Choosing a Residency Agency in Paraguay: A Checklist

You do not need an agency to get residency in Paraguay, and plenty of people file on their own with a good checklist. If you do hire help, the hard part is comparing offers: one "residency package" stops at the residency card, while another takes you all the way to your Paraguayan cédula. This guide lists what a complete service includes, the questions to ask before you pay and the red flags to watch for, so you can judge any agency, including us, on the same terms.

Do you need an agency?

No. Paraguayan law does not require you to use one. Our residency guide covers every document and step if you want to do it yourself.

What a good agency adds is local knowledge and time: checking your foreign documents before you travel, knowing the order of the steps in Asunción, getting the police certificates, and being next to you at each appointment, in Spanish. Whether that is worth paying for depends on your Spanish, how long you can stay in Paraguay and how complex your case is.

One thing no agency can change. In the words of Migraciones, "el trámite es personal y presencial": you file your residency yourself, in person. Afterwards, the follow-up of your file can be done by you or through a legal representative (Migraciones, temporary residency).

What a complete residency service includes

Most people need three documents at the end: their residency card from the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, their cédula (ID card) from the Departamento de Identificaciones of the Policía Nacional, and their Carnet de Registro de Extranjeros from the Policía Nacional's Departamento de Registro de Extranjeros. Few guides mention that third card, but Identificaciones asks for a copy of it when you apply for the cédula. Each is a separate procedure, and neither the cédula nor the Registro de Extranjeros card is automatic. A complete service covers all three. Use this list to see what a quote includes.

Before you travel

A checklist for your nationality and situation, not a generic list.
A review of your birth certificate, criminal record certificate and, if it applies, marriage certificate: the right apostille or legalization, a sworn Spanish translation where needed, and dates that will still be valid when you file.
Advice on when to request your criminal record certificate. If it states no validity period, Migraciones counts it as valid for 6 months from the date of issue (Res. DNM 754/2024, Annex I, Art. 4.1), so requesting it too early can cost you a second one.

In Asunción, before you file

The INTERPOL certificate and the Certificado de Antecedentes para Extranjeros, both from the Policía Nacional.
Notarized copies of every document with its full chain (the document, its apostille and its translation), plus your passport and your entry stamp.

At Migraciones

Someone with you when you file in person and sign the sworn statements.
Follow-up until your residency card is issued, including any extra document Migraciones asks for.

The Registro de Extranjeros card and the cédula

Starting your Carnet de Registro de Extranjeros soon after you file, because it usually takes 60 to 90 days.
The certificado de vida y residencia from your local comisaría, the Talento Humano and Comandancia stamps, and the Certificado de Radicación from Migraciones.
Someone with you at the Departamento de Identificaciones when you apply.

Looking ahead

Your key dates in writing: when your temporary card expires, the 3-month window to apply for permanent residency, and the rule on time spent abroad.
An early look at which of the 12 solvency categories of Resolution 407/2026 will fit you when you switch to permanent residency.

Extras such as your RUC (tax ID), help opening a bank account, an airport pickup or help finding housing are useful, but they are extras. Check that they come on top of the core steps above, not instead of them.

Questions to ask before you pay

Are the cédula and the Registro de Extranjeros card included, or only the residency card? If either one is extra, ask what it costs and who handles it.
Are government fees included? Ask whether the price covers the official Migraciones fees, notary copies, translations and certificates, or whether any of them are paid separately. You do not need every cost broken down, but you should know what is in the price and what is not. For reference, the Migraciones fee for temporary residency is Gs. 2.926.925 in cash, or Gs. 3.161.079 together with the Certificado de Radicación (from 1 July 2026; see the full fee table).
Will I get the official receipts? Migraciones issues a legal invoice when the fee is paid, and its fee page tells applicants to always ask for their payment receipt ("EXIJA SIEMPRE SU COMPROBANTE DE PAGO").
Who will handle my file, and what are their qualifications? Lawyers, notaries and sworn translators in Paraguay are registered with the Corte Suprema de Justicia, so you can check a name and matrícula number yourself.
Which steps need me in person, and how long should I plan to stay? A good agency can tell you which appointments need you there and plan them around your trip.
What timeline do you expect, and what is it based on? A range drawn from recent cases is a fair answer. A guaranteed date is not (see the red flags below).
What happens if Migraciones asks for another document? Ask what is included and what would cost extra.
Is everything in writing? The scope, the price, what is not included and how payment works.

Red flags

"You don't need to come to Paraguay." Migraciones says migration procedures are personal and in person: you must be present when your residency application is filed and the fee is paid, and a residency process can "en ningún caso" (in no case) be started through third parties. Applications are filed only at Migraciones offices or at its official mobile events (Migraciones notice, 23 February 2023). An agency can prepare your documents while you are abroad, but it cannot file for you.
A guaranteed date. Migraciones does not publish a standard processing time, and its fee schedule has no paid express option. Timelines depend on your documents, the office and current volumes; for the cards approved at its mobile MigraMóvil events, for example, Migraciones gives an estimate of 30 to 45 days for delivery (MigraMóvil). An agency can give you a realistic range from experience. It cannot buy you a date.
A "residency" package that leaves out the cédula or the Registro de Extranjeros card. The residency card, the cédula and the Registro de Extranjeros card are different documents from different offices. If a quote does not mention one of them, assume it is not included.
A price with no clear scope. A single all-in price is normal. The problem is when nobody can tell you, in writing, whether it includes the cédula, the official fees, notary copies and translations. Then offers are hard to compare, and costs are easy to add later.
Payments with no official receipt. Every Migraciones fee comes with an official invoice or payment receipt. If you pay government fees through an agency, ask for those receipts.
Outdated promises. "Solvency is a formality", "nobody checks how long you were abroad" and "the investor route is just money in the bank" stopped being true with Resolution DNM 407/2026, Resolution DNM 081/2026 and the MIC investor certificate rules. An agency still saying this is not keeping up with the rules.
Shortcuts to a cédula. In October 2025, 11 Policía Nacional agents were detained over a scheme that issued cédulas irregularly from the Departamento de Identificaciones; of ten foreigners found with those documents, seven had never even entered Paraguay (ABC Color, 23 October 2025). If someone offers you a cédula without the normal steps, walk away.

What no agency can promise

Approval. Migraciones decides, and its own checklist says that having your documents accepted at the counter does not mean the residency will be granted (Migraciones, temporary residency). An honest agency tells you up front if something in your file is a risk, such as a document close to expiring, a gap in your translations or time spent abroad.

How to check who you are dealing with

Ask for the full name and matrícula number of the lawyer or sworn translator who will work on your file, and look them up in the Corte Suprema de Justicia's public lists of lawyers, sworn translators and notaries (CSJ open data).
Read reviews that describe the whole process, from filing to the cédula, not just the first meeting.
If you have doubts about a document or an invoice, ask Migraciones directly: +595 21 411 2000 or migraciones@migraciones.gov.py.

Ask us the same questions

Clarity Paraguay is led by Grizzie Logan, a registered lawyer (matrícula 11535) and sworn English and Spanish translator (matrícula 758); you can check both on the Supreme Court's lists. Our temporary residency package always includes three documents: your temporary residency card, your Paraguayan cédula and your Carnet de Registro de Extranjeros. It covers every step in the checklist above: we check your documents before you travel, help you get your local certificates, go with you to Migraciones and Identificaciones, and follow up until all three are issued. When it is time for permanent residency, we plan your dates and your solvency category with you.

Put the questions on this page to us too. Book a free 15-minute call or send us a message.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an agency to get residency in Paraguay?
No. The law does not require one, and you can file on your own. An agency saves time and trips, especially if you do not speak Spanish.

Can an agency get my residency without me travelling to Paraguay?
No. Migraciones says the procedure is personal and in person, and a residency process can never be started through third parties. You must be there when your application is filed. An agency can prepare your documents in advance and follow up your file afterwards.

Is the cédula included when I get residency?
Not automatically. The residency card comes from Migraciones and the cédula from the Departamento de Identificaciones of the Policía Nacional, in a separate procedure. The Carnet de Registro de Extranjeros is a third document, and Identificaciones asks for a copy of it when you apply for the cédula. Check that any quote you compare includes all three.

Can an agency speed up Migraciones?
No. Migraciones has no paid express option and does not publish a standard processing time. What an agency can do is avoid delays: a complete, correct file is the fastest file.

How much are the government fees for temporary residency?
Gs. 2.926.925 in cash at Migraciones, or Gs. 3.161.079 together with the Certificado de Radicación, from 1 July 2026. Card payments carry a surcharge. Notary copies, translations, the police certificates and the cédula fee come on top of the Migraciones fee.

How can I check that a lawyer or translator is registered?
Ask for their full name and matrícula number and look them up in the Corte Suprema de Justicia's public lists of lawyers, sworn translators and notaries.

Can an agency guarantee my residency will be approved?
No. Migraciones decides, and having your documents accepted at the counter does not guarantee approval. An agency can make sure your file is complete and tell you about any risks before you file.

What should a quote tell me?
It does not need to break down every cost, but it should say what the agency does, step by step; whether the cédula is included; whether official fees, notary copies and translations are in the price or paid separately; what happens if Migraciones asks for more documents; and how and when you pay.

This article is general information and not legal advice. Requirements, fees and timelines change; confirm with the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones and the Policía Nacional before you act.

Official sources

How to Choose a Residency Agency in Paraguay: What a Complete Service Includes