2025, so the card expires on 15 January 2027.
The change of category window opens on 15 October 2026. The employee files in November 2026 with the cédula, temporary card, four Paraguayan certificates and, as category 3 evidence, the IPS insured status certificate.
DNM fees: PYG 2,926,925 plus PYG 234,154, total PYG 3,161,079, about US$539.
Had the employee been paid informally with no IPS registration or registered contract, the category 3 evidence would not exist; formal hiring is therefore part of the residence plan.
In 2036 the card is renewed for PYG 468,308 at today's jornal, about US$80, before the 10 year cédula is renewed.

Step by step

Diary the temporary card expiry date and the 3 month window before it on the day temporary residence is granted.
Pick the Res. DNM 407/2026 category early and build the evidence: IPS registration, a registered labor contract, IVA or IRP returns, a registered title of at least 2 years, or a pension certificate.
In the month before filing, obtain the Police good conduct, police for foreigners, judicial and Interpol certificates.
File in person at the DNM with originals and notarized copies, and pay the permanent residence fee and residence certificate.
On approval, renew the cédula for 10 years with the National Police.
Diary the 10 year card renewal and keep absences under 3 years or obtain DNM authorization.

Common traps

Since 6 July 2026 a degree or property title alone does not prove income; professionals must show IPS, a registered contract or tax returns with activity.
Property must have been registered at least 2 years earlier, so a recent purchase does not qualify under category 6.
Filing more than 1 month after the temporary card expires closes the door to permanent residence for now; only an extension with a fine remains.
The DNM fee of 25 jornales includes the change of category, but the residence certificate and any change of information are extra.
Former 'Ama de Casa' residents are reclassified as 'Dependiente' and must file dependent evidence.
More than 3 years abroad without justification before the DNM loses the status; the absence clock for naturalization is much stricter (see the nationality page).

Sources

← Temporary residence in Paraguay: who qualifies, documents, the provisional work card, extensions and the cédulaMercosur and Uruguay residence in Paraguay: the regional fast track for Argentines, Brazilians and other South Americans →

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