Countries › Paraguay › Guide › 8. Immigration › Temporary residence in Paraguay: who qualifies, documents, the provisional work card, extensions and the cédula

Temporary residence in Paraguay: who qualifies, documents, the provisional work card, extensions and the cédula

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

Temporary residence under Ley 6984/2022 is the standard first step for any foreigner who comes to settle and carry on a lawful activity: up to 2 years, extendable once for the same period, and the prerequisite for permanent residence. Filing gives a 90 day provisional card that already allows the holder to work, study and travel, and approval brings a Paraguayan cédula valid for the same term. The DNM fee is PYG 2,926,925 (about US$499) in cash, foreign documents must be apostilled and translated, and the residence can be cancelled after more than 1 year of unjustified absence.

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

DNM fee to extend temporary residence, cash (11 jornales)	1287847 PYGLey 6984/2022 art. 100 num. 5; Res. DNM 478/2026, as of 2026-07-01 · in force
Unjustified absence after which temporary residence can be cancelled	1 yearsLey 6984/2022 art. 55 num. 2, as of 2022-10-18 · in force
DNM certificate of residence (certificado de radicación), cash (2 jornales)	234154 PYGLey 6984/2022 art. 100 num. 11; Res. DNM 478/2026, as of 2026-07-01 · in force
Age from which criminal record certificates are required	14 yearsLey 6984/2022 art. 50 num. 6 to 8, as of 2022-10-18 · in force
Temporary residence applications received January to June 2026	27024 applicationsDNM report of 29 July 2026, as of 2026-06-30 · in force
Provisional (precaria) residence cards issued January to June 2026	3406 cardsDNM report of 29 July 2026, as of 2026-06-30 · in force

The rule

1. What temporary residence is. The DNM grants temporary residence for a set period to foreigners who come with the intention of settling to carry on a lawful activity. It lasts up to 2 years, can be extended for the same period, and is a prerequisite for permanent residence. Applicants may also lodge the documents with the Foreign Ministry's missions, which can issue a consular visa for residence applicants, but the DNM alone decides whether to grant residence. Investors who prove investments under the SUACE law are exempt from the temporary step (see the Investor Pass page).
Cost to do it: DNM fee: 25 jornales, PYG 2,926,925 (about US$499) in cash, which already includes the provisional card and the later change of category; by card PYG 2,991,317 to PYG 3,023,514.
Example: An Italian chef hired by an Asunción restaurant group files for temporary residence and pays PYG 2,926,925. / About US$499 for up to two years of residence and the right to work from filing.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones, Art. 44 and 46, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

2. Documents. The law requires a valid passport or identity document; the consular visa and its Foreign Ministry verification where required; proof of entry; birth certificate; civil status certificate; a national or federal criminal record certificate from the country of origin or of residence in the last 3 years; an Interpol certificate; the Paraguayan police certificate for foreigners; sworn statements on respecting the Constitution and laws and on the activity and address in Paraguay (generated by the DNM system on filing); and the fee. Certificates are required from age 14. Foreign documents must be current and apostilled or legalized, and documents in other languages translated by a sworn translator registered in Paraguay or by a foreign sworn translator whose translation is then apostilled. The DNM checklist adds that anyone who lived more than 1 year in another country in the last 3 years needs that country's certificate plus proof of residence there; Mexican certificates must include both the federal and the state certificate (Res. DNM 1272/2024); minors aged 15 to 18 from Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela are exempt where those countries do not issue certificates at that age (Res. DNM 858/2024); and Portuguese documents issued by Brazil need no translation. The DNM can partly waive documents by reasoned resolution and can refuse applicants prosecuted or convicted for intentional offences punishable in Paraguay by more than 2 years' imprisonment.
Cost to do it: Apostilles, sworn translations and notarized copies are charged by third parties and are not set by the migration law; originals are returned only against copies authenticated by a Paraguayan notary.
Example: A US applicant who lived in Portugal for 2 of the last 3 years brings a Portuguese criminal record certificate, proof of that residence, and the US federal certificate, all apostilled, with sworn Spanish translations. / Third party document costs vary; the DNM fee stays at about US$499.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones; DNM temporary residence checklist, Ley 6984 art. 50, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

3. Provisional (precaria) residence card: work from day one. While the temporary residence file is processed the applicant holds provisional resident status and receives a precaria card, issued only once and valid for 90 calendar days, which allows the holder to stay, leave and re enter the country, work and study. Holding it gives no right to a favourable decision, and the DNM revokes it if the grounds on which it was issued change. In the first half of 2026 the DNM issued 3,406 precaria cards.
Cost to do it: Included in the 25 jornal temporary residence fee; no separate payment.
Example: A newly hired engineer files on Monday and can be put on the payroll as soon as the precaria card is issued. / No extra cost for being able to work during processing.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones, Art. 50 last paragraph and art. 57, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

4. Residence card and Paraguayan cédula. Once temporary residence is granted the DNM issues a residence card valid for the residence period, and the National Police issues a Paraguayan identity card (cédula) to temporary residents valid for the same period and renewed with each extension. A certificate of residence (certificado de radicación) is available to temporary residents under Ley 6984 and to permanent residents, in person or online.
Cost to do it: Certificate of residence: 2 jornales, PYG 234,154 (about US$40) in cash, PYG 239,305 or more online. Cédula fees are charged by the National Police and are not part of the DNM schedule.
Example: A temporary resident opening a bank account is asked for a certificate of residence and orders it online for PYG 239,305 by debit card. / About US$40 per certificate.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones, Art. 58, 62 and 63, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

5. Extension of temporary residence. A holder of current temporary residence under Ley 6984 may extend it for the same period, up to 2 years, filing the passport, the Paraguayan cédula, the previous card, proof of any change in civil status, occupation or name, and police (good conduct), foreigner, judicial and Interpol certificates from age 14. The DNM's change of category rules add that once more than 1 month has passed since the temporary card expired, only the extension can be requested, up to 6 months after expiry and with the overstay fine.
Cost to do it: Extension: 11 jornales, PYG 1,287,847 (about US$219); with change of information PYG 1,522,001; with the fine PYG 1,990,309 (about US$339).
Example: A resident who forgot the expiry date files 2 months late and pays PYG 1,990,309 for the extension plus fine. / About US$219 on time, about US$339 late.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones; DNM extension and change of category pages, Ley 6984 art. 46 and 51, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

6. Losing temporary residence. The DNM can cancel any residence by reasoned resolution for false documents or fraud, for unjustified absence of more than 1 year in the case of a temporary resident (more than 3 years for a permanent resident) unless the DNM authorized the absence, at the resident's request, or for breach of the migration law. After cancellation the foreigner must leave within the period set, or face expulsion. The DNM reminded residents in April 2026 that they can obtain prior authorization before exceeding the permitted absence.
Cost to do it: Voluntary cancellation of an application or residence: 2 jornales, PYG 234,154 (about US$40).
Example: A temporary resident sent abroad on a 14 month project asks the DNM for authorization before leaving to keep the residence alive. / The authorization avoids repeating the full application and its fees, about US$539 with the certificate.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones, Art. 55, 2022-10-17 official text · verified 2026-10-28

7. Where and how long. Filing is personal and in person at the DNM head office in Asunción, at the admission offices in Ciudad del Este, Santa Rita, Encarnación, Pedro Juan Caballero, Concepción, Salto del Guairá, Nueva Esperanza, Pilar and Mariscal Estigarribia, at the SUACE desk for investors, or at the travelling MigraMóvil sessions; follow up can be done in person or through a legal representative. Demand is at record levels: 33,243 residence applications in the first half of 2026 (27,024 temporary), up 62 percent on a year earlier, and 23,833 temporary residences granted, so in July 2026 the DNM extended working hours and added non working days to reduce response times.
Cost to do it: No extra fee for regional offices or MigraMóvil; lawyers' fees for follow up are a private cost.
Example: A Brazilian family in Alto Paraná files at the Ciudad del Este admission office instead of travelling to Asunción. / Same DNM fees nationwide, about US$499 per applicant.Ley Nº 6984/2022 De Migraciones; DNM report of 29 July 2026, Ley 6984 art. 77 and 85, 2026-07-29 official text · verified 2026-10-28

Item	Jornales	PYG	USD approx.
Temporary residence (incl. precaria card and later change of category)	25	2,926,925	499
Temporary residence plus certificate of residence	27	3,161,079	539
Extension of temporary residence	11	1,287,847	219
Extension plus change of information	13	1,522,001	259
Extension plus overstay fine	17	1,990,309	339
Certificate of residence	2	234,154	40
Card replacement	5	585,385	100

Temporary residence costs in DNM fees from 1 July 2026 (cash, PYG 117,077 per jornal; USD at PYG 5,868.31)

Worked example

A Spanish software engineer hired by a Paraguayan EAS arrives visa free and files for temporary residence within the 90 day stay, with apostilled birth certificate and Spanish criminal record certificate, sworn translations where needed, and the Interpol and police for foreigners certificates obtained in Asunción.
DNM fees: PYG 2,926,925 plus PYG 234,154 for the certificate of residence, PYG 3,161,079 in total, about US$539.
The precaria card is issued on filing; the employer can start payroll and IPS registration at once (Ley 6984 art. 57).
With the resolution the engineer obtains a cédula valid for the same 2 years (art. 63) and diaries the window to move to permanent residence, the 3 months before the card expires.
If the move to permanent is not ready, an extension for another 2 years costs PYG 1,287,847, about US$219.

Step by step

Before travel, obtain birth, civil status and criminal record certificates (from the country of residence of the last 3 years) and apostille or legalize them.
Arrange sworn Spanish translations, unless the documents are Brazilian and in Portuguese.
Enter Paraguay with the visa required for residence for the applicant's nationality, if any, and keep proof of entry.
In Paraguay, obtain the Interpol certificate and the National Police certificate for foreigners.
File in person at the DNM with originals and notarized copies, sign the sworn statements generated on filing and pay the fee in guaraníes or by card.
Collect the precaria card and start work; follow the file personally or through a representative.
With the resolution, apply for the cédula at the National Police identification department.
Diary the expiry date and the 3 month window before it for permanent residence.

Common traps

The precaria card is issued only once and lasts 90 days; a slow file needs follow up so the applicant is not left without a valid document.
Documents must be current when filed; criminal record certificates go stale, so obtain them close to the filing date.
Missing the change of category window by more than 1 month after expiry forces an extension with a fine instead of permanent residence.
More than 1 year abroad without DNM authorization can cost the residence.
Filing is personal and in person; a lawyer can follow the file but cannot appear instead of the applicant.
Originals are only returned against copies authenticated by a Paraguayan notary, so bring notarized copies.

Sources

← Visiting Paraguay: visa waivers, the 90 day transitory stay, extensions and overstay finesPermanent residence in Paraguay: the change of category window, the 12 proof of income categories and keeping the status →

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