Paraguay Residency Cost: Government Fees in Full
Paraguay residency cost, quoted from the migration authority and dated, with government fees separated cleanly from professional fees.
Last verified 2026-10-05Next review 2027-01-053 official sources
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Paraguay residency costs Gs. 2,926,925 in government fees for temporary or permanent residency, and Gs. 2,341,540 for MERCOSUR temporary residency. Checked against the migration authority's published fee tables on 19 August 2026.
Everything else you will be quoted — apostilles, translations, notarisation, travel, and any professional fee — is separate from that. Keeping the two apart is the only way to compare quotes honestly.
Paraguay residency cost: the government fees
As published by the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones on its residency pages. Fees are set in guaraníes and change from time to time, which is why this page carries a verification date and is on a monthly review.
| Item | Fee (Gs.) | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary residency | 2,926,925 | General route under Ley N° 6984/2022 |
| Permanent residency | 2,926,925 | Including change of category from temporary |
| MERCOSUR temporary residency | 2,341,540 | Nationals of the eight listed countries |
| Certificado de radicación | 234,154 | Where a certificate of settlement is needed |
| Change of information | 234,154 | Amending details on a permanent file |
| Multa (overstay fine) | 702,462 | Late filing, including a late conversion |
Note what this table shows: the MERCOSUR route is roughly a fifth cheaper at the government counter. It is also two years and non-renewable, so the saving comes with a harder deadline.
What you actually pay depends on how you pay it
The published fee is the cash price. Migraciones adds the card processor's commission plus IVA on top, and the surcharge is different for each card type — so paying from abroad with an international credit card costs about 3.3% more than the headline figure. The rates below come from the authority's own aranceles migratorios page.
| How you pay | Temporary or permanent (Gs.) | Added |
|---|---|---|
| Cash, in guaraníes | 2,926,925 | — |
| Debit card | 2,991,317 | 2% + IVA |
| National credit card | 3,007,415 | 2.5% + IVA |
| International credit card | 3,023,514 | 3% + IVA |
The fee itself is not arbitrary: it is 25 daily wages at the current rate of Gs. 117,077 a day, set by Decreto N° 6225/2026 and Resolución DNM N° 478/2026 and in force for payments from 1 July 2026. That is why it moves when the minimum wage moves, rather than on its own schedule.
Costs that are real but are not government fees
These are the ones people forget when they budget, and they are not small in aggregate.
| Cost | Paid to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Birth certificate, civil-status certificate | Your own civil registry | Varies widely by country |
| Criminal-record certificate | Your own police or justice ministry | Often the slowest item |
| Apostille or consular legalisation | Your own foreign ministry, or a Paraguayan consulate | Per document |
| Sworn translation into Spanish | A licensed translator | Per page; see the translation rule |
| Notarised copies | A Paraguayan notary | The authority asks for original plus authenticated copy |
| INTERPOL and Paraguayan police certificates | Paraguayan authorities | Required from age 14 |
| Travel and accommodation | — | The application is filed in person |
| Professional fees | Your lawyer or agent, if you use one | Optional; not a legal requirement |
How to read a quote
A quote for Paraguayan residency should tell you where three things stand, whether billed separately or included. If it does not, ask.
- Government fees — should match the table above. They are public.
- Third-party costs — translations, apostilles, notary, courier. These are pass-through and vary by how many documents you have.
- The professional fee — what the provider charges for their own work.
Two providers quoting very different totals are often quoting different scopes: one trip or two, translations included or not, cédula included or not, follow-up included or not. The number to compare is not the headline; it is the headline with the government fees and the scope written down.
What the government fee does not buy
It does not buy a result. The migration authority states that submitting documents does not presume approval and that additional documentation may be requested. It also does not buy speed — there is no published processing-time commitment on the pages we have read, and any timeline you are given, including ours, is an estimate based on experience rather than an official figure.
Fees move. We found a secondary source quoting Gs. 2,787,550 for temporary residency — an older figure that was still circulating in mid-2026. The authority's own page said Gs. 2,926,925 on 19 August 2026. That gap is exactly why this page states a date, and why we re-check monthly rather than quarterly.
Paraguay residency total cost: fees plus the parts nobody budgets
The Paraguay residency total cost is the government fee above plus four things people leave out of the sum: the civil-registry documents from your own country, the criminal-record certificate, an apostille on each of those, and the Spanish translation. Those four vary by country and by translator, which is why we put no figure on them — and why any quote that presents a single number should say what it includes.
Our own pricing, for comparison
Our residency package is USD 1,600 and covers document validation, the temporary residency application, the cédula application, arranging sworn translations, official pre-approval of documents, notarised power of attorney and copies, transfers to every office, and English-language assistance throughout. Add-ons — Fast Track, One Trip, RUC, fiscal residency certificate, accounting — are billed once on top and only if you choose them. The Paraguayan government fees in the first table on this page are included in that price, so you can check the arithmetic yourself. The sworn translator’s fee is paid separately, at USD 18 to 55 per page; most files have about 5 pages.
If you would rather do it yourself, we also publish a DIY guide at USD 79, and the government fees are identical either way.
Common questions
- How much does Paraguayan residency cost in government fees?
- As published by the migration authority and checked on 19 August 2026: temporary residency Gs. 2,926,925, permanent residency Gs. 2,926,925, MERCOSUR temporary residency Gs. 2,341,540, certificado de radicación Gs. 234,154, and an overstay fine of Gs. 702,462 where one applies.
- Are there other unavoidable costs?
- Yes. Apostilles and certificates issued by your own country, sworn translation into Spanish, notarised copies, the Paraguayan police and INTERPOL certificates, and travel. These are separate from both the government fee and any professional fee.
Not sure which pathway applies to you?
Paraguay publishes several residency routes with different requirements, fees and deadlines. A short call will tell you which one fits your situation — or whether Paraguay is the wrong answer for you.
Sources
Every legal, fee and procedural statement on this page is taken from the sources below and was checked on 2026-10-05. Where they change, this page changes.
- 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
- Dirección Nacional de Migraciones — Residencia Temporaria MERCOSUR — MERCOSUR residency: countries, validity, fee and conversion window
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.