The Cédula Paraguaya Explained
The national ID that daily life runs on: the published document list, the small fee, the long wait, and why permanent residency changes the card.
Last verified 2026-08-20Next review 2026-11-205 official sources
The cédula de identidad is issued by the Departamento de Identificaciones of the Policía Nacional, not by the migration authority. They are separate institutions and separate procedures. Residency comes first; the cédula follows from it.
The published fee for a first cédula for a foreigner with radicación is ₲8,500, and the published delivery time is 90 business days. The fee is trivial and the wait is not, which is the opposite of what most people expect.
What the card actually does
The cédula is the document Paraguayan daily life is built around. Without it you are a foreigner with a residence permit; with it you are a person the system can process.
| What needs it | Why |
|---|---|
| Opening a bank account | The identification document a Paraguayan bank works from. See opening a bank account |
| A tax residency certificate | Resolución General N° 65/2020 requires a copy of the current cédula, whether or not you are a registered taxpayer. See the certificate |
| Registering an EAS company | The legal representative must hold a Paraguayan cédula or permanent residency. See the EAS explained |
| A RUC, contracts, utilities, mobile lines | Standard identification across the private and public sectors |
| IPS enrolment for foreign beneficiaries | IPS accepts the migration card initially but requires the Paraguayan cédula within a maximum of two years |
| A naturalisation petition | Authenticated copies of the cédula are on the judiciary's published document list. See the citizenship timeline |
Validity tracks your residency
This is the structural point and it has a planning consequence.
The migration authority states that the identity card is issued with the same period of validity as the residence permit. A temporary resident therefore gets a cédula whose validity matches the temporary card, up to two years. Permanent residency carries a ten-year card, and the permanent residence carnet itself is renewed every ten years.
So a person who converts to permanent residency on time replaces a short-dated card with a ten-year one. A person who lets the conversion window lapse ends up renewing short-dated documents repeatedly, which is administratively expensive in a country where the delivery time is measured in months. That is one more reason the three-month conversion window is worth taking seriously.
What the police department publishes
For a first cédula for a foreigner with radicación, the Departamento de Identificaciones publishes a document list that will look familiar if you have just finished a residency application, because much of it overlaps.
- The original certificate of radicación from the migration authority.
- A notarised copy of the current admission card from the migration authority.
- A notarised copy of your valid identity document from your country of origin.
- A notarised copy of the current foreigners' registry card from the Policía Nacional.
- An original birth certificate, apostilled under the Hague Convention or legalised by the Paraguayan foreign ministry.
- An INTERPOL criminal record report, from age 14, authenticated and legalised.
- A criminal background certificate for foreigners from the Policía Nacional.
- A criminal record from your country of origin, from age 14, apostilled or consular-visaed and legalised.
- A certificate of life and residence from your local justice of the peace or police station, authenticated and legalised.
- Marital status documents: marriage certificate, divorce inscription or sentence, or death certificate, as applicable, authenticated and apostilled where foreign.
- Photocopies of academic credentials, authenticated and legalised as applicable.
Published fee: ₲8,500. Published delivery time: 90 business days. Processed at the central office on Denis Roa and Boggiani in Asunción.
The two things that catch people out
The certificate of life and residence. This is a local document, issued by the justice of the peace or the police station covering the address where you actually live. It cannot be obtained in advance from abroad and it presupposes you have an address. It is a small requirement that quietly makes the whole sequence dependent on having somewhere to live first.
Ninety business days. That is roughly four to five calendar months. If your plan involves opening a bank account, registering a company or obtaining a tax residency certificate, the cédula is on the critical path and everything downstream of it inherits the wait. Plan the trip and the timeline around that, not around the residency approval date.
What to confirm before you go. The fee, the delivery time and the document list above are taken from the Departamento de Identificaciones' published page for first-time issuance to foreigners with radicación, read on the date shown on this page. Fees and processing times in Paraguay change without much notice, and the practical requirements at the counter sometimes differ from the published list, particularly on how recent authentications must be. Reconfirm before travelling.
We have also not verified the current position on renewal of a foreigner's cédula, or on replacement of a lost card, as separate procedures with their own fees. Treat those as open.
Where it sits in the sequence
- Residency granted by the migration authority.
- Certificate of radicación and admission card obtained.
- An address established, and a certificate of life and residence obtained locally.
- Cédula application at the Departamento de Identificaciones.
- Roughly 90 business days.
- Everything else: bank, RUC, company, tax residency certificate.
Anyone quoting you a plan that has a bank account open within a fortnight of arrival is either using a route we do not know about or has not read the published timeline. See residency scams and red flags.
Common questions
- How much does a Paraguayan cédula cost for a foreigner?
- The Departamento de Identificaciones publishes a fee of ₲8,500 for a first cédula for a foreigner with radicación, with a delivery time of 90 business days, processed at its central office in Asunción.
- How long is a foreigner’s cédula valid?
- The migration authority states the identity card is issued with the same period of validity as the residence permit. A temporary resident therefore holds a short-dated card, while permanent residency carries a ten-year cédula and a carnet renewed every ten years.
- What do I need the cédula for?
- Opening a bank account, obtaining a tax residency certificate under Resolución General N° 65/2020, acting as the legal representative of an EAS, obtaining a RUC, contracts and utilities, and a naturalisation petition. IPS also requires the Paraguayan cédula from foreign beneficiaries within a maximum of two years.
- Is the cédula issued by Migraciones?
- No. Residency is granted by the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones; the cédula is issued by the Departamento de Identificaciones of the Policía Nacional. They are separate institutions with separate procedures and separate document requirements.
Document handling is included in our residency package
Sworn certified translations, notarised copies, official pre-approval of documents and shipping where needed are part of the package rather than add-ons.
Sources
Every legal, fee and procedural statement on this page is taken from the sources below and was checked on 2026-08-20. Where they change, this page changes.
- Policía Nacional — Departamento de Identificaciones: cédula por primera vez a extranjeros — First cédula for foreign residents: document list, ₲8,500 fee and 90 business days
- Dirección Nacional de Migraciones — Residencia Temporal — Temporary residency: validity, requirements and fees
- Dirección Nacional de Migraciones — Residencia Permanente por cambio de categoría — Converting temporary residency to permanent residency
- Resolución General N° 65/2020 — DNIT — Certificado de Residencia Fiscal: requirements, issue time and validity
- Agencia IP — El IPS recuerda requisitos para la inscripción de beneficiarios del seguro social — Who counts as a beneficiary, and the documents required for foreign beneficiaries
Related
This page is general information about Paraguayan rules as published by the authorities named above. It is not legal or tax advice for your circumstances, and immigration outcomes depend on your nationality, documents and individual case. See our legal and tax information disclaimer.