How to Get Paraguay Citizenship: Investor Pass, 3 Years and the Supreme Court

Paraguayan nationality by naturalisation rests on Article 148 of the 1992 Constitution. A foreigner may naturalise if they are of legal age, have at least three years of residence in the national territory, regularly exercise a profession, trade, science, art or industry in Paraguay, and show good conduct^[1]. There is still no statute that regulates the procedure in detail: Law 7052/2023 on multiple nationality covers only Paraguayans by birth, and the naturalisation of foreigners remains pending legislation^[25]. The Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia, CSJ) handles the file through its Judicial Secretariat II and issues the Carta de Naturalización^[2].

The court reads the three years strictly: they run from the date of the resolution granting permanent residence (radicación permanente), not from your first arrival or your temporary residence^[2][3]. That is why the migration route you choose matters so much. Under the 2022 Migration Law (Law 6984/2022) most foreigners first hold temporary residence for two years before converting to permanent status^[12], so the ordinary clock is roughly five years before you can even file. The Investor Pass removes the temporary stage for qualifying investors^[7].

Status as of 2 October 2026: naturalisation is open and functioning, but it is discretionary in practice and not a purchasable product. No official body in Paraguay has proposed a citizenship-by-investment scheme. For the residence stage itself, see our Paraguay residency by investment guide, which covers the Investor Pass routes in more depth.

No. Searches for "Paraguay citizenship by investment" mostly lead to adviser pages selling the Investor Pass, which grants permanent residence, not nationality^[6][7]. The investment only shortens the time to the start line, because you skip the two years of temporary residence. After that you still need three years as a permanent resident, an active life in Paraguay that you can document, a clean record and a court decision^[1][2].

If you want a passport in exchange for capital with no residence, Paraguay is the wrong country. Compare instead the Caribbean programs in our Caribbean citizenship by investment comparison, or the price ladder in our guide to the cheapest citizenship by investment. If you are willing to live somewhere for a few years, the trade-off is set out in citizenship by investment vs golden visa.

Tourism (US$150,000) is the lowest Investor Pass threshold, but it is a real project: you need a business plan approved by MIC and you remain subject to monitoring^[7]. It suits someone who actually wants to run or co-own a hotel, lodge or tour operation. That also helps at the naturalisation stage, because Article 148 requires regular exercise of a trade or industry in Paraguay^[1].

Real estate (US$200,000) needs no business plan and no jobs, but the property must be used for an economic activity, such as a rental or development, rather than as your own home^[7][9]. Expect the authorities to ask for the deed or notarised contract and proof that funds entered Paraguay legitimately; documents for financial and real-estate investments must be no older than 180 days^[15].

Financial instruments (US$200,000) is the most passive route. The investment must be held for at least two years and reported annually^[7][8]. For citizenship purposes, a passive portfolio does not by itself show that you live and work in Paraguay, so you will need other evidence of local activity when you file with the Supreme Court^[2].

Productive investment (US$70,000) remains the cheapest investor route, but the five-formal-jobs condition is why Minister Marco Riquelme said many investors objected to it^[14]. If you genuinely plan to run a company in Paraguay, it is the lowest-capital way to start the three-year clock.

The Constitution lists four conditions: legal age, at least three years of residence, regular exercise in Paraguay of a profession, trade, science, art or industry, and good conduct^[1]. The Supreme Court turns them into a 14-item file^[2]:

• photographs, an authenticated copy of your Paraguayan cédula (resident ID) and of every page of your passport;
• an apostilled or legalised birth certificate;
• your permanent-admission card and a residence certificate from Migrations;
• Paraguayan police and judicial criminal-record certificates, plus a legalised record from your country of origin;
• proof of activity: an employment certificate with social-security (IPS) registration and the employer's tax number (RUC), or a commercial licence with your own RUC, or professional credentials;
• a CV, a sworn declaration signed at the Court's Judicial Secretariat, the judicial fee, and a petition sponsored by a lawyer with an Asunción address.

You must present the petition in person to sign the oath declaration, and any document not in Spanish needs a court-certified translation^[2].

Language and history

The Court's published checklist does not mention a test^[2]. However, the Chamber of Deputies stated in August 2025 that current practice imposes "language or history exams" that are not in the Constitution^[4]. Advisers describe anything from an informal Spanish or Guaraní interview to a short written exam on history and civics^[21][22]. Plan on conversational Spanish (or Guaraní) and basic knowledge of Paraguayan history and institutions.

Living in Paraguay

Paraguay publishes no fixed day count for naturalisation. Some advisers cite 183 days a year^[20], others only advise against absences longer than about six months^[21]; neither figure comes from an official text. What is official: the Constitution speaks of residence in the national territory, the file requires a Migrations movement certificate and proof of local work or business, and the Chamber says the procedure in practice runs three to five years^[1][2][4]. Treat the Investor Pass's light presence rules as rules for keeping residence, not for qualifying as a citizen.

Naturalisation is individual. Each adult applies in their own name after their own three years of permanent residence, and the Court's checklist is written for applicants of legal age^[1][2]. Spouses therefore need their own permanent residence as early as possible.

How dependants reach permanent residence under the Investor Pass is not settled in the published resolution summaries. One adviser says spouse, minor children, dependent children and dependent parents can join through family reunification with the same rights^[24]; others report that only the principal gets immediate permanent residence and that relatives follow the ordinary temporary-then-permanent route, or invest in their own names. Confirm this with DNM before investing, because a spouse on the ordinary route would start the citizenship clock about two years later than you. Each family member pays the per-person DNM fees in the cost table^[10].

Children born in Paraguay are Paraguayan by birth under the Constitution's jus soli rule^[1].

The sequence below assumes an Investor Pass route. On the ordinary route, add two years of temporary residence between steps 3 and 4.

Article 149 of the Constitution admits multiple nationality only through an international treaty or by reciprocity of constitutional rank between the country of origin and Paraguay^[1]. The clearest case is Spain: the 1959 Spain–Paraguay dual nationality convention, in force since 1960, lets nationals of origin of each country take the other nationality without losing their first one^[19]. Several secondary sources say Italy is the only other country with a comparable arrangement, which we have not verified against the treaty text.

For everyone else the honest answer is that current practice asks for a renunciation. The Chamber of Deputies says the present regulation imposes "mandatory renunciation of the nationality of origin", and the 2025 bill would expressly recognise dual nationality to remove it^[4]. Adviser accounts conflict with this: some say renunciation is not required, or not typically enforced in practice^[21][22]. Prefer the Chamber's official description and confirm with your lawyer how the Court handles your case. Law 7052/2023, which lets Paraguayans by birth keep their nationality when acquiring another, does not apply to naturalised foreigners^[25]. Whether a declaration made in Paraguay ends your original nationality is a question for your home country's law, not Paraguay's. US, UK and many EU citizens would normally keep their nationality unless they renounce it formally with their own authorities, but you should check this before you sign anything. Our explainer can you have triple citizenship covers how these rules interact.

Two further points: a naturalised Paraguayan loses Paraguayan nationality by the voluntary acquisition of another nationality later on, or by an unjustified absence of more than three years declared by a court (Article 150)^[1]. Plan your other citizenships before, not after, you naturalise.

In the August 2026 Henley Passport Index the Paraguayan passport ranked 29th, matching its best position since the index began in 2006, with access to 145 destinations without a prior visa (down from 148 a year earlier)^[16]. It gives visa-free short stays in the Schengen area. The United States and Canada still require visas. Within South America, Paraguayan citizens can use the Mercosur residence agreement to settle in partner countries.

Foreigners cannot buy the passport. You receive it only after naturalisation, as the same document other Paraguayans hold. The Carta is registered with the Police Identification Department, which issues a new cédula, before you can apply for the passport^[21]. Some offices remain reserved for Paraguayans by birth; the Constitution, for example, requires natural Paraguayan nationality for the office of governor^[1]. For how it compares with other investor-accessible passports, see our ranking of the strongest passports available through investment.

Paraguay taxes on a mainly territorial basis: resident individuals pay personal income tax (IRP) on Paraguayan-source income at 8% up to Gs. 50 million, 9% up to Gs. 150 million and 10% above that, and capital income at a flat 8%^[17]. Taxpayers with personal-service income under Gs. 80 million are not required to pay IRP on it^[17]. Citizenship itself does not change your tax position; residence and source of income do.

Be careful with the "no tax on foreign income" slogan. For individuals, Law 6380/2019 limits personal income tax to Paraguayan-source income (Article 48), but Article 6 treats interest on deposits abroad and dividends from foreign companies as Paraguayan-source business income (IRE) when the investing entity is set up or resident in Paraguay^[18]. Holding a foreign portfolio through a Paraguayan company or sole proprietorship can therefore bring it into tax, so get local advice. MIC presents a lower dividend tax as an Investor Pass benefit, "from 15% to 8%" for residents^[6]. This is not a new cut: under Article 43 of Law 6380 the dividend tax (IDU) is 8% for residents and 15% for non-residents, so the saving comes from becoming resident^[18]. Paraguay has no wealth tax. Remember also that your current country may keep taxing you: US citizens remain taxable on worldwide income whatever their residence.

Permanent residence under Law 6984/2022 is cancelled after more than three consecutive years of unjustified absence, and temporary residence after more than one year; you can ask DNM for prior authorisation to protect your status^[11][12]. DNM reminded foreigners of this in April 2026^[11]. That rule is often sold as "visit once every three years", which keeps your residence alive but does nothing for a naturalisation file that must show a life in Paraguay^[2].

Keep your permanent-resident card renewed (Gs. 468,308 per renewal)^[10], file taxes under your RUC, and keep evidence of where you live. If you want a sense of how Paraguay's clock compares with Uruguay, Brazil, Panama and others, see our overview of golden visas with the fastest path to citizenship.

It suits investors who are ready to relocate to Paraguay for at least three years, want to run a business or rental activity there, speak or will learn Spanish, and either hold a nationality that tolerates a foreign naturalisation or are comfortable with the renunciation question. It also suits Spanish nationals, who benefit from the 1959 dual-nationality convention.

Look elsewhere if you want a second passport without moving, if you cannot risk your current nationality, or if you need a strong passport with US visa-free access. Families should also be cautious until DNM confirms how dependants are processed under the Investor Pass.

• Uruguay naturalisation: legal citizenship after 3 years (families) or 5 years (single), with a stronger passport and no investment minimum, but a stricter habitual-residence test.
• Panama citizenship after Qualified Investor residence: five years of permanent residence. Since Executive Decree 17 took effect on 16 September 2026, first-sale property still qualifies from US$300,000, while resale property, securities and state-bank deposits need US$500,000.
• Costa Rica citizenship via investor residency: US$150,000 entry, but seven years to naturalise.
• Argentina citizenship by investment: a direct route announced in 2026 (US$350,000 contribution), whose legal basis is before the Supreme Court and which is not yet open.
• El Salvador's investor-to-citizen fast track: direct citizenship for a US$1 million contribution in bitcoin or USDT.
• Brazil investor residency and Panama Qualified Investor visa are the closest regional residence products to compare.

For the full menu across regions, start at our citizenship by investment hub.