Paraguay Golden Visa: Investor Pass Permanent Residency (2026)

Paraguay's Migration Law (Law 6984/2022) normally grants foreigners temporary residence for up to two years before they can convert to permanent residence. Foreigners who prove an investment through SUACE, the government's one-stop business window, are exempt from that temporary stage^[3][7]. In practice, the gateway is the Constancia de Inversionista Extranjero (CIE), the Foreign Investor Certificate issued by MIC through SUACE. Once you have it, you apply to DNM for permanent residence and then collect a Paraguayan resident identity card (cédula)^[4][5].

Before 2026 the CIE was available only for productive investment: US$70,000 plus at least five formal jobs. Minister Marco Riquelme said many investors accepted the amount but objected to the job requirement, especially for property purchases that create no direct employment^[13]. Resolution 0283/2026 kept that route and added three passive or semi-passive routes with higher thresholds and no job requirement^[1][3]. MIC describes the process as mostly electronic, with physical presence needed mainly to obtain the cédula^[2].

Status as of 4 October 2026: open. Demand for Paraguayan residence of all kinds is rising fast: DNM recorded 18,071 residence applications in the first quarter of 2026, up 85% year on year^[3], and the government targets about 80,000 residences in 2026; Brazilians received the largest share of residences granted in 2025^[2][13]. The Investor Pass grants residence, not nationality. If your goal is a Paraguayan passport, read our separate guide to naturalisation in Paraguay after the Investor Pass.

Productive investment: US$70,000

This is the cheapest route and the only one that requires employment. You submit a business plan with the CIIU activity code, location, a breakdown of at least US$70,000 and an execution timeline of up to 24 months, together with proof of financial capacity^[4]. It suits entrepreneurs who will genuinely run a company in Paraguay. Some advisers still describe the US$70,000 as being deployable over ten years, with a small first-year transfer^[24]. That does not match MIC's current checklist, so plan on the 24-month timeline unless SUACE confirms otherwise in writing.

Tourism: US$150,000

The lowest passive-looking threshold, but it is not passive. MIC requires a business plan showing the project's benefit to the sector, and the investment stays under technical monitoring^[1][9]. Think of a lodge, small hotel, tour operation or tourism infrastructure that you intend to operate or co-own.

Financial instruments: US$200,000

The most passive option. The investment is made through a brokerage (casa de bolsa) or other entity authorised by the securities superintendency of the Central Bank of Paraguay and must be held for at least two years, with annual reporting^[1][9][10]. Brokers describe eligible assets as corporate bonds, shares, mutual funds and investment funds, including real-estate funds; one Asunción brokerage says it was the first to complete residences under the scheme^[11].

The real-estate modality requires at least US$200,000 in the acquisition or development of property, or in its rental exploitation. The resolution excludes property for exclusive personal or family use, so your own home does not qualify; the asset must produce income, appreciation or productive use^[1][9][10]. The transaction can be proved by a public deed or a private contract certified by a notary, provided at least 30% of the declared amount has already been paid^[10]. Supporting documents for real-estate and financial investments must be no older than 180 days^[14].

Foreigners can buy property on the same terms as Paraguayans. There is no transfer tax or stamp duty on purchases by individuals. Buyers typically pay notary fees of 1.5–2.5% and registry inscription of 0.2–0.3%, and then annual property tax of 1% of the fiscal value, which is usually far below market value^[27]. When a sale is subject to VAT, DNIT applies 5% to a presumed base of 30% of the price, about 1.5% in total, remitted by the seller^[20]. Developers usually build this into the price. Rental yields quoted by advisers (6–10% net) are marketing figures, not official data^[16].

The main risks are market depth and liquidity. Experts interviewed by Última Hora warned about institutional saturation, real-estate price distortion and money-laundering exposure where residence is linked to property or securities^[14]. Buy from established developers, use an independent notary, and keep the full bank trail of the funds entering Paraguay.

Many older guides say Paraguayan residence requires a bank deposit of about US$5,000. That practice ended when Law 6984/2022 replaced the old migration law in October 2022; ordinary temporary residence no longer needs a fixed deposit^[25]. Since 6 July 2026, applicants converting to ordinary permanent residence instead prove solvency through one of twelve categories under DNM Resolution 407/2026, such as employment, professional activity, property, pensions or family support^[17]. Some advisers still advise keeping a few thousand dollars in a local account as evidence, but no official text sets a deposit amount.

For the Investor Pass, there is no bank-deposit route. Resolution 0283/2026 lists four modalities, and the financial one requires investment through an entity authorised by the securities superintendency^[1][10]. A plain term deposit in a Paraguayan bank is not listed. Whether bank certificates of deposit (CDAs) bought through a brokerage count towards the US$200,000 has not been confirmed in any official text we found, so confirm it with SUACE and your broker before you commit funds. If you specifically want a deposit-based residence, compare Panama's Qualified Investor bank-deposit route or the low-cost deposit option described in our Ecuador investor visa guide.

For the CIE, MIC asks for^[4][9]:

• a valid identity document and proof of entry into Paraguay;
• an apostilled or legalised criminal-record certificate from your country of origin, or from your country of residence over the last three years, plus an Interpol Paraguay certificate;
• a sworn declaration on the origin of the funds and evidence of the investment;
• proof of economic solvency, such as three months of bank statements, investment certificates, or property and vehicle titles with recent valuations;
• a business plan for the productive and tourism routes.

For permanent residence, the DNM file submitted through SUACE adds an apostilled birth certificate and civil-status document, a Paraguayan police certificate for foreigners, a certificate of life and residence from a local police station, and a DNM sworn declaration of respect for the Constitution and laws^[5]. Documents not in Spanish need sworn translations, except documents in Brazilian Portuguese^[5]. MIC also states that applicants are subject to anti-money-laundering controls and periodic monitoring of the investment^[1].

There is no age, language, education or minimum-income test for the Investor Pass itself. Whether the new solvency categories of DNM Resolution 407/2026 also apply to Investor Pass applicants is not stated; the CIE's own solvency evidence will normally cover it^[4][17].

This is the least settled part of the program. The published summaries of Resolution 0283/2026 say nothing about dependants^[1][9], and advisers disagree:

• One adviser says a spouse, minor children, dependent adult children and dependent parents can join through family reunification with the same rights^[16].
• A Paraguayan law firm says only one person can obtain direct permanent residence per qualifying investment, so two co-investors need twice the minimum^[15].
• Another adviser says spouses must invest individually, while minor children accompany a parent without a separate investment^[23].

If your spouse cannot obtain permanent residence through your investment, they may need the ordinary route: temporary residence for up to two years, then conversion to permanent residence^[7]. Each person pays the DNM fee of Gs. 2,926,925, and criminal-record certificates are required from age 14^[5][6]. Get the family treatment confirmed by DNM in writing before you invest, especially if the timeline to naturalisation matters to you.

The process runs through two agencies: MIC (via SUACE) certifies the investment, and DNM grants residence.

Paraguay taxes individuals on a mainly territorial basis. Personal income tax (IRP) applies to Paraguayan-source income at 8% up to Gs. 50 million, 9% up to Gs. 150 million and 10% above that, and capital income is taxed at a flat 8%^[18]. There is no wealth tax.

MIC promotes a cut in dividend tax from 15% to 8% as an Investor Pass benefit^[2]. That is not a new incentive: under Law 6380/2019 the dividend tax (IDU) is 8% for residents and 15% for non-residents, so the saving comes from becoming tax resident^[19]. Be careful with "no tax on foreign income": interest on foreign deposits and dividends from foreign companies become taxable business income when the investor is a Paraguayan entity or sole proprietorship^[19].

Tax residence is not automatic. PwC describes a test of more than 120 days a year in Paraguay^[28], while DNIT's procedure for a tax-residence certificate asks for a cédula, an RUC with filings up to date if you are a registered taxpayer, and a Migrations movement certificate for the year in question^[21]. Many home countries will not accept a Paraguayan certificate if you spend most of the year elsewhere, and US citizens remain taxable on worldwide income. Take advice in both countries.

The Investor Pass grants permanent residence from day one. The resident card is renewed every 10 years^[5]. Under Law 6984/2022, permanent residence is cancelled after more than three years of unjustified absence, and you can ask DNM in advance to authorise a longer absence; DNM reminded foreigners of this rule in April 2026^[7][8]. In practice, a single entry every three years keeps the status alive^[15][16].

The investment rules after approval are only partly published. Financial instruments must be held for at least two years^[1], productive and tourism projects remain under MIC monitoring, and MIC refers to periodic monitoring of investments in general^[1]. MIC has not published what happens to residence if a property is sold early; one adviser says changes in the investment must be reported to SUACE within 90 days^[23]. Treat a sale before the monitoring period ends as a risk to your status.

Permanent residence is also the starting point for naturalisation. Paraguay requires three years of permanent residence counted from the residence resolution, together with real work or business activity in Paraguay and a Supreme Court decision^[26]. The light presence rule that keeps your residence alive is not enough for that. The full process, exams and dual-nationality issues are covered in our Paraguay naturalisation guide, and the comparison of residence programs with the fastest route to a passport puts it in context.

It suits investors who want a low-cost permanent residence in South America as a plan B, entrepreneurs who will actually run a business in Paraguay (the US$70,000 route), investors comfortable with Paraguayan securities or income-producing property, and people planning a genuine move who want to start the naturalisation clock as early as possible.

Look elsewhere if you want a refundable bank deposit, a route that clearly covers your whole family on one investment, or a residence card for using your own holiday home. It is also a weak fit if you need EU or US access: Paraguayan residence gives no travel rights beyond Paraguay. If you want the lowest possible capital, our ranking of the cheapest golden visas compares Paraguay with Nicaragua, Ecuador and others.

• Panama Qualified Investor visa: permanent residence from US$300,000 in first-sale property, or US$500,000 for resale property, securities or a state-bank deposit, under Executive Decree 17 in force since 16 September 2026.
• Costa Rica investor residency: US$150,000 under Law 9996, although some advisers quote US$200,000 for filings after 14 July 2026. It grants temporary, not permanent, residence at first.
• Uruguay residency: no investment needed for residence; the roughly US$2.1 million figure is only the condition for the 2026 tax holiday.
• Ecuador investor visa: a deposit or property route under US$50,000.
• Brazil investor residence and Colombia's investor visa are larger markets with higher thresholds.
• Mexico residency by financial solvency: no investment, but high income or asset proof.

For a broader view of the trade-offs between residence and a second passport, see citizenship by investment vs golden visa, or browse every program by budget in our golden visa hub.