As of 6 July 2026, Paraguay applies new rules for permanent residency. The Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (the National Directorate of Migration) has approved Resolution 407/2026, which changes one specific thing: how you prove you can support yourself in the country. It concerns the documentation required, and it has a direct effect on how the application must be prepared. If you are planning the move, it is worth understanding in advance.
If you follow these topics, you already know why Paraguay is one of the most solid places to build residency outside the borders of a single country. I won't go over that here. I'll focus on what has actually changed, and on how to act accordingly.
What changes
Until recently, for many profiles a university degree was enough to demonstrate economic solvency. Under the new rules it is not. The Directorate of Migration now asks you to document real income and the actual exercise of the activity you declare, and checks that the profession you state is consistent with the documents you submit.
The reform also tidies up the procedure. It unifies the criteria between the 2022 Migration Law and the Mercosur Residence Agreement, which until now required different documentation for the same purpose. It also changes one detail of the admission card: the profession is no longer printed on it — the data stays in the Directorate's systems but no longer appears on the physical document. All of this applies to applications filed from 6 July onward.
Proving economic solvency
The principle of the reform is simple to state: economic capacity must be demonstrated with concrete documents. Your evidence has to show that you generate income or that you hold verifiable resources. For many profiles this brings the RUC — the Paraguayan tax identification number — and tax compliance to the centre of the file. In practice, if you intend to follow the tax route, it is worth registering the RUC well in advance: it takes time to produce the declarations you will be asked for.
The twelve categories and proof of income
Each profile has its own documentation. Below is the one that matches your situation.
| Category | How to prove income / activity |
|---|---|
| Professionals (graduates) | Apostilled degree + proof of practice and income: social security, registered contract or recent tax filings. The degree alone is no longer enough. |
| Technicians | Technical degree or certification + proof of actual activity and income. |
| Employees | Registered employment contract + social-security enrolment. |
| Self-employed (commerce or services) | Active RUC + tax-compliance certificate + recent VAT filings. |
| Remote workers / digital nomads | Proof of the source of foreign income: employment certificate, contract and payment receipts. Foreign documents apostilled and translated. |
| Property owners | Title to real estate in Paraguay. |
| Partners or shareholders | Corporate documents proving participation in the capital. |
| Farmers and livestock producers | Rural property title or production purchase/sale documents + tax compliance. |
| Ministers of religion | Congregation registration + letter attesting role and financial support. |
| Retirees / pensioners | Apostilled pension certificate stating the amount received. |
| Dependents | Sworn declaration of support + ID of the Paraguayan resident or citizen. |
| Students | Current enrolment + receipt of the latest tuition payment. |
One note that applies to everyone: documents issued abroad must be apostilled and translated into Spanish by a public translator registered with Paraguay's official registry. Unrecognised translations are among the most common reasons an application stalls.
Time in the country and absence limits
Paraguay does not require a minimum number of days in the country per year. What matters are the absence limits, and they come down to three thresholds.
Temporary residency lasts two years. During that time you can come and go freely, with one condition: do not stay outside the country for more than twelve consecutive months before filing the conversion application. The window to convert it to permanent opens in the twenty-first month and closes at the twenty-fourth — three months, with one month of tolerance at the cost of a fine. Permanent residency lasts ten years and is maintained, in practice, with one visit every three years; it lapses only after more than three years of unjustified absence, and never automatically, since it requires a formal act of the Directorate. After three years of permanent residency you can finally apply for citizenship, which in Paraguay is compatible with dual nationality.
Traders and crypto investors
This is the question I am asked most often, so I will get to the point: there is no category dedicated to traders or investors among the twelve. Anyone living from cryptocurrencies still falls into one of the existing categories, depending on how they are structured. If you register the activity with a RUC and filings, you are self-employed — and here Paraguay's new crypto rules help, because the obligation to declare crypto assets produces the documentation that was previously missing. If income comes from abroad in contractual form, the classification is that of a digital nomad. If you operate through a company, that of a partner or shareholder.
For those with capital to invest there is a more direct route, and it is worth knowing: the Paraguay Investor Pass grants permanent residency immediately, without going through the temporary stage and the new solvency check. In that case what counts is the investment made, rather than a monthly income to document. The point to weigh carefully is practical: trading on foreign exchanges stays at zero tax thanks to the territorial system, but for that very reason it leaves little documentary trail — and today that trail is needed. It therefore has to be prepared deliberately, as part of the planning.
How to move now
If you are still considering the move, it is best to start from the category you will use to prove income and build the documentation accordingly. Register the RUC in good time, prepare apostilled and translated documents already in your country of origin, and set up from the start an activity consistent with the real one. Inconsistencies usually surface at the moment of conversion, when correcting them becomes harder.
If you already have temporary residency in progress, the priority is to review the file carefully: declared activity, civil status, tax data. An error found two months before filing can be corrected in time, whereas the same error discovered at the counter risks blocking the application. Regularise the RUC and tax obligations, gather the police record and Interpol certificate in advance (their timelines have lengthened since late 2025) and file within the valid window. Keep in mind a distinction many overlook: migratory residency does not automatically entail tax residency. The benefits of the territorial system are activated with the tax-residency certificate, which requires real presence and genuine activity in the country.
A matter of method
The new rules make the process more rigorous, and in the medium term this works in favour of those who approach it with method. Anyone arriving with a coherent structure — traceable income, an active RUC, documents in order — obtains residency without setbacks and builds a solid position that is hard to challenge from the outside. That is the goal of the work I do with my clients: a structure that is transparent in the facts and protected by its own coherence.
If you want to understand which of the twelve categories matches your situation, or whether Paraguay is the right move compared with Panama or a combination of the two, that is exactly what we work through in a strategic consultation. Book a call and we'll discuss your specific case.
Official sources: Agencia IP — Government of Paraguay · Dirección Nacional de Migraciones · Law 6984/2022 (official text). This article is for information purposes and does not constitute individual legal or tax advice.